Tennessee

A huge EV factory is coming to west Tennessee. Here’s how locals are ensuring they benefit.

Communities are using an organizing tool intended for sports stadiums to bargain with energy transition projects for labor standards and affordable housing.

How improvements in onboarding can lower employee turnover

One of the greatest challenges confronting state and local governments is a badly understaffed workforce. Here’s one technological and personal way to confront that problem.

States Decide if Workers Fired Over Vaccine Mandates Can Collect Unemployment

When employers fire people because they fail to follow company policy, employees are generally not eligible for benefits. But three states have or could make non compliant workers eligible.

Ford to Invest Billions in Electric Vehicle Production in Two States

One governor is describing a planned facility as the largest economic development project his state has ever seen.

Local Corrections Costs Rose by $25 Billion in Last 40 Years

But the coronavirus has ushered in creative lower-cost alternative jail programs that could last long after the pandemic, local leaders say.

This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Companies Owe Millions More in Environmental Fines

The richest person in West Virginia, who is also the state’s governor, owns coal companies that routinely violate environmental laws. Latest filings say the companies owe over $3 million for not complying with a major water pollution settlement.

High Obesity Rates in Southern States Magnify Covid Threat

In the American South, obesity is playing a role not only in covid outcomes, but in the calculus of the vaccination rollout.

Memphis-Area Residents Without Internet Must Wait Days for Vaccination Appointments, While Others Go to the Front of the Line

The county’s decision to prioritize vaccinations for internet users — and its failure to set aside any appointments for callers — raises issues of equity and access, say experts.

The Morality of Canceling Student Debt

COMMENTARY | High rates of college debt and delinquency undermine both the physical and mental health of young adults.

'None of Us Are Immune': Growing Number of Elected Officials Diagnosed With Covid-19

In March, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez was the first prominent elected official to receive a positive test result for the coronavirus. Dozens have followed since then.

One Tennessee Prosecutor Says He Won’t Enforce Controversial Abortion Law

The Nashville district attorney says he won’t prosecute doctors who fail to inform patients that a medication abortion can be reversed—a claim medical groups say isn’t backed up by science.

Tennessee Reduces Improper Unemployment Payments through Data and Determination

COMMENTARY | The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development implemented technology solutions to help mitigate improper unemployment insurance payouts.

Tennessee Using Federal Coronavirus Funds for Police Training

The state will spend $300,000 of its federal funding to assist local police agencies in training new recruits.

Shrinking State and Local Government Office Space

COMMENTARY | With states and local officials searching for ways to cut budgets, many are looking to reduce how much real estate they occupy.

A Blueprint for How State Leaders Can Achieve Better Results

COMMENTARY | Data and evidence can help state policymakers make thoughtful decisions on public health, economics, equity and other issues.

Goodbye, Confederate Statues. Hello, Dolly Parton and Chef Boyardee?

There's little consensus on what to put up in place of Confederate monuments and other controversial political statues.

State Fairs Are the Latest Casualty of Covid-19

At least 15 states have canceled their annual fairs due to public health concerns amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, while others are moving ahead with modified, pared-down events.

From Jacksonville to Louisville, Confederate Statues Are Coming Down

Calls to remove the statues, denounced as symbols of white supremacy, were reignited in the wake of national protests against police brutality and the death of George Floyd.

The Human Cost of Missing Data in Prisons

COMMENTARY | Nowhere is good information about operations more critical than in prisons and jails. But too often states simply lack the kind of data that holds officials accountable.