Just in from Sam Stockard :

We couldn't *quite* make it to the Labor Day weekend without another breaking news story. From Sam Stockard : Memphis sues Shelby County Election Commission over gun-restriction referendums tennesseelookout.com/2024/08/30/mem… via Tennessee Lookout

BREAKING: Lifesaving medication for postpartum hemorrhaging is being pulled off emergency carts because of new Louisiana law reclassifying misoprostol as a controlled dangerous substance. My first Pulitzer Center StoryReach article for Louisiana Illuminator lailluminator.com/2024/09/03/lou…

"When I contacted the [DoHS] director of communications to try to smooth things over, I was told, 'Amelia’s reporting only seeks to harm and misinform West Virginians.'" New commentary from my editor, Leann Ray. She always has my back in the thick of it. westvirginiawatch.com/2024/09/03/dep…

Ascension Saint Thomas has been the key provider of rape kit exams in Rutherford Co. The D.A. and local advocates say it is now turning victims away, placing their welfare - and prosecutions - in jeopardy. The hospital flatly denies this. tennesseelookout.com/2024/09/03/are… Tennessee Lookout

"I think it takes a lot of courage for survivors to come forward. When they are turned away, they may not want to go to a second location. It's hard enough to get them to drive 10 minutes sometimes." timesfreepress.com/news/2024/sep/…

The ABA News has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing Tennessee's law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Senior Reporter Sam Stockard writes that a Sept. 16 hearing is scheduled in the Memphis City Council’s lawsuit against the Shelby County Election Commission over three gun-related ballot measures. tennesseelookout.com/briefs/mid-sep…

I am deeply troubled by this data: Around 2,500 babies in WV are born w/ neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). In 2020, CPS screened in 712 babies in WV with drug exposure, compared to 526 babies screened in California. California has a population of 39.5M. WV's pop is 1.7M.

Nashville council weighs bill to explicitly prohibit most city employees, including police, from “unlawful association with criminal hate groups and paramilitary gangs.” nashvillebanner.com/2024/09/04/met… Nashville Banner

West Tennessee land conservation deal could create new state forest and provide protections for Memphis water supply The 5k site is located just south of Ford Motor Company new truck plant, providing a buffer from development Story: Cassandra Stephenson tennesseelookout.com/2024/09/04/pen… Tennessee Lookout

Tennessee GOP's redrawn voting districts are legal political gerrymandering, not an illegal decision based on race, a court ruled But, as Adam Friedman reports, racial & political gerrymandering look virtually the same on U.S. House maps tennesseelookout.com/2024/09/04/rac… Tennessee Lookout

BREAKING: TBI agents raid Millersville Police Department as criminal probe of troubled agency intensifies newschannel5.com/news/newschann…

The Murfreesboro Police have not obtained sexual assault examination evidence in nearly a year from Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital – the county’s largest hospital and its main provider of the specialized forensic exams, writes Anita Wadhwani. tennesseelookout.com/2024/09/04/mur…

A statement from the Murfreesboro police chief echoes claims by the District Attorney and victim advocates who say Rutherford County's largest hospital has, for months, turned away survivors seeking sexual assault exams The hospital has denied those claims.

One correction: the statement came from the Murfreesboro Police Department (not its chief of police)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee spoke at Florida retreat paid by Alliance Defending Freedon, a Christian law firm behind new state laws Story: Vivian Jones tennessean.com/story/news/pol… via @tennessean

Tennessee education commissioner Lizzette Reynolds remains under the microscope story: Sam Stockard tennesseelookout.com/2024/09/05/ten… via Tennessee Lookout

Ahead of Saturday's TNGOP hearing on Rep. John Ragan's challenge of his primary loss, BenPounds Journalist talked to Oak Ridge officials who say Ragan's education stances played a role in the loss--not Democratic crossover voting. tennesseelookout.com/2024/09/06/ami…

Tennessee regulators signed off on a controversial opioid treatment clinic in Putnam County story: WPLN News - Nashville Public Radio Catherine Sweeney wpln.org/post/tennessee…