On this Mother’s Day, Nashville History shared with us a photo of the envelope that changed the course of history in the United States. It’s a letter from a state legislator’s mother that encouraged him to vote for women’s suffrage, which was just enough to get the 19th amendment passed:
capitol
Antioch Man Pulls Gun at US Capitol
Larry Dawson of Antioch was shot by US Capitol Police after he pulled out a weapon outside the building. That was not his first time there. The Tennessean reports.
We’re a one train town
If you’re talking about passenger trains, at least, we’re a one train town. Those trains don’t run right in front of the Capitol, though. That classy spot is reserved for freight trains on this CSX-owned line.
I snapped this photo relaxing at the amphitheater at the Bicentennial Mall this sunny afternoon.
Once again, State Legislature refuses to honor Nashville
A few weeks ago, the State Senate struck down a resolution to honor Renata Soto, a Nashville immigrant rights activist.
Now, Nashville-area State Representative John Ray Clemmons has withdrawn a resolution to honor the Bingham Cup, which is an international gay rugby tournament being held in Nashville this May.
He said that Republican opposition to the resolution prompted him to withdraw it for fear of creating a political firestorm over a simple resolution that was meant to honor a big event happening in his city.
Sliding down Capitol Hill
Shane Clore shared some shots of Nashvillians sledding and snowboarding down the hill at the Capitol:
Heating Up
While the weather is staying quite chilly, the rhetoric around the TN Defense of Natural Marriage Act is heating up. Folks over in Knoxville tweeted this picture of a pickup truck that’s been roaming the streets of Nashville today:
This is what support of TN's "Defense of Natural Marriage" Act looks like.. @tnequality @VoteGloriaJ @KnoxYoungDems pic.twitter.com/TUjPfUnSpG
— Knox County Dems (@KnoxDems) January 19, 2016
The Nashville Scene reports on supporters of the bill who have been around the capitol building today, including one with links to domestic terrorism and another who thinks Tennesseans don’t know what country North Carolina belongs to.
The Tennessean reports on the act, which will be voted upon tomorrow:
A bill that would direct Tennessee officials to essentially ignore the U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage could cost the state more than $8.5 billion, according to the bill’s fiscal note.
The Demise of the Two Newspaper Town … or State
Andrea Zelinski of Nashville Scene laments the slow shrinkage of Tennessee’s press corps covering the state capitol. “More news is good news,” she writes, as she discusses the differing editorial opinions, stances, and biases that different publications across the state, or even within Nashville, brought to the table to help shape public opinion. She continues:
Without enough reporters to tell the varying sides of the story, House Speaker Beth Harwell tells the Scene, the nuance of what’s happening gets lost. And if one news outlet has too much sway — for instance, when Gannett takes control of two more of the state’s largest Capitol Hill bureaus, and fewer people are reporting what’s happening — editorials shaping public opinion suffer.
With the recent shuttering of TN Report, a news service dedicated solely to the state capitol, and the acquisition of newspapers in Memphis and Knoxville by Gannett, this diversity of opinion is under threat more and more: the full time press corps at the capitol has shrunk from 35 to 5.
Nashens aims to provide another voice to Nashville: that of its citizens. This blog does not attempt to replace or push out any other news organizations. In fact, it doesn’t even attempt to cover state politics on a regular basis, as this is a local news blog (even though the capitol is right here in Nashville).