bobby allyn

Wine in grocery store advocates say 30,000 people have signed petitions. That’s double what they need to put the referendum to Nashville voters. But it’s not yet guaranteed to be on the ballot.

Community Health Systems will pay $98 million in a settlement over allegedly creating a scheme in which patients were admitted to CHS emergency rooms who didn’t need to be hospitalized.

The group that led that effort in 1996 says they can’t get behind the current campaign to kick off three Democratic judges in the Aug. 7 election.

Voters have Friday and Saturday to vote in the August 7 primary, and election officials have been urging voters to turn out early to avoid what could be long primary-day lines.

Amp critics, most notably real estate manager Richard Fulton, used Wednesday’s meeting as an opportunity to take shots at the planned 7-mile bus rapid transit line.

They’ve been holding their fire until after the August primary. Both sides will be canvassing, sending out mailers and launching advertisements. Overall, their campaigns have already raised nearly $1 million.

A spokeswoman says the state is “confident we will have the necessary chemicals.” Meanwhile, advocacy groups are renewing criticism over death penalty methods after it reportedly took nearly two hours to execute a convicted murderer in Arizona.

The out-of-state advocacy comes months after state lawmakers failed to pass a voucher bill.