Dolly Parton’s Dollywood announces it will pay education fees for all employees

On Tuesday, Dollywood Parks and Resorts announced that beginning Feb. 24 of this year, they will cover 100% of fees, tuition, and books for their employees who pursue further education. Through …

As Tennessee bans Holocaust-themed graphic novel 'Maus,' pastor organizes massive book burning

When the Nazis began burning books in May 1933, they claimed the books were “un-German.” Joseph Goebbels, “chief propagandist,” delivered an incendiary speech claiming “No to decadence and moral …

Memphis Black Lives Matter activist sentenced to six years in shady-as-hell voter fraud case

It seems simple. You’re convicted of a felony, you lose your right to vote—for life. But, what if it wasn’t that simple? What if someone is mistakenly caught up in a permanent bureaucratic loop, where …

Court allows Tennessee's pre-viability abortion ban to take effect

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio will allow a pre-viability abortion ban to take effect in Tennessee, according to a motion decided and filed on Wednesday. The lawsuit, Memphis Center for …

Tennessee school board tries to defend banning 'Maus.' It's not a success

The McMinn County, Tennessee, school board issued a statement defending its removal of Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus to teach eighth-graders about the Holocaust. Their defense is a …

Sixth-grader who wrote to Tennessee governor opposing 'permitless' gun law is killed by stray bullet

By all accounts, Artemis Rayford was a happy, vibrant 12-year-old. He loved playing football and wearing his Tennessee Titans jersey. As a sixth-grader at Memphis, Tennessee’s Sherwood Middle School, …

'There's something going on very, very haywire' in Tennessee county's banning of 'Maus'

“Orwellian” was one of the choice words Art Spiegelman had to describe a Tennessee school board’s unanimous decision to ban his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus. “I’m kind of baffled by …

Judge Donna Scott Davenport announces retirement after lawmakers issue resolution to remove her

After lawmakers across the country announced they would like to unseat a Tennessee county judge, the Rutherford County juvenile court judge herself announced her retirement Tuesday. Known as the first …

‘Huge loss for the community’: Police say Planned Parenthood building fire was intentional

A fire that community members thought might be due to construction has now been deemed an intentional act of arson by police. Officials said Thursday a fire that destroyed a Planned Parenthood …

A terrible night of storms brings destruction and death across the central U.S.

On Saturday morning, many parts of the central United States are reporting temperatures over 30 degrees cooler than they stood on Friday afternoon. On Friday night, the energy of that difference was …

Voting Rights Roundup: Top North Carolina court halts filing, a sign it could block GOP gerrymanders

Leading Off

● North Carolina: In a major sign that it is likely to eventually block Republicans’ newly enacted congressional and legislative gerrymanders in a pair of pending cases, North …

Republican governors hate unemployed people ... unless they're anti-vaxxers

Back in the spring and summer, Republican governors in one state after another cut off unemployment benefits in an attempt to force people—who were supposedly sitting home, being lazy—back into the …

Tennessee moms' group tears the veil off the whole 'critical race theory' panic

Thanks are due to the Williamson County, Tennessee, chapter of Moms for Liberty for once again clarifying what the “critical race theory” (CRT) uproar is really about. We can say until we’re blue in …

Trans teen sues Tennessee over discriminatory anti-trans sports bill that's keeping him on sidelines

As Daily Kos has continued to cover, Republicans have been more than happy to jump into anti-trans hate as a way to distract people from their failures in office. While some state-level legislation …

Tennessee Republican stands in chamber, claims the Civil War isn’t over—and the 'South is winning'

Tennessee state Sen. Frank Niceley has been around for a while. He’s the kind of special scumbag that supports big government subsidies for guns but opposed his own Republican governor’s deal to …

Don't teach about Martin Luther King Jr., Tennessee woman insists. It might make white kids feel bad

A white mother of three is angry about how race is taught in the public schools in her Tennessee county, and between the details of her campaign and Reuters’ reporting, it is a recipe for a head …

Pride float at Homecoming parade sends conservatives into a frenzy

Nothing maddens a certain kind of person like seeing openly LGBTQ+ people happy. For some of the most nefarious conservatives, frankly, seeing an LGBTQ+ person out and about, even—if they’re not …

Education Department opens civil rights inquiries into five GOP-led states banning mask mandates

The Department of Education notified five Republican-led states Monday that it was launching investigations into whether their prohibitions on mask mandates in schools are violating the civil rights …

'Don't say no mo’. Release the video': Attorney demands video be made public in loud music shooting

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump called for surveillance video to be released after a white security guard shot and killed 48-year-old Alvin Motley, Jr., a Black man, after complaining that his music …

Republicans vs. Safe Schools: Across the nation, Republicans are fighting to put children at risk

Here are some simple facts: 

1. Wearing an inexpensive disposable mask can help to protect children, teachers, and school staff against infection by a debilitating and potentially deadly disease. …