Ian Round is The Daily Memphian’s state government reporter based in Nashville. He came to Tennessee from Maryland, where he reported on local politics for Baltimore Brew. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland in December 2019.
There are 432 articles by Ian Round :
One baby in Memphis was separated from her mother for much more time than necessary because of dysfunction at the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. After quitting, a former DCS worker says her hair is growing back.
“Not so long ago, it was commonplace for states to require juveniles convicted of homicide to serve sentences of over fifty years. Now, that practice has vanished. ... In the entirety of the nation, Tennessee stands alone.”
“It is no secret that DCS has failed to hire and retain staff and, as a result, has seen unusually high caseload averages throughout the state,” DCS Commissioner Margie Quin told Gov. Bill Lee and his budget advisers on Nov. 17.
State Sen. Brian Kelsey requested a hearing to change his plea eight days after an associate pleaded guilty.
CEO Clay Bright also said there are two “potential gravesites” on Megasite grounds, totaling less than two acres, but provided no information about who might be buried there.
Even with growing support among Tennesseans and state leaders, medical and recreational legalization still face a long legislative process.
Shelby County’s two U.S. congressmen made statements after former President Donald Trump’s dinner with the rapper Ye and the white supremacist/ Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
The so-called Goosegate was far from the first conflict between residents and the Riverwood Farms homeowners’ association board, but it sparked a new group to take over. Now, the new board hopes it spurs a change to state law.
Methodist said some care providers voiced questions about patients receiving gender-affirming procedures at a facility affiliated with the hospital, prompting the pause to review practices. It did not say how long the pause would last.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a request for proposals on Monday, Dec. 5, for contractors to test around 1,000 backlogged sexual assault kits by next summer.
A Tennessee comptroller audit on the Department of Children’s Services concluded that allegations of sexual abuse went uninvestigated, as did accusations of misconduct by contractors.
The 3G transfer might be one of the final stages of a saga that saw the brief merger of all Shelby County children under a single school system and the six municipalities’ subsequent secession and creation of their own districts.
The governor also made 30 people eligible for parole who were sentenced before a reformed Drug-Free School Zone law was passed in 2020.
Thousands of state government workers received significant raises this month following persistent criticism that the state is uncompetitive in the labor market. Most TBI employees were unaffected.
State Sen. London Lamar’s bill has widespread support among leaders in Shelby County, but it is unlikely to become law.
“Tennessee is in a sound financial position and can afford to provide critical funding to Memphis to repair and replace our aging water infrastructure,” said state Rep. John Gillespie.
Gov. Bill Lee granted Oscar Smith a reprieve after finding TDOC failed to properly test lethal injection chemicals, then retained a former federal prosecutor to investigate why it happened.
State lawmakers have arrived in Nashville for the start of the annual legislative session at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 10, and they are expected to focus on a big, car-centric infrastructure package, penalties for violent crimes and transgender people’s rights.
Once again, state dollars didn’t flow to Shelby County. But this time it wasn’t an example of the state disinvesting in Memphis. MLGW says it can complete all the needed infrastructure upgrades with the funding it already has.
About a third of Tennessee foster children are placed in three or more homes in their first year in state custody, according to a Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth report, putting children at greater risk of compounding trauma.
The late state Rep. Barbara Cooper always stayed at the same hotel when she was in Nashville. She grew close to one worker, who saw her as a mother figure and knew exactly what she wanted for breakfast and dinner.
The Germantown Republican pleaded guilty on Nov. 22 to two counts related to his unsuccessful run for Congress in 2016; about two weeks later, the Tennessee Supreme Court suspended his license to practice law.
“The halfway point of any endeavor is a good time to reflect, but it’s an even better time to plan — to focus on the work still ahead,” the governor said.
After the phone number for the national hotline for emergency mental health crises changed to just three digits — 988 — in July, about more 500 Tennesseans called every month.
“The state has determined right now that it’s in the best interest of Tennesseans for the state to assume direct financial and managerial responsibility for these services,” Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado told Tennessee lawmakers.