No Tennessee school system has indicated it’s working to train teachers or staff to be armed under the new law, according to dozens of school and law enforcement officials contacted by Chalkbeat.

Rafiah Muhammad-McCormick hopes an expansion of the state’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Act will make the process easier for victims and their families. But she and other advocates are working to clear another hurdle: awareness.

Democrats have a goal of flipping seven to eight state House seats through the 2028 elections to bring Republicans down to just a simple majority there.

The incumbents in every contested Shelby County legislative primary cruised to reelection Thursday, meaning there may not be much change in the local delegation. 

“The message we are sending to big tech is that kids are not your product,” Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said at a news conference as the Senate passed the bill. “Kids are not your profit source.” She wrote the bill with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

The proposals Monday by U.S. President Joe Biden would require Congressional approval. That seems unlikely given the reaction of the city’s representatives in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

Shoppers can purchase qualifying clothing, school supplies and computers tax free in Tennessee stores through Sunday, July 28.

The attorney representing Friends of George’s, the local theater group that sued to stop Tennessee from implementing the “anti-drag” law, acknowledged Tuesday, July 23, that the appeal process could be difficult.

The Tennessee delegation’s Sunday online meeting wasn’t a quick vote to back Vice President Kamala Harris, but many of the delegates had endorsed her as President Joe Biden’s successor before the virtual vote.

Local Democratic elected officials reacted to President Joe Biden’s decision to call off his reelection bid Sunday, July 21, and support Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee for president. 

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President Joe Biden drops out of the 2024 race

Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for president on Sunday, July 21, ending his bid for reelection.

The court found that Friends of George’s was not at risk of violating the 2023 law because its performances were not “harmful to minors.”

Federal, state and local leaders gathered Thursday, July 18, by the river at the Metal Museum to talk about the path to the $800 million project.

As early voting opens Friday, July 12, here is a look at the primaries for the two Congressional districts that cover Shelby County and the race for one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats.

Longtime Tennessee Sen. Sara Kyle faces a Democratic primary challenger on the August ballot — Erika Stotts Pearson, a perennial candidate for higher office.

The Republican primary winner is likely to face a spirited general-election challenge. State House District 97, which includes parts of East Memphis and Bartlett, is among the most competitive in the state. 

The Cordova-based state House seat is the only Shelby County seat with no incumbent. With no Republican or independent contenders, the August Democratic primary will determine who gets the seat.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Kelsey’s lawyer failed to sufficiently object to any alleged breach of his plea agreement. 

Here is what the two contenders for General Sessions Court clerk told The Daily Memphian about their qualifications to be the next clerk of the largest court system in the state.

Lisa Arnold and Tami Sawyer are the candidates in the only countywide race on the Aug. 1 ballot. The election will mean a change in the administrator and records keeper for the state’s largest court system.

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Lisa Arnold, Tami Sawyer on their plans if elected General Sessions Court clerk

Lisa Arnold, Tami Sawyer on their qualifications for General Sessions Court clerk

Previously, the burden to remove an unlawful occupant from a property fell on the homeowner and involved a lengthy court eviction process, which state Rep. Tim Rudd, R-Murfreesboro, said could take up to two years and cost thousands.

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 Here’s a rundown of Tennessee laws taking effect July 1

In a historic 6-3 ruling, the justices said Monday for the first time that former presidents can be shielded from prosecution for at least some of what they do in the Oval Office. But rather than do it themselves, the justices ordered lower courts to figure out precisely how to apply the decision to Trump’s case.

Those bills, 224 of them to be exact, address such topics as crime, bail, abortion, gender-affirming care, teachers with firearms, drag racing, traffic stops and even official state books and foods.

The Tennessee District Attorney General’s Conference is reserving an official opinion about the Republican-led ouster push against Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy, but at least one member of the body has come out against it.