Tennessee News & Current Events | Public News Service

According to the Tennessee Environmental Council, recycling keeps valuable materials in the economy rather than in local landfills. It estimates Tennesseeans throw away $180 million worth of recyclable materials every year. (Sorapop/Adobe Stock)

Monday, January 30, 2023

TN Bill Would Revamp Recycling Process Statewide

A bill in the Tennessee Legislature aims to reduce packaging materials that end up in landfills by improving recycling in the Volunteer State…

Some 21% of Tennessee's population lives in areas considered

An Albertsons-Kroger Merger Could Impact Rural Tennessee

The proposed merger between the grocery chains Albertsons and Kroger has antitrust laws in the spotlight, as the supermarket companies are already …

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation offers Racial Healing Conversation Guidelines that include five steps to help facilitate meaningful and impactful conversations. (LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS/Adobe Stock)

"Changing the Narrative" for National Day of Racial Healing

Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s holiday, designated as a National Day of Service, and tomorrow, the same spirit carries over to the seventh …

Report: Tennessee's 'State of the Child' is Improving

Tennessee's "State of the Child 2022" report is an assessment of how children are faring, and this year's edition focuses on the situation for …

open enrollment for 2022 coverage, Tennessee saw a record high number of individuals - more than 273,000 - sign up for health insurance. (Annap/Adobe Stock)">

TN Latinos Urged to Get Health Coverage as Deadline Approaches

Open enrollment for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act ends Jan. 15. More than 600,000 Tennesseans, including almost one-third of the …

Tennessee's teacher shortage has been so severe, a law went into effect July 1, 2022, allowing retired teachers to <a href=

return to the classroom to teach without losing their pension benefits. (Johoo/Adobe Stock)">

TN Apprenticeship Program Aims to Address Teacher Shortage

Tennessee is working to overcome the state's teacher shortage, especially in rural areas, with a residency-based program for would-be educators…

One highlight of Tennessee's overall health ranking in the new report is 33% of people 18 and older have received primary care from a healthcare provider. (Monkey Business/Adobe Stock)

Report: Tennessee Ranks 44th for Health Outcomes

A new report highlights what Tennessee could focus on to improve the health of its residents. The America's Health Rankings 2022 report from United …

Over the life of the program, Tennessee has trained more than 2,000 Certified Peer Support Specialists, according to the Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. (Monkey Business/Adobe Stock)

TN Peer Recovery Specialist Program Reaches Milestone

Tennessee now has over 1,000 people across the state who are actively using their past experience with mental-health and substance-use challenges to h…

According to the Power to Decide survey, about four in 10 people surveyed said they have received information about birth control from social media in the last year. (Tilialucida/Adobe Stock)

Survey: TN Young Adults Concerned about Birth-Control Access

A new survey shows many young people are worried about losing access to birth control. The survey from the nonprofit Power to Decide found that …

In Tennessee, foster care is supposed to be a temporary service until the family and the child in some cases can address the problems leading to the placement, according to the state's Department of Children's Services. (AnnaStills/Adobe Stock)

'I Belong Project' Raises Awareness for TN Adoption

National Adoption Month comes to an end today, but in Tennessee, more than 9,000 children are in foster care and waiting for new families through …

Every year, close to 48,000 people in Tennessee are diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. (Minerva Studio/Adobe Stock)

Healthy Lifestyle Changes Can Help Prevent Prediabetes, Diabetes

November is National Diabetes Month, and health experts believe Tennesseans can reverse prediabetes, and prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Dr…

One of the acceptable required documents for U.S. citizenship is an official birth certificate issued by a U.S. state, jurisdiction or territory, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. (Mehaniq41/Adobe Stock)

TN Writer: True Love, Green Cards and Immigration

By Jordan Arellano for YES! Media. Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Tennessee News Service, reporting for the YES! Media-Public News Service …

In Tennessee, your ability to restore your voting rights after being convicted of a felony depends on the type of crime and the date of the conviction. (Burlingham/AdobeStock)<br />

Report: More than 470,000 Tennesseans Can’t Vote Due to Felony Convictions

In Tennessee, almost a half-million people won't be able to vote in the midterm elections because of a past felony conviction. According to research …

According to the Maternal Mortality Annual Report, Tennessee's pregnancy-related mortality rate in 2020 was 58.5 deaths per 100,000 live births. That's a 51% increase from 2017-2019.(MonkeyBusiness/Adobe Stock)

Tennessee Works to Reduce Pregnancy-Related Deaths

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and the Tennessee Department of Health has received a $5 million federal grant to fund …

Medicare supplement policies are often referred to as Medigap coverage, because they cover expenses in the gap basic Medicare does not. (Hafakot/Adobe Stock)<br />

It’s Medicare Open Enrollment Time for Seniors in Tennessee

Medicare's annual open enrollment period has started this month and continues through Dec. 7. It is the time close to 1.4 million Tennesseans …

During open enrollment for 2022 coverage, Tennessee saw a record number of individuals getting health insurance. Over 270,000 people signed up, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

TN Open Enrollment for Health Insurance Begins Nov. 1

Thousands of Tennesseeans will be shopping for new health insurance plans for next year when open enrollment begins November 1. The experts say it's …

Nearly sixty-eight percent of Tennesseans without broadband at home live in rural communities.(Escapejaja/AdobeStock)

Connecting Underserved TN Communities to Low-Cost, High-Speed Internet

Broadband internet is increasingly seen as necessary for Americans to stay connected, but only 53% of residents in Tennessee have broadband internet …

Nashville State Community College and other partners offer what's known as

TN School Works to Attract More Students of Color to Higher Ed

A new report on Black students in the community college system found fewer are signing up to attend two-year schools, an enrollment downturn made …

About one in five adults in the United States has experienced some form of mental illness in a given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. (Momius/Adobe Stock)

Suicide Prevention Month in TN: 'You Are Not Alone'

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to spotlight this issue in Tennessee and across the country. Almost 1,300 …

In Tennessee, more than 800,000 people are facing hunger, and more than 230,000 of them are children. (Africa Studio/AdobeStock)

Advocates Calling on Congress for Better Investment in Kids

Advocates for children's well-being are in Washington, D.C. today, calling on lawmakers to invest in kids. The Save the Children advocacy summit is …

The Inflation Reduction Act will lower energy costs for households and businesses, create manufacturing jobs for American workers and deliver a clean, secure, and healthy future for families. (Vitalli Vodolazskyi/AdobeStock)

Tennessee Rural Electric Co-ops to Benefit from Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act has made a historic investment of $370 billion dollars to fight climate change over the next decade. Among its benefits…

Earlier year, the FDA temporarily banned all Juul products from the market, but was forced to reverse that decision after the company challenged the agency in court. (Adobe Stock)

TN to Receive $13 Million in Juul Deceptive Marketing Settlement

After an investigation found the e-cigarette maker Juul Labs deliberately targeted young people using a variety of marketing practices, Tennessee is …

Fentanyl and carfentanil, a derivative used to anesthetize elephants, are driving overdose deaths in Tennessee and across the nation, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.(Adobe Stock)

TN Officials Work to Separate 'Fact from Fiction' on Fentanyl

Across the state on Wednesday, events are being held to commemorate International Overdose Awareness Day in Tennessee. State data showed in 2020…

Salaries for local government workers have not kept up with inflation compared to private sector workers, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. (Adobe Stock)

How Inflation Hurts Local TN Governments

Rising prices and less consumer spending could have an effect on local government services in Tennessee, according to a new report from the Sycamore …

In September 2021, around 40% of Tennessee youths reported feeling down, depressed or hopeless nearly every day for the past two weeks, according to new state-level data released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. (Adobe Stock)

New Data Indicates TN’s Kids Struggling with Mental Health

An increasing number of Tennessee kids are experiencing chronic anxiety and depression, according to new data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation…

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 50% of people age 12-35 are exposed to unsafe levels of sound from the use of personal audio devices. (Adobe Stock)

Heavy Use of Earbuds Could Trigger Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Many people are returning to recreational activities they suspended during the pandemic, and hearing experts warn cranking up music using earbuds can …

From a 2020 study in Public Health Reviews:

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Ahead of Aug. 4 TN Primary, Studies Link Good Health to Voting

More than 30,000 people have chosen to vote early for the Tennessee primary election this Thursday, and research finds what happens at the ballot box …

Around 58% of waterways were rated poor for conditions related to chemical stressors such as phosphorus, nitrogen, salinity and acidification, according to the latest assessment of the nation's rivers and streams by the Environmental Protection Agency. (Adobe Stock)

Experts to Gather in TN at First National Stream-Restoration Conference

Water experts will gather next week in Nashville to talk about the state of stream restoration, at the first national stream restoration conference…

Tennesseans must bring valid photo identification to the polls. That means a driver's license or government-issued photo ID. College student IDs are not acceptable. (Vesperstock/Adobe Stock)

TN Early Voting Underway; Voters Face Lengthy Ballots

The Volunteer State ranks poorly in the U.S. for its overall lack of voter participation. Over the last decade, critics say the poor turnout is …

At least 40 states have used a variety of laws to punish certain behaviors during pregnancy over the last five decades, according to the group National Advocates for Pregnant Women. (Adobe Stock)

States Have Long Used Laws to Govern, and Sometimes Jail, Pregnant Women

The Conversation/Tennessee News Service Collaboration. Tennessee's trigger ban on abortion is slated to go into effect next month, and some experts …

More than a dozen states, mainly in the southern United States, are under extreme weather alerts with triple-digit heat indices, according to the National Weather Service.

TN Public Health Experts Urge Precaution in Extreme Heat

Southern states including Tennessee are in the grip of an unrelenting heat wave. According to the National Weather Service, heat indices could reach 1…

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 63% of Tennessee women live in counties lacking access to an abortion clinic. (Adobe Stock)">

In TN, Telemedicine Abortion Available For Now

Tennessee's trigger ban on abortion goes into effect 30 days from the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. It makes all forms of …

Student loan debt and stagnating wages are steering many young people into vocational and technical training over a four-year college degree. (Adobe Stock)

Vocational-Tech High Schools Could Help Lower TN Dropout Rate

Tennessee high school graduation rates have been declining over the past few years, and some experts believe providing more opportunities for …

According to the Berkley Economic Review, the average stadium generates around $145 million per year, but says none of this revenue goes back into local communities. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Report: New Billion-Dollar TN Stadium Comes with Economic Tradeoffs

The Tennessee Titans are slated to get a new Nashville stadium, which experts are calling the most expensive publicly financed NFL stadium in the …

The number of people who live out of their vehicles is estimated to be on the rise nationwide because of a lack of affordable housing. (Adobe Stock)

As Housing Costs Soar, TN Criminalizes Camping on Local Public Property

As Tennesseans struggle with skyrocketing living costs, a bill making it a felony to camp on local public property is slated to go into effect July 1…

Nationwide, overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl and methamphetamine, rose 15% in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to the CDC. (Adobe Stock)

Social Media Drives Sales of Illicit Pills Laced with Fentanyl

Online sales of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl are on the rise, and experts say social media apps like Snapchat and TikTok are …

A 2017 study in The Lancet found 20% of people who are pregnant must travel more than 43 miles to get access to an abortion. (Adobe Stock)">

TN Women Would Have to Travel Much More Post-Roe v. Wade

By Skylar Baker-Jordan for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Chance Dorland for the Tennessee News Service/Public News Service Collaboration The …

A multistate investigation found Intuit, owner of TurboTax, created confusion by using similar names for both its IRS Free File product and its commercial

TN Residents May Be Eligible for TurboTax Settlement Payments

More than 100,000 lower-income Tennessee residents who paid for online-tax prep services advertised as being free may be eligible for payments…

The nonprofit Save the Children says rural poverty in America is an emergency, noting almost 12 million children live in poverty, a burden disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic kids, as well as those living in rural areas. (Adobe Stock)

In TN, Mental-Health Issues Increase Child Anxiety

Marking Mental Health Awareness Month, advocates contended more outreach and services are needed to help Tennessee mothers with postpartum depression…

One in four Americans lives with lower back pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Experts: Working from Home Can Worsen Back, Spine Problems

With nearly half of Americans telecommuting, ergonomically designed office furniture has been replaced by couches, beds and kitchen tables. Experts …

Expanding professional nursing licenses to DACA recipients and Temporary Protected Status holders could help alleviate Tennessee's nursing shortage. (Adobe Stock)

TN Gov. Expected to Sign 'Historic' Expansion of Immigrant Workers’ Rights

A bill on Gov. Bill Lee's desk would expand eligibility for certain types of work licenses to Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) recipients…

Federal data released earlier this year finds more than 14% of households with children nationwide were food insecure during the height of the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)">

End of Federal Waivers May Put More Rural TN Kids at Hunger Risk

Federal waivers put in place at the height of the pandemic allowed federal child nutrition programs more flexibility in delivering meals to households…

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers with a bachelor's degree had median weekly earnings of $1,305 in 2020, compared with $781 for workers with a high school diploma (Adobe Stock)<br /><br />

TN Community Colleges See Lowest Enrollment in Two Decades

Tennessee is seeing the lowest level of community-college enrollment since 2001. Remote learning, child care challenges and income loss amid the …

Manufacturing, processing and mining waste often are dumped on the sites that end up being listed for Superfund cleanup. (Flickr)

EPA Green-Lights Cleanup of TN Superfund Site

Tennessee soon will receive federal funding to clean up a 260-acre toxic-waste site in Shelby County. The Environmental Protection Agency recently …

Data shows youths of color encounter police more often than their white peers and are disproportionately arrested, according to The Sentencing Project. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Experts: County-Level Disparities in TN Child Incarceration

Children living in certain counties in Tennessee are more likely to be arrested and jailed, and experts contended they are not seeing signs the state …

In 2020, prescription-drug spending topped $570 billion, a 77% increase from $322 billion a decade prior, according to a report from the financial resource company ValuePenguin. (Adobe Stock)

Amid Inflation, Senate Lawmakers Debate Drug Pricing

A recent report found Tennessee households pay more than $6,000 a year on prescriptions, far more than the national average of around $4,000 dollars…

A recent report by the Hope Center calls on states to increase funding for HBCUs to help close the gap in addressing students' basic needs. (Adobe Stock)

Hunger Persists at HBCUs, Despite Record Federal Funding

Tennessee's six Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) collectively received more than $131 million in the past year through the America…

More than 30 million Americans rely on federally-funded Community Health Centers for their health-care needs. (Adobe Stock)

Amid Hospital Closures, TN Community Health Centers Fill Rural Health-Care Gap

Health-care professionals say Community Health Centers have stepped in to meet the needs of residents during the pandemic, as the state's rural areas …

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