Listen The leading topic of discussion nationwide continues to be guns in the wake of the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla. And state capitols around the country are feeling pressure to act and help put an end to the wave of massacres.
What’s On The Table — And What’s Not — After The Parkland Shooting
Tennessee’s Largest Insurer Claims Savings By Focusing On Most Expensive Patients
Listen Frequent visitors to the emergency room tend to get the blame for the soaring cost of health care. In effect, everyone’s monthly insurance premiums cover the most expensive patients. So BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee — like many insurers — has begun devoting more energy to its priciest patients in a long-term effort to control […]
After Latest Shooting, Tennessee Lawmakers Open Door To At Least One Gun Control Measure
Listen Last year’s shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas raised the prominence of a particular accessory used in that killing — bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic rifles to fire at rates comparable to machine guns. Now in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., massacre, Tennessee lawmakers are considering cracking down on them.
Kentucky Governor Says Republicans Should ‘Take The Lead’ In Tennessee’s Criminal Justice Reform
Listen Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin says Tennessee is about a decade ahead of his home state on many fronts, especially economically — but Kentucky’s neighbor to the south could learn something when it comes to changing how the state deals with prisoners.
After Losing Its Hospital, A Small Tennessee Town Shows One Way To Make Do
Listen Rural hospitals in Tennessee have been some of the most stressed in the country. Eight communities are getting used to life after losing their only hospital, and more facilities are teetering. So health officials are exploring the options and pointing to the town of Hohenwald, which has made do without a hospital for two […]
Versify #12: A Hurricane, A Wedding, And A Flood
For Betty and Raul Malo, lead singer of country band the Mavericks, their romantic life has been punctuated by a series of severe storms. August of ’92: Hurricane Andrew throttled the Florida coastline, destroying Betty’s home just months before their wedding. So she and Raul eloped instead and moved to Nashville. But then, May of […]
Sewanee Theology Professors Say Charlie Rose’s Sins Are Bad Enough To Rescind His Honorary Degree
Professors in Sewanee’s School of Theology have entered the debate over whether the university should revoke an honorary degree that it gave to broadcast journalist Charlie Rose in 2016.
Tennessee’s Next Governor: Even Democratic Candidates Say They’ll Aim To Work With Trump
Listen Eight years ago, when Republicans were outside the White House, their political advertising in Tennessee largely stuck to a single formula. “You would take a picture of the Democratic candidate. Put a picture of Barack Obama on one side,” says Kent Syler, a professor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University. “You know, throw […]
How Tennessee’s Pre-Trial ‘Safekeeping’ Laws Differ From Other States
Listen Tennessee law allows judges to send people charged with crimes to a state prison — in solitary confinement — while they’re waiting for a trial. Sometimes it’s because they were deemed violent, but they can also be put away because they have a medical or mental health issue that the county jail can’t accommodate.
Season 1, Part 5: Get Some Gone
What happens when you try to leave Cayce? There is a saying in Nashville’s James Cayce Homes: “Get some gone.” Three simple words that describe the urge, the mission, to move out, to get away from the city’s oldest public housing project. Tonya Shannon grew up in Cayce. And she was determined to get out. So at 18 years old, she got some gone. But leaving the place is rarely a clean break.
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