Two detained while protesting drag show ban
The protests of proposed state laws that would outlaw drag various forms of drag shows came as Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee attended the Wednesday, March 1, opening of the Whitehaven YMCA.Related story:
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The protests of proposed state laws that would outlaw drag various forms of drag shows came as Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee attended the Wednesday, March 1, opening of the Whitehaven YMCA.Related story:
If the ban becomes law in Tennessee, doctors would be prohibited from providing gender-affirming care to anyone under the age of 18, including prescribing puberty blockers and hormones — and could even be penalized. Health care groups and big political donors silent on trans youth billRelated story:
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.
“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.
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 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.
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.
The governor also made 30 people eligible for parole who were sentenced before a reformed Drug-Free School Zone law was passed in 2020.
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.
“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.
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 long after it was established as its own department in the 1990s, DCS faced a lawsuit filed on behalf of a boy from Memphis. The class-action lawsuit dramatically changed the way the foster care system works.
The TBI — and the political leaders who fund it — became the targets of scrutiny this summer after The Daily Memphian reported on a rape kit that connected Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer to a 2021 rape.
The ballot features a statewide race for governor and questions about voter interest as well as the county’s balance between Republicans and Democrats.Related stories:
CoreCivic gave $107,490 to Tennessee politicians and PACs from July to September, the majority going to incumbent Republicans. The company has stayed in business despite a high murder rate and accusations of underinvestment in safety.
Tennessee voters have the opportunity to pass a constitutional amendment that would ban all-union workplaces and require unions to provide services for which workers do not have to pay.
Collierville was the last stop on the governor’s three-day campaign bus tour. Lee’s supporters, plus some opponents of the “Right to Work” amendment to the state constitution, came out to greet him.
Lee’s term in office has been defined by several economic development wins, the main one being Ford Motor Co.’s decision to build an electric SUV plant at the Megasite of West Tennessee.
“It’s important to this community. … It’s one step in a number of steps that we will continue to make to support the process,” the governor said.
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.”
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.
During a campaign stop Thursday, Sept. 15, in Memphis, Dr. Jason Martin pointed to low funding levels for the TBI crime lab despite a state surplus of $2 billion
Former Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich talked to The Daily Memphian about the 2020 plea deal for Ezekiel Kelly that Gov. Bill Lee called an example of “soft-on-crime plea deals.” Gov. Lee calls for changes in plea deals during Memphis visitRelated story:
Gov. Bill Lee was in Memphis Friday, Sept. 9, touting stricter laws targeting violent repeat offenders passed during his tenure.
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.”