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 :
Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to reject federal funding for HIV prevention is a “debilitating and destabilizing move for our organization,” said OUTMemphis’ executive director.
The Tennessee Emergency Medical Services Board voted unanimously Friday, Feb. 3, to suspend the licenses of former Memphis Fire Department EMTs JaMichael Sandridge and Robert Long, effective immediately.
“I wish you could understand what these kids go through, what it’s like to be forced to live in the wrong body,” one Memphis physician told lawmakers.
“The state of our beloved state is prosperous, hopeful, and unrivaled,” Lee said. Doctors stood outside the state House chamber protesting a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
His ex-boyfriend said Harris shouted at him and pushed and grabbed him, then he “ransacked” his apartment.
The first dollars from the 2021 investment for the Mental Health Trust Fund will be spent in fiscal year 2025. A Republican senator said, “I thought we should have just used that money... It just languishes in the Treasury.”
In a General Assembly dominated by Republicans, an incident over the dress code was the first test of how freely Pearson can express his values — without antagonizing colleagues whose help he’ll need to pass legislation.
If the Shelby County Commission adopts a resolution of no confidence in Halbert, 88,481 voters have to sign a petition to put a recall question on the ballot. Republican state Rep. Mark White’s bill brings that down to 5,899.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Gov. Bill Lee say they don’t want to deal with the requirements that accompany federal funding for education and HIV prevention and Tennessee is in the financial shape to replace it.
Under the third-grade retention law, students who don’t score proficiently on the English Language Arts portion of their TCAP test are eligible to be held back unless they meet certain conditions.
None of the health care-related organizations that contribute the most heavily to Tennessee politicians is publicly opposing legislation that bans transgender health care for youth despite support for that care from leading medical associations. Tennessee House passes trans youth care ban, Bill Lee expected to signRelated story:
Bill Lee proposed $100 million for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, one of which he co-founded; he is also proposing a $2.2 million uncompetitive grant to a campaign donor’s foundation.
Tennessee lawmakers on Wednesday, March 8, delayed a vote on a bill that would expand permitless gun carry to 18-year-olds and allow permit holders to carry any firearms, not just handguns. No law enforcement agencies support it.
The amendment would allow students to use their most recent benchmark test score to show they are proficient in reading and move on to the next grade.
Lawyers for former state Sen. Brian Kelsey — who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee — argued he pleaded guilty in November in part because of his “inexperience with the criminal justice system.”
Tennessee lawmakers are close to amending the state’s total abortion ban to allow doctors to terminate pregnancies to save patients’ lives. But the amended bill is more vague than the original about when abortion would be legal.
In Memphis, leaders seem to agree that youth are able to get guns too easily and that they are seeing a trend of younger juvenile offenders and more violent offenses. But there are varying opinions on how to deal with those trends.
As part of our “Minor Offenders, Major Offenses” series, The Daily Memphian takes a look at Tennessee’s only state-run, hardware-secure juvenile detention facility currently in use. Wilder Youth Development Center opened in 1971, and various officials say it needs to either be replaced or expanded.
In this installment of “Minor Offenders, Major Offenses,” we look at how lawmakers intend to build on the mandatory-minimum “truth in sentencing” law with bills that treat juveniles as adults in more circumstances. Many of the tough-on-crime proposals pivot from former Gov. Bill Haslam’s moderate juvenile justice reform effort in 2018.
The only health conditions the amended bill mentions are ectopic and molar pregnancies. It does not mention preeclampsia, for example, and there are no exceptions for rape or incest.
The sentencing has been canceled after the Germantown Republican last week asked to withdraw his two guilty pleas on campaign fraud charges.
In the bill, convicted people would be sentenced to life without parole for a combination of offenses that add up to three strikes. The state can’t accommodate the expected increase in incarceration with its current facilities, which are operating at 96% of capacity.
Support for crisis pregnancy centers is part of Lee’s “pro-life” agenda after the Supreme Court ended the right to abortion. Many medical experts say these centers are unethical because they mislead clients and prioritize anti-abortion advocacy.
Tennessee Republicans said they are open to red flag laws like Florida’s, but they were largely unmoved by the biggest protest at the State Capitol in recent years. “I thought it would be more than just talking to a door,” one student protester said. Protesters in Nashville demand Tennessee legislators ‘do something’ on gunsRelated story:
A massive protest for gun safety legislation on Thursday, March 30, overshadowed the passage of one of Gov. Bill Lee’s top priorities.