Tennessee prisons operated by CoreCivic experienced twice as many inmate murders over a five-year period as state Department of Correction-run facilities, according to two advocacy groups.

An East Tennessee legislator bothered by reports lawmakers are directing campaign funds to their personal businesses is prepared to sponsor a bill to stop the practice, a move that would affect at least one Memphis lawmaker.

With arguments set Tuesday in a lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a network of pastors is urging Gov. Bill Lee to request Tennessee drop out of the federal case.

Gov. Bill Lee – set to appoint a Health Care Modernization Task Force – apparently hasn’t decided whether to seek a block grant waiver for federal Medicaid funds.

With up to seven House members seeking the Speaker’s post, Shelby County House Republicans are expecting multiple rounds of caucus voting to choose a nominee, but they believe the group will unify behind the next Speaker.

Read to be Ready camps first opened in 2016, and Tennessee has expanded the program annually with funding from the U.S. Department of Human Services. But state officials learned in January that the federal grant now has to be used for child care programs.

With a special session of the Legislature set in late August, state Rep. Jim Coley is calling embattled Rep. David Byrd a “drag” on the Republican Party. An expulsion resolution against Byrd is likely at the session.

A day before the Fourth of July and with an August special session looming, House Democrats are calling for a wide-ranging investigation into the expenses of resigning Speaker Glen Casada.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis is suspending court activity during a review of its delinquent bill policies and concerns raised by lawmakers.

The landmark 1962 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Baker vs. Carr, out of Shelby County, is still standing after last week’s ruling by the high court in another redistricting case — Rucho vs. Common Cause, according to Memphis attorney John Ryder.

Tennessee’s new “hands-free law,” which took effect Monday, seeks to curb distraction-related crashes across the state and particularly in Shelby County, which leads the state in such accidents. The measure is among a number of new state laws that became effective Monday.

Gov. Bill Lee professed support for "equal protection" when questioned about support for Pride Month events and LGBT rights in the workplace.

Gov. Bill Lee landed a Mitsubishi corporate headquarters for Franklin during an Asian economic recruiting trip. But whether the travel abroad yields anything for the Shelby County area is unclear as Lee was noncommittal when asked about landing tenants for Memphis Regional Megasite.

The impact of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in which it declined to set limits on partisan gerrymandering could be felt in Tennessee when it starts redistricting in two years, drawing support from Republicans and opposition from Democrats.

Gov. Bill Lee has called an Aug. 23 special session for the House of Representatives to replace resigning House Speaker Glen Casada.

Amid questions about its fundraising for the Tennessee State Museum, the Tennessee State Museum Foundation will consider providing funds for a centennial celebration of the Legislature’s 1920 women’s suffrage vote.

The 73-member House Republican Caucus will hold a late July meeting to vote on a Speaker nominee in advance of an August special session when the full chamber will replace Glen Casada.

Three Memphians will serve on the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, a body created by the Legislature to investigate and act on complaints against judges.

Amid questions about the Tennessee State Museum Foundation and its fundraising, state Sen. Sara Kyle is hoping for a better relationship between the nonprofit entity and the Douglas Henry State Museum Commission.

Memphis Democrat calls criticism “hog wash” from fellow Democrats for voting with Republicans on education and abortion legislation. 

Following the shooting death of Brandon Webber in Frayser, state Sen. Sara Kyle contends the community’s residents need to be made a part of the dialogue to stop such incidents.

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway of Memphis wants a new process for appointing special prosecutors amid discriminatory comments by the district attorney chosen to investigate a case involving House Speaker Glen Casada’s office and an African-American activist.

Memphis lawmakers are calling for hearings on the Achievement School District and restructuring the way it manages charter schools in the wake of the director’s resignation.

Planned Parenthood is bashing state Rep. John DeBerry with billboards across Memphis highlighting his votes for legislation restricting and outlawing abortion. DeBerry says new attitudes are needed against the procedure.

NASHVILLE – Questions about the Legislature's constitutional authority to remove the House speaker from office are influencing Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to call an August special session on the matter, according to a Memphis legislator.