Author: Clint Confehr

By Clint Confehr NASHVILLE, TN — In the recent Grand Opening at Shoney’s Donelson in Nashville.  CEO, David Davoudpour, invited all the children and team members from the Backfield in Motion program, along with the help of Chief Anderson to a blue light special dinner treat. Shoney’s Chairman/CEO David Davoudpour organized the event with College Football Hall of Famer Boots Donnelly, CEO of Backfield in Motion (BIM), a non-profit tutoring boys, age 10-18, in the three R’s, and running a youth football league. During a recent 5k fun run fundraiser for police, Davoudpour said, Chief Steve Anderson agreed to have…

By Clint Confehr NASHVILLE, TN — Thirty years ago on July 12, the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church moved into its building on 11th Avenue North and that’s being celebrated during three days next month. The Rev. Joanne Robertson, the first minister ordained by the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church, will offer a look back and a vision for the future at the church’s 7 p.m. revival on Friday, July 7. The Rev. Edwin C. Sanders II, senior servant of Metropolitan Interdenominational, says it’s also known as the Whosoever Church at 2128 11th Ave., N. He calls Rev. Robertson the congregation’s first daughter. “Saturday…

By Clint Confehr MEMPHIS, TN — A fee to request erasure of a criminal record is now about half of what it was, according to a legislator who wrote a law lowering the cost. Rep. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, has announced that under the new law, an offender’s cost to petition the court for expungement is now $180 instead of $350. “By reducing part of the financial barrier to expunction,” Akbari said, “more ex-offenders will be able to get their lives back on track; reducing the recidivism rate and strengthening our communities. “People should not be judged for the rest of…

By Clint Confehr NASHVILLE, TN — Victims of lynching and racial terrorism were memorialized at Fisk University recently with prayers and dedication of a plaque naming three whose murders are documented with public records. The Dec. 15, 1924 murder of Samuel Smith, 15, by a mob at Frank Hill Road — after being kidnapped from Metro General Hospital by masked men, as the “Nashville Banner” reported — is believed to be the last lynching in Davidson County. “There may have been others, but there’s no public record,” says history professor Dr. Reavis Mitchell, dean of humanities at Fisk, and chairman,…

By Clint Confehr NASHVILLE, TN — Renaming the Tennessee Democratic Party’s Three Star Jackson Day Dinner was an issue raised by fliers distributed as people entered the State Fairgrounds for the fundraiser last week. “To have a dinner in honor of this man” Christina Wisneski’s flier says of Andrew Jackson, “is a direct slap in the face to many of those of us working hard every week to fight fascism, trumpet boy and his Russian agenda.” Virginia Democrats faced similar requests for their fundraisers in the 1970s when Thomas Jefferson’s affair with Sally Hemings became better known. Jackson’s execution of…

NASHVILLE, TN — Commemoration of workers killed on the job came this year with distress over a presidential order seen by labor leaders as contrary to Americans’ best interest. “A new executive order says that for every new protection that’s put into place, two existing safeguards must be removed,” says Vonda McDaniel, president of the Central Labor Council for Nashville and Middle Tennessee. President Trump’s order “also removes the requirement that employers must keep accurate records of accidents on the job,” McDaniel says, describing a memorial service at the IBEW Local 429 union hall on Workers Memorial Day to honor…

By Clint Confehr FRANKLIN, TN — There’s a shortage of trained skilled workers for builders and contractors, according to employers and associates here for a construction manager’s open house. It’s not just because of Middle Tennessee’s building boom. It’s the aging of skilled construction workers, continuing effects of the housing bubble burst, the recession and cautious bankers when loaning money. Jobs were discussed at the “meet & greet” hosted by DeAngelis Diamond’s Nashville-area office near Williamson Medical Center. Workforce diversity was addressed without hesitation in social conversation. “We have a diverse workforce,” said Andy Mitchell, president of his Knoxville-area company.…

By Clint Confehr FRANKLIN, TN — Established in response to Los Angeles riots against acquittal of policemen charged with beating Rodney King, the Nissan Foundation is announcing grants in June to honor cultural diversity. “The Nissan Foundation is committed to enriching people’s lives … where Nissan operates,” Nissan Foundation Executive Director Vicki Smith says. “The foundation supports educational programs that celebrate and foster greater appreciation for the value that exists in a positive, diverse community.” The 1992 LA riots were from April 29 – May 4 when 55 people died, 2,000 were injured and 11,000 were arrested. Property damage estimates…

By Clint Confehr NASHVILLE, TN — The rector at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church met with a couple of parishioners Palm Sunday for continued pastoral care of the congregation because he’s retiring. “St Ann’s has a hopeful future,” the Rev. Rick Britton said in his letter to the congregation. “Nashville is growing and St. Ann’s is located in the thriving East Nashville neighborhood.” Father Rick’s served St. Ann’s nearly nine years. He’s 66 in June. His last day at work is May 31. Britton ’s on vacation in June. Retirement starts June 30. “The Holy Spirit will guide St. Ann’s, continuing…

By Clint Confehr NASHVILLE, TN — Community groups, led by their NAACP branch, say they don’t trust Davidson County’s justice system since the shooting death of a black man 10 weeks ago. “This officer needs to be held accountable,” said Sheila Clemmons Lee, mother of Jocques Clemmons who died Feb. 10 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was shot in the back by Metro Police Officer Joshua Lippert near South 6th Street and Summer Place. “If history is to repeat itself,” the branch said in a prepared statement, “we predict that there will be no fault attributed to Officer…