When did a Tennessee governor put his foot down? Plus, the local news for June 27, 2025.
Blake Farmer, Host, This Is Nashville
Blake Farmer is the host of “This Is Nashville,” the flagship weekday show of Nashville Public Radio. Previously, Blake spent 16 years at WPLN News, serving as host, editor and news director. Before a two-year radio hiatus with a Nashville-based healthcare company, Blake was one of the country’s most prolific healthcare audio journalists. He produced stories for both local and national programs, extending the reach of his reporting through a partnership with KFF Health News. Outside of work, Blake can be found running or biking on roads that other Nashvillians consider too busy for such activities. So far, he has always made it home to his wife of 20 years and two children.
NashVillager Podcast: Tennessee’s Scottish roots
It’s Scottish, Scots-Irish Heritage Day in Tennessee. Local headlines for June 24 plus an update on a WPLN-ProPublica investigation into the embattled head of a Tennessee youth detention center.
Juneteenth listening recs from This Is Nashville
As This Is Nashville observes the national holiday to mark the Emancipation Proclamation reaching all enslaved people, consider these episodes for deep and informative listening.
Tennessee hospitals are cutting services under post-pandemic financial pressure, according to survey
Many Tennessee hospitals are in trouble as they try to stabilize after the trauma of COVID-19. The Tennessee Hospital Association has published a new survey that finds: Now that pandemic relief money has dried up, nearly half are at risk of closure.
Tennessee Republicans are making permanent a rule to shield businesses from COVID-related litigation
Tennessee Republicans are taking temporary rules and making them permanent to try to shield businesses from COVID-related litigation, along with other COVID-era protections. The legislation is moving quickly, and with little debate.
ERs staffed by private equity firms aim to cut costs by hiring fewer doctors
Pregnant and scared, Natasha Valle went to Clarksville’s Tennova Healthcare hospital in January 2021 because she was bleeding. She didn’t know much about miscarriage, but this seemed like one.
TennCare uses scare tactics and aggressive enforcement to root out fraud. With millions spent, the agency has little to show for it.
The state’s low-income health insurance program, TennCare, funds an outside unit dedicated to rooting out potential fraud. After millions of dollars spent each year, it has less and less to show for the effort aside from slapping Tennesseans with felonies unnecessarily.
TennCare would cover more pregnancies and diapers under proposal from Gov. Bill Lee
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is proposing a significant expansion of the state’s Medicaid program, known as TennCare, using money from a new deal negotiated with the Trump Administration described as a “block grant.”
Child welfare advocates ask DCS to look to previous federal oversight for a path forward
Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services could stand to revisit federal oversight that lifted in 2017, say child welfare advocates and legal experts. The court settlement known as “Brian A” required that the state spend money on critical improvements, like having enough case managers so they didn’t handle more than 20 children at a time.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM