Voter turnout for Tuesday’s midterm election could be down this year, with political observers noting Tennessee’s lack of competitive contests. Still, some voters weren’t settling for straight party-line decisions.
A partner in Nashville’s first violence interruption program pulls out, amid scrutiny of the city’s public safety funding efforts
Last month, an advisory board recommended that the groups take on the first city-funded violence interruption pilot. It would have pushed the organizations together, despite having different approaches.
Slavery is still allowed as a punishment for crime in Tennessee’s constitution. Amendment 3 seeks to change that.
Update: Amendment 3 was passed by Tennessee voters, so the language of the state’s constitution will be updated accordingly. Find all of WPLN’s live Election Day coverage here. The inspiration for Amendment 3 came about a decade ago, behind the bars and barbed wire of Riverbend Maximum Security Prison.
Nashville’s mayor set aside millions for community members working to reduce violence. Where has that money gone?
During the summer protests of 2020, activists took to the streets with a message — “We keep us safe.” It was a call to invest more in community-based safety efforts, instead of policing.
‘Her story needs to be told’: A renovated garden in Centennial Park remembers children who died by violence
Since 1996, a small corner of Centennial Park has memorialized children who died from violence. This week, the renovated Children’s Memory Garden will be unveiled.
Gideon’s Army and Raphah Institute are recommended to split $1.5 million for violence interruption
An advisory board has recommended that two local groups split $1.5 million in funding for violence interruption efforts. If approved, it will push the two organizations to work together, despite having very different approaches.
For pregnant or parenting students, local colleges have few resources. A new Nashville organization aims to help fill the gap.
23-year-old India McKenzie proudly holds up her sonogram — the accordion of black and white images unfolding in her hands. She is starting to get excited about this baby, who she plans to name Polly after her grandmother.
Rutherford County’s new oversight board will focus on troubled juvenile detention facility
The oversight board tasked with reforming Rutherford County’s Juvenile Detention Center met for the first time this week.
28 people have died of overdoses in Tennessee’s prisons this year. Lawsuits blame understaffing and easily available drugs.
More than two dozen people have died of overdoses behind bars in Tennessee this year. Twelve of those deaths happened in privately operated prisons, run by Brentwood-based CoreCivic.
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