AltWeeklies Wire
96-Year-Old Woman Who Voted During Jim Crow Is Denied Photo IDnew
At age 96, Dorothy Cooper is the new poster child for what's wrong with Tennessee's photo ID voter law.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
10-05-2011 |
Politics
Homeless are the Forgotten Victims in Nashville Floodnew
In a natural disaster, they say, all zip codes are equal. Be that as it may, Nashville's homeless people are likely to suffer more than most from the flood.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
05-05-2010 |
Disasters
Even as Theater, Health Care Town Halls are Turning into a Major Painnew
Only a few days ago, Rep. Bart Gordon's town hall would have set off a frenzy of national chatter. Now, it's all too predictable -- merely yet another humiliation of a member of Congress by the far right.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
08-28-2009 |
Politics
Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper Defends His Work on Health Care Reformnew
Cooper's touting the legislation known as Wyden-Bennett after Senate sponsors Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Bob Bennett, R-Utah. Among its co-sponsors is Lamar Alexander. Cooper describes it as "a beacon of hope out there." He sees it as a Third Way harnessing both the Democrats' dream of universal coverage and Republican love of market forces.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
08-14-2009 |
Politics
Tennessee Governor Plays the Martyr Instead of Fighting the Good Fightnew
By equivocating on Tennessee's guns-in-bars bill when his opposition would have made a difference, Gov. Phil Bredesen missed his opportunity to stop its passage.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
06-05-2009 |
Politics
Tennessee's Religious Right Draws a Bead on Doctor-Patient Confidentiality for Teensnew
Conservative Christians have found a new cause celebre in the state legislature: Denying teens the right to doctor-patient confidentiality.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
05-22-2009 |
Civil Liberties
Despite a Spate of Murders, the Tennessee Legislature Rushes to Liberalize Gun Lawsnew
Less than 24 hours after an Alabama killing spree, Tennessee's House Judiciary Committee passed a bill allowing handgun permit holders to ride around with loaded rifles and shotguns in their vehicles.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
03-20-2009 |
Policy Issues
Tags: gun control, Tennessee
Tennessee Republicans Think $2.13 an Hour Is Adequate Paynew
State House Democrats are attacking Republicans for opposing an increase in the minimum wage for hardworking waitresses.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
03-13-2009 |
Economy
Tags: Tennessee, minimum wage
Tennessee Gov. Considers Turning His Back on the Unemployednew
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen says he may turn down millions of dollars in federal stimulus money rather than expand unemployment benefits in ways that many other states did long ago.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
03-05-2009 |
Economy
Rep. Eric Swafford's Bid to Make Tennessee a Laughingstocknew
Swafford has proudly become America's first state legislator to join the wacky legal action challenging Barack Obama's status as a U.S. citizen, an issue that's become an obsession of the far-right fringe.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
02-20-2009 |
Politics
If Not for a Special Election, English Only Would Have Prevailed in Nashvillenew
It's heartening that the Nashville's progressives seem able to stop daydreaming about love and harmony long enough to run an effective campaign. But not by any stretch is this the dawning of a new day or a crippling blow to intolerance in our city.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
01-30-2009 |
Policy Issues
Who's Running the Tennessee House Now?new
In a surprise vote that turned the legislature into a pit of snapping vipers, the Republican Kent Williams was elected House speaker in a clandestine deal with the Democrats. What happens next is a question that now occupies the Capitol.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
01-23-2009 |
Politics
Evangelicals Demand Subservience from Tennessee's New GOP Majoritynew
Evangelicals would like to clear up any confusion over who's running the state legislature. The new Republican majority won't start meeting until January, but already the party's bug-eyed base is demanding top billing for its pet causes and warning unbelievers to watch their backs.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
12-01-2008 |
Politics
The Republicans Take Control of the Tennessee Capitolnew
The new GOP majority is getting off to what might charitably be described as a stumbling start. In their big moment in history, they've been forced to dispute accusations that they rode to victory not on the power of their ideas, but on a wave of racism that the party helped whip up. Talk about a buzz killer.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
11-21-2008 |
Politics
Tennessee Dems Blame Racism for Historic Election Lossesnew
Barack Obama changed the political map with the biggest Democratic victory since LBJ, but the election made a different kind of history in the alternate universe known as Tennessee.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
11-14-2008 |
Politics
