By Peter White NASHVILLE, TN — Anger erupted into violence Saturday night as thousands took over lower Broadway, Public Square Park, and the State Capitol grounds. The spark was a police killing 900 miles away in Minneapolis where a white cop knelt on George Floyd’s black neck for 8 minutes until he died. Floyd was allegedly trying to pass off a counterfeit $20 bill. Probably to feed his family but we don’t know that part of the story yet. When we do, it will be news reporters who tell us. All over the country people took to the streets in…
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By Igor Bobic Top Senate Republicans on Tuesday brushed aside the use of force against hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered to demand an end to police brutality against Black Americans near the White House. Some questioned whether it was a real protest in the first place. “That wasn’t even a protest ― that was a provocation that was created deliberately for national television,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Capitol Hill. “Show me the pictures of that crowd and tell me those are real protesters and not professional agitators,” Rubio added.…
By Former President Barack Obama As millions of people across the country take to the streets and raise their voices in response to the killing of George Floyd and the ongoing problem of unequal justice, many people have reached out asking how we can sustain momentum to bring about real change. Ultimately, it’s going to be up to a new generation of activists to shape strategies that best fit the times. But I believe there are some basic lessons to draw from past efforts that are worth remembering. First, the waves of protests across the country represent a genuine and…
By Peter White NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development administers unemployment insurance here. It might as well be on Mars. Tens of thousands have been denied claims or had them lost in limbo for months. Some unemployed workers spend hours on the phone every day trying to get their claims processed but wind up getting nowhere. “We are all in the same boat,” said Kevin Pritchett, a substitute teacher in Shelby County. He filed for unemployment but was denied. He filed a protest March 22. “I’m going to lose my apartment…done lost my car insurance…
NASHVILLE, TN — The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) Board of Commissioners today selected Superior Construction Company Southeast, LLC for Nashville International Airport (BNA)’s terminal access roadway improvements project. The board approved an initial $18.4 million contract for pre-construction services at today’s meeting, with additional funding for construction to be approved as the project progresses over the next three years. The design-build contract, estimated at $137 million, is for a key component of BNA Vision, the airport’s dynamic expansion and renovation plan. Roadway construction will begin in spring 2021 with completion anticipated in late 2024. “Today’s board approval kicks off…
NASHVILLE, TN — Chief United States District Judge Pamela L. Reeves will be honored next month with the inaugural Tennessee Professionalism Award from the Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee American Inns of Court. The Tennessee Professionalism Award is awarded each year to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. It will be presented annually to a lawyer or judge residing in the Grand Division of Tennessee where the Tennessee…
By Dominique Derbigny and Jocelyn Frye Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity To be frank, women fuel this economy. Women with children, especially women of color, are increasingly likely to be breadwinners for their families and they provide more child care and domestic labor at home than men. Businesses owned by women of color are growing at faster rates than other firms, and women make a majority of consumer purchases. Despite these and other significant contributions to the U.S. economy, the experiences of women during this crisis have been often overlooked in the federal response to COVID-19. And Black, Latinx, Native American, and…
By Peter White Elected Officials Get Back to Work NASHVILLE, TN — After a 2½-month hiatus, Tennessee legislators are going back to work. Republicans have several dystopian bills they want to pass but with the economy in shambles, budget-cutting is now first on their agenda. The Republican will have to wait until next year to pass a no-permit gun carry bill. Gov. Bill Lee likes the idea but most gun owners don’t. Lee also likes the idea of taking public school funds to pay tuition in private schools. Fortunately, Davidson County Chancellor Anne C. Martin ruled we still have separation…
Imagine you’re trying to count every single person living in the United States. There are two main ways that you can mess up; you can count some people twice and you can miss some people out. In 2010, the Census Bureau made both mistakes, as it always does, because counting people is hard. It double-counted about 3% of people and omitted another 3% and, because those mistakes work in opposite directions, the overall population count was almost perfectly accurate. What’s revealing though is who gets counted twice and who gets left out altogether. That’s where race has historically played a…
NASHVILLE, TN — Mayor John Cooper has announced an online competition to choose a “fan favorite” among the three finalists in the “Nashville Needs A Song” COVID-19 songwriting competition. The competition started on Wednesday, May 27 and Davidson County residents can visit https://www.asafenashville.org/nashville-needs-a-song-contest/ to cast their vote. Online polls close at 5 p.m. CDT on Friday, May 29. The top three competition finalists chosen by the Nashville Songwriters Association International are: “Looking Up” Written by Jesse Labelle, Rob Crosby, and Jamie Moore “Times Like These” Written by Conner Sweet, Lance Carpenter, and Liz Hengber “We Will Survive” Written by Ryan…