Whitewater outfitters on the Nolichucky River are facing an uncertain future after Hurricane Helene. The storm washed a CSX rail line into the river. Now heavy equipment is crawling all over the wild, remote gorge, and outfitters haven’t heard whether the U.S. Forest Service plans to issue permits for them to operate.
Tennessee reverses course, releases redacted execution manual with vague details
Tennessee’s Department of Correction has released a redacted version of its newly completed execution manual after initially refusing to do so. The 44-page document blacks out sporadic titles and team names, and omits previously detailed steps on carrying out the death penalty in the Volunteer State.
Tennessee is refusing to release its new execution manual. Here is why it matters
Tennessee prison officials say they won’t publicly release the the state’s latest manual for executing death row inmates. In an email Monday, Tennessee correction official Kayla Hackney denied a public records request from The Associated Press.
In Tennessee case, federal appeals court says there is no fundamental right to change one’s sex on a birth certificate
The majority opinion of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel found, “There is no fundamental right to a birth certificate recording gender identity instead of biological sex.”
Judge says Nashville school shooter’s writings can’t be released as victims’ families have copyright
The withholding of the writings has been particularly controversial because some people see the shooting as a hate crime against Christians and believe the journals will prove it.
Federal judge sentences 4 anti-abortion activists for a 2021 Tennessee clinic blockade
All four were convicted of serious felony conspiracy charges, leading to sentences that were below what prosecutors requested. Six co-defendants have yet to be sentenced.
For the endangered Nashville crayfish, its rebound is both good and bad news
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering removing the Nashville crayfish from the endangered species list.
The Rev. James Lawson Jr. has died at 95, civil rights leader’s family says
The Rev. James Lawson Jr., has died. His family said Monday that Lawson died peacefully on Sunday.
Transgender Tennesseans want state’s refusal to amend birth certificates declared unconstitutional
The fate of a decades-old Tennessee policy that does not allow transgender people to change the sex designation on their birth certificates is in the hands of a federal appeals court. A group of four transgender women born in Tennessee wants the policy declared unconstitutional. A federal judge dismissed their case last year.
In rural Tennessee, the National Teacher of the Year helps diverse students and their families thrive
Officials announced Wednesday that Missy Testerman has been named the 2024 National Teacher of the Year. Those who know Testerman say that’s no wonder, having become familiar with the kind of magic she works in the classroom each day.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM