The City of Murfreesboro has settled in a lawsuit over its controversial policy on LGBTQ events.
Meribah Knight takes us behind the scenes of her new podcast ‘The Kids of Rutherford County’
In 2016, WPLN’s senior reporter and special projects producer Meribah Knight heard a disturbing story from Rutherford County, a suburban Tennessee community southeast of Nashville. A group of elementary schoolers were arrested for something that didn’t seem like a crime: watching a fight between other kids and not intervening. Meribah dug in further and discovered […]
The Kids of Rutherford County: A reporter’s essay
The three years I spent working on “The Kids of Rutherford County” podcast taught me one thing: Tennessee’s punitive policies aren’t leaving children in the legal system better off.
Rutherford County’s library system bans four books with LGBTQ+ themes after a Murfreesboro ‘decency’ ordinance
Rutherford County’s Library System board voted to remove a total of four books from its shelves during a meeting Monday evening. All of them were young adult books that included LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
Rutherford County’s juvenile detention facility is under increased oversight, yet still expanding its reach
Rutherford County’s juvenile justice system has come under fire for locking up kids at rates that surpass every other county in Tennessee. And it doesn’t just detain its own kids. The detention center contracts with counties across the state and charges a daily rate.
The board tasked with overseeing Rutherford County’s Juvenile Detention Center sets its sights on reform in the new year
The new oversight board tasked with reforming Rutherford County’s juvenile detention center met for the third time Monday. So far, the board has been trying to better understand the inner workings of the detention center.
Conservative backlash to drag shows could endanger the future of Pride celebrations in Tennessee
The future of Pride celebrations in Tennessee is uncertain. Summer festivals, drag shows and book displays celebrating LGBTQ Tennesseans have faced pushback throughout the state.
Rutherford County is back in court over juvenile arrests, now fighting insurer to cover its payouts
Rutherford County is suing its insurance provider for refusing to cover its settlement in a large class action lawsuit over its unlawful policies for arresting and detaining children.
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.
Rutherford County Schools rejected a Hillsdale-affiliated charter. Now a state-appointed commission will decide if it can open anyway.
A hearing over a controversial charter school application with ties to conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan drew a crowd of opponents and supporters in Rutherford County on Wednesday. Two more hearings of the state-appointed charter commission are scheduled this week.