State asks court to throw out Shelby, Davidson school voucher lawsuit
The Tennessee Attorney General’s office asked a Nashville court to dismiss the case, saying the counties had lost all their relevant arguments.
Ian Round
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 :
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September 2022
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Shelby County Voters could recall Shelby County Clerk under proposed bill
Under the current law, 15% of registered county voters have to sign a petition to get a recall question on the ballot. State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) wants to lower that to 1%.
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Elections Tennessee Libertarians’ uphill battle is made harder by extreme caucus
The Libertarian nominee for governor is a Black Memphian who says the party, which was overtaken this year by a caucus that is friendly with white nationalists and opposed to transgender people, has “broken (his) spirit.”
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Public SafetyTBI data show rape kit turnaround times are long — and getting longer
It now takes the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation about 49 weeks to test the state’s rape kits, but some lawmakers hope to cut that time to 30 to 60 days.
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State Government Republican state Rep. Mark White running unopposed for reelection
The Democrats didn’t field a candidate in a district that used to be — before redistricting — one of the General Assembly’s most flippable.
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Public Safety Tucker Carlson blames ‘Bill Lee and guilty liberals like him’ for violent crime in Memphis
Carlson characterized Lee as soft on crime in a monologue against criminal justice reform, which, he claimed, “means letting violent people out of prison early.”
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State GovernmentChildren’s Services ‘near collapse’ with shortage of low-paid caseworkers
“Throw money at it,” a Knoxville judge told state lawmakers. “I’m telling you right now, throw money at it. Tons of money at it.”
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Midtown Audubon Park could earn spot on the National Register of Historic Places
“For more than seventy years, Audubon Park has been a significant site of recreation and entertainment for Memphis residents,” the proposal states. A state board will consider the proposal in two weeks.
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August 2022
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State Government Tennessee’s grocery tax holiday ends midnight Wednesday, but food insecurity doesn’t
The one-month grocery tax holiday has helped people stretch their budgets, but it has not made a dent in the issue of food insecurity, the Mid-South Food Bank’s CEO says.
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Education Gov. Lee: Every Tennessee school has had safety inspection
The governor recently provided an update to the school safety executive order he signed in June after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
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State Government Billionaire charter school advocates gave to at least 22 organizations that endorsed TISA
Bill Gates and the Walton family funded a substantial portion of the advocacy for Gov. Bill Lee’s school funding overhaul. Skeptics fear this philanthropy is self-interested, advancing an agenda to dismantle public schools to benefit private interests.
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EducationTennessee Dept. of Education tied to Rhode Island FBI inquiry
Rhode Island’s governor is being investigated for skirting the competitive bidding process and granting a seven-figure contract to a friend. One of the consultant’s partners is TN Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn’s former chief of staff.
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State Government Tennessee’s abortion ban takes effect Thursday
Criminal defense lawyers say there are effectively no exceptions to the Human Life Protection Act of 2019.
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Update
State GovernmentFormer state House Speaker Glen Casada pleads not guilty to kickback scheme
Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, were indicted on 20 counts of bribery and kickbacks, wire fraud and money laundering.
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Shelby County Comptroller’s office says closing county clerk’s office to public is ‘unusual’
The Tennessee Comptroller’s office plans to meet with other state officials about assisting or providing oversight of the Shelby County Clerk’s office and its distribution of license plates and the renewal of car tags.
Related story:
County Clerk’s office limits number of car title drops for auto dealers
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State Government Judges deny request to pause ‘rushed’ implementation of school voucher law
Since an injunction was lifted last month, the state has been working to make taxpayer-funded private school vouchers available by the time class starts — which in Shelby County is Monday, Aug. 8.
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Elections Smiley concedes to Martin in Democratic gubernatorial primary
Jason Martin declared victory on Thursday night before all the votes were counted, confident in how the remaining vote would break down. But the totals narrowed considerably as he gave his speech.
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State Government Martin beats Smiley, Atwater in Democratic primary for governor
Gov. Bill Lee is expected to win reelection, but Democrats think they have a shot after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, incumbent lawmakers in Congress and the General Assembly all won.
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Elections Tennessee’s oldest-ever lawmaker faces much younger challenger
In Barbara Cooper’s state House district along the Mississippi River, 45-year-old business owner Will Richardson says residents are looking for “a changing of the guard.”
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July 2022
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State GovernmentHow Tennessee DAs will find out about, and prosecute, abortions
Some observers believe ride share app records, credit card statements, internet search histories and more could be used to prosecute Tennessee abortion providers when the state’s near-total ban goes into effect Aug. 25.
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State Government Near-total abortion ban to take effect Aug. 25
The Supreme Court issued its judgment in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Tuesday, initiating the 30-day countdown on Tennessee’s abortion ban.
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Elections ‘It’s not about policy, it’s about personality and effectiveness’
In the Northeast Shelby County GOP primary race for the General Assembly, voters will decide whether they view incumbent state Rep. Tom Leatherwood of Arlington as effective or, as his challenger says, “lackadaisical.”
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State Government TN Republicans show no love for birth control bill
A bill guaranteeing right to birth control passed in the U.S. House without support of Tennessee Republicans. Having a law on the books would preempt any decision the Supreme Court might make to withhold that right.
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State Government Lawmakers create process for complaints under K-12 ‘critical race theory’ law
But they offered no more clarity on what exactly teachers can and can’t say about race and history.
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State Government State Rep. Torrey Harris arrested for theft, assault in Nashville
Harris was arrested after an argument with his ex-boyfriend. He maintained his innocence and expressed confidence the charges will be dropped.
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