By Peter White NASHVLLE, TN — Sandy Close, executive director of Ethnic Media Services in San Francisco, asked Dr. Robert Bullard about the weather in Houston last week. He ticked off half a dozen extreme weather events that hit the Gulf Coast hard and left widespread flooding and devastation in their wake. Disasters and pollution pack a powerful double punch. “Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution,” Bullard said. He is Distinguished Professor or Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University. The author of 18 books, Bullard is known as the “Father of Environmental Justice”. “If…
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By Stephen Elliott NASHVILLE, TN — When early this month the Centers for Disease Control issued a moratorium on residential evictions through the end of the year in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus, President Trump said he wanted “to make it unmistakably clear that I’m protecting people from evictions.” In practice, it has been anything but “unmistakably clear.” On Tuesday, dozens of Nashville tenants showed up to Davidson County General Sessions Court for detainer warrant hearings, at which landlords were seeking back rent or permission from the court to evict them. Dozens more did not show up,…
Call ahead before visiting your health care professional or the emergency department if you have a fever and other symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough and shortness of breath. Let them know if you think you may have COVID-19. They will ask you questions about your symptoms, travel history, exposure, and medical risk factors to find out if you should be tested for COVID-19. They will then give you instructions on how to get tested in your community. A common question I hear from patients is about which doctor to call. I recommend calling the doctor who you have…
NASHVILLE, TN — Get those crayons ready! In advance of the Oct. 22 Presidential Debate, Belmont University and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) announced recently the upcoming release of debate-themed activity books that will be provided free to 30,000 MNPS kindergarten through fourth-grade students. Sponsored and produced by Lithographics with paper provided by International Paper and printed on Accent® Opaque, the books provide coloring and activity pages designed to educate and inspire elementary-age students about the executive branch of government and the upcoming presidential debate in Nashville on Belmont’s campus. “Hosting a presidential debate presents immense challenges and immense opportunities,”…
By Peter White NASHVILLE, TN — The Bordeaux dump is almost full. Don Gentilcore, senior district manager of the Southern Services landfill, said it will run out of space in 3-4 years. Waste Management owns the facility and handles trash, garbage, and construction debris for much of Middle Tennessee, including Nashville. The Bordeaux landfill only accepts construction debris. “The facility is a Class 3 landfill. What that means is that we are permitted to accept construction demolition material. That includes brick, lumber, soil, rock, and concrete,” Gentilcore said. “The landfill does not accept municipal solid waste or source-separated recyclables.” That…
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Tennessee has given more than $170 million in federal relief funds to businesses struggling to survive during the coronavirus pandemic, but top state officials aren’t saying exactly who is getting the money. “This is considered confidential taxpayer information,” state Department of Revenue spokeswoman Kelly Cortesi wrote in an email to The Associated Press in response to a request to review the list of businesses that had received government checks since the program launched in early June. Payments for eligible businesses range from $2,500 to $30,000, depending on gross sales. Cortesi cited…
By Adelle M. Banks (RNS) — Gospel singing star CeCe Winans said the planned public service announcement in which she discussed the coronavirus pandemic with the U.S. surgeon general was “not political” and did not mention President Donald Trump. The singer, who co-pastors a Nashville, Tennessee church with her husband, told the Rev. A.R. Bernard in an Instagram Live interview on Tuesday (Sept. 29) that her managers had told her the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sought her out. She said the Zoom conversation with Surgeon General Jerome Adams occurred a couple of weeks ago. “We have a…
By Adelle M. Banks (RNS) — For each day left before Election Day, Martinique Mix, a graphic designer in Atlanta, is developing promotional materials for the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s get-out-the-vote efforts. “We’re putting them on all social media and email to make sure it has a wide range so that it does reach the person who is 17 ½ and the person who is 77,” said Mix, the granddaughter of a retired AME bishop and president of the historically Black denomination’s Richard Allen Young Adult Council. She began working on the church’s V-Alert campaign in August. “The information that…
By Christina Prignano Globe Staff President Trump refused to condemn white supremacists during the first presidential debate Tuesday night, instead telling the hate group the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” when questioned on the issue. The topic arose when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump to condemn white supremacists and militia groups that have been active at rallies against police violence, often carrying firearms. Trump at first tried to deflect the question, claiming all the violence he had seen was “from the left wing.” But when pressed by both Wallace and Joe Biden, Trump would not condemn white…
By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) _ Former President Barack Obama will join Kamala Harris for a pair of fundraisers next week in support of the Democratic ticket, the pair’s first events together since Harris became Joe Biden’s running mate. The two will team up for a grassroots fundraiser focused on low-dollar donations and a high-dollar event on Oct. 2, according to a campaign aide with knowledge of the events who was not authorized to discuss them publicly. Both will be virtual. The campaign released a video of the two chatting over video about campaigning and Biden earlier…