Approvals for thousands of Restaurant Revitalization Fund applicants were rescinded after court orders struck down a policy that favored historically underserved groups.
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Tag Archives: Tennessee
The Remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest Are Being Exhumed in Memphis
The remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a slave trader and leader of the Ku Klux Klan, will be moved from Memphis to a Confederate museum 200 miles away.
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Tennessee Bans Hormone Treatments for Prepubescent Minors
The measure signed by Gov. Bill Lee makes it illegal to give prepubescent minors the gender-affirming treatments — a practice some experts have said is not in use.
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Allison Russell Faces Her Past in Song
The singer and songwriter’s debut solo album, “Outside Child,” tells a harrowing story with a survivor’s joy.
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Rural Tennessee’s Vaccine Hesitators
White Republican evangelical Christians remain disproportionately mistrustful about coronavirus inoculations. Here’s what that looks like in one community.
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Tennessee Lawmaker Is Criticized for Remarks on Three-Fifths Compromise
Justin Lafferty, a state representative, was rebuked after offering a historical defense of the agreement, under which three-fifths of a state’s enslaved people counted toward its population.
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Damage Reported as Tornadoes Tear Across the South
The National Weather Service planned to survey damage in four Mississippi counties on Monday. Tornadoes were also reported in Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina.
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Faith, Freedom, Fear: Rural America’s Covid Vaccine Skeptics
Resistance is widespread in white, Republican communities like this one in Appalachia. But it’s far more complicated than just a partisan divide.
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Tennessee Student Killed by Police Did Not Fire Bullet That Hit Officer, Officials Say
Anthony J. Thompson Jr., 17, a student at Austin-East Magnet High School in Knoxville, Tenn., was fatally shot during a struggle, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.
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Salmonella Outbreak Is Linked to Wild Birds and Feeders, C.D.C. Says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 19 people had been sickened in eight states.
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We Are a Nation of Immigrants. Our Ecosystems Shouldn’t Be.
Americans have cultivated nonnative plants and flowers for so long it has skewed our experience of spring.
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Devastating Tornadoes Batter Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee
At least six people died in storms that tore through Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
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Man Threatened to Lynch 2 Congressmen, U.S. Says
A judge on Monday ordered Kenneth R. Hubert of Missouri held in jail, saying his words rose to the level of posing danger.
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Of Nazis, Crimes and Punishment
Some offenses are so hideous that even the distance of history offers no shield. But that doesn’t make justice easy.
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GM, LG Chem studying the feasibility of a second battery cell plant in the U.S.
General Motors is exploring building a second U.S. battery cell manufacturing plant with its joint-venture partner Seoul, South Korea-based LG Chem.
If the plant moves forward, it would be the latest in a series of investments aimed at building out the auto giant’s portfolio of electric vehicles. The company’s joint venture with LG, Ultium Cells LLC, is already at work constructing a $2.3 billion battery cell manufacturing facility in Lordstown, Ohio.
The companies hope to have a decision on the factory in the first half of 2021, GM spokesman Dan Flores told TechCrunch. He declined to specify possible locations for the site but Tennessee is high on the list, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.
GM has set ambitious targets for decarbonizing its operations and pledged steep investments to get there. Through 2025 alone the company said it would bring thirty EV models across its brands to the global market and spend $27 billion on electrification and automated technology—a 35% increase from 2020 spending. By the mid-2030s, GM said its fleet will be all-EV.
“Clearly, with our commitment to an all-electric future, we will need a lot of battery cells,” Flores said.
He declined to comment on the ongoing shortage of battery cells, which has affected EV manufacturers Tesla and Nikola. President Joe Biden issued an executive order at the end of February instructing federal agencies to identify risks in the supply chains for batteries, semiconductors, and other critical items, including where supply chains are dependent on “competitor nations.”
GM CEO Mary Barra said in a virtual investor presentation last week that the battery shortage is one reason the company is investing in its own battery cell manufacturing. She alluded to plans to grow the company’s battery cell manufacturing operations but did not go into specifics.
“There’s more coming than we’ve announced already,” she said.
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Dolly Parton Statue Has Tennessee’s Support, but Not Parton’s
The state legislature was considering a bill that would kick off plans to erect the statue on Capitol grounds. She has asked that the bill be pulled.
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Tennessee Executed Sedley Alley. Was He Innocent?
If DNA exonerates Sedley Alley, it will be the first time someone was proved to have been wrongly put to death.
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The Real Meaning of Hillbilly
I left my hometown because I felt alienated from its conservative values. Turns out many in my community had forgotten our progressive roots.
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Tennessee Fires Football Coach Amid Investigation
Coach Jeremy Pruitt and nine members of his football program’s staff were fired after ongoing investigations into the team’s recruitment practices showed violations of N.C.A.A. rules.
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A Ray of Hope in a Slimy Southern Cave
Residents in the South are coming together to protect their underground ecosystems.
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12 ‘flexible VCs’ who operate where equity meets revenue share
Previously, we introduced the concept of flexible VC: structures that allow founders to access immediate risk capital while preserving exit and ownership optionality. We list here all the active flexible VCs we have identified, broken into these categories:
- Revenue-based
- Compensation-based
- Blended-return streams
Revenue-based flexible VCs
These investors are paid back primarily based on a percentage of revenues.
Capacity Capital
Chattanooga, TN-based Capacity Capital was launched in 2020 with a primary focus on the southeastern U.S. Jonathan Bragdon, its CEO, describes Capacity as “a team of founders-turned-funders making non-dilutive, founder-aligned investments of $50,000-$300,000 in post-startup, post-revenue businesses planning to 2x revenues in 12-24 months. Investments are typically in exchange for a capped, single-digit revenue share and a right to equity under certain circumstances.
If the company sells or raises enough capital, the investment converts into an agreed-upon percentage of equity. If the company grows without raising additional equity funding, founders redeem most of the equity right, based on a pre-agreed return amount. With a portfolio that includes food, tech and services, the fund is industry-agnostic and focused on the overlooked and underrepresented with high-margin business models.”
Jonathan sometimes refers to their investments as “micro-mezzanine” because “mezz is typically structured as a contractual periodic payment, with some equity-like upside, but subordinate to other debt … so most lenders look at it like equity. But, it is typically shorter term with fewer control mechanisms than equity (i.e., not VC). I wanted [a term for] something similar (between debt and equity) but on an extremely small scale.”
In addition to a fund, the overall Capacity organization provides direct mentorship, consulting and connects founders to a broad network of talent, diverse forms of capital and existing resources focused on the post-startup stage of growth. The founders, LPs and venture partners have a long history in local startup ecosystems in the Southeast including LaunchTN, The Company Lab, CO.STARTERS and several other regional funds and resources.
Greater Colorado Venture Fund
Greater Colorado Venture Fund (GCVF) is a $17 million seed fund that invests in high-growth startups in rural Colorado using equity and flexible VC structuring.
A typical GCVF flexible VC investment is $100,000-$250,000 for up to 10% ownership, of which 9% is redeemable, with a sub-10% revenue share and 12-month-plus holiday period. GCVF specializes in providing critical support to founders based in small communities, while connecting them to an unfair network well-beyond their small-town headquarters.
GCVF is pioneering the future of venture capital and high-growth startups for all small communities. With Colorado as an ideal pilot community, the GCVF team (which includes Jamie Finney, a co-author of this article) has helped grow multiple staple initiatives in the rural Colorado startup ecosystem, including West Slope Startup Week, Telluride Venture Accelerator, Startup Colorado, Energize Colorado Gap Fund and the Greater Colorado Pitch Series.
Recognizing the need for creative investment structures in their Colorado market, they co-founded the Alternative Capital Summit, creating the first community of flexible VCs and alternative startup investors.
They share their learnings on flexible VC and pioneering rural startup ecosystems on the GCVF blog.
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An 11th-Hour Approval for Major Changes to Medicaid in Tennessee
The Trump administration’s move, which Biden could eventually reverse, would loosen program rules and cap the state’s funding as part of a block grant.
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‘Hateful’ Tweet About Stacey Abrams Costs University Football Coach His Job
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga said that it had parted ways with Chris Malone, an offensive line coach, over a now-deleted social media post.
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Search Continues for 2 Escaped Prisoners in Tennessee
Robert Lee Brown and Christopher Osteen escaped from a state prison in Lake County, Tenn., then kidnapped a man and stole another man’s truck, the authorities said.
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Girl Is Born in Tennessee From Embryo Frozen for 27 Years
The birth of Molly Gibson using an embryo from 1992 broke a record set by her sister, Emma, in 2017. The embryos were donated when the girls’ mother was herself a toddler.
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Sarah Fuller, With a Kickoff, Is the First Woman to Play Football in a Power 5 Game
Fuller, a goalkeeper for Vanderbilt’s women’s soccer team, was asked to play because the football team’s kicking unit could not practice because of the coronavirus.
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N.F.L. Punishes Titans for Their Handling of Coronavirus Outbreak
A heavy fine, but no suspensions, come after two dozen players and staff members tested positive for the virus.
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Federal Judge Strikes Down Waiting Period for Abortion in Tennessee
The ruling, which called the state’s 48-hour waiting period “gratuitously demeaning,” came at a pivotal moment for abortion access, as the Senate considers Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court.
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Lessons From Tornadoes Help a Community Combat Covid
The same spirit of innovation that made it possible to track storms has helped a Tennessee county prepare for online learning and a return to classrooms.
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3 Air National Guard Members Killed in Plane Crash in Tennessee
The crash, which occurred near an airport 70 miles southeast of Nashville, is being investigated by the F.A.A. and the National Transportation Safety Board.
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Coronavirus Schools Briefing: Lunch Along With Learning
Providing free meals is a crucial function for schools.
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Medics Save Lives. Let Them.
The U.S. military, with its experience in disasters and its multiple medical corps, could do more to end the pandemic.
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The Week Women’s Suffrage Almost Wasn’t
A century ago, opponents unleashed chaos to try to sabotage the expansion of voting rights. The strange interlude still holds lessons in how backlash works today.
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How Tennessee Ratified the 19th Amendment
On Aug. 18, 1920, a young state legislator listened to his mama, and Tennessee became the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment.
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Marquita Bradshaw on Her Tennessee Primary Victory: ‘I Could See the Momentum’
Ms. Bradshaw, an environmental justice advocate, is the first Black woman to be nominated for the Senate by a major party in Tennessee. “Working people showed that my viability was different,” she said.
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Bill Hagerty Wins Tough Tennessee Primary With Trump’s Endorsement
The fractious race to replace the outgoing Lamar Alexander signified an end to the moderate tenor that has long defined Tennessee Republicanism.
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‘I Was a Little Scared’: Inside America’s Reopening Schools
In their first week back, students have faced altered classrooms and emergency quarantines. Here’s what they say school is like in the age of Covid-19.
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Tennessee State Senator Embezzled $600,000 in Federal Grant Money, U.S. Says
Katrina Robinson allegedly used the funds for personal expenses — including her wedding, honeymoon and later divorce — as well as a campaign event, according to a criminal complaint.
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Thinking of Traveling in the U.S.? These States Have Travel Restrictions
A third of states have strict measures in place for visitors, from mandatory testing to quarantine requirements.
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Coronavirus Spread in Tennessee, Despite State Paying for Covid-19 Testing
Tennessee’s governor said anyone in his state could be tested for the coronavirus, and the state would pay. That did not stop the virus from roaring back.
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Who Gets Lifesaving Care? Tennessee Changes Rules After Federal Complaint
Disability rights groups said state guidelines on who would, and who wouldn’t, receive coronavirus treatment during a shortage was discriminatory.
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How the Pandemic Splintered the Appalachian Trail
The coronavirus scuttled plans and forced officials to ask people to get out of the woods. Of the thousands who hoped to hike the trail this year, only a few hundred remain.
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Nashville N.A.A.C.P. Leader Finds Bull’s-Eye in His Yard
A suspect has been charged in the case, and the police have set up a mediation between the Rev. Keith Caldwell and a police officer who he said was dismissive of the matter.
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Brothers Who Hoarded 17,700 Hand Sanitizer Bottles Avoid Fine After Donating Supplies
Matt and Noah Colvin reached a settlement this week with the Tennessee attorney general in the widely publicized price-gouging case.
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Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina Move to Reopen as Hot Spots Emerge
Even as some states move to restart their economies, coronavirus hot spots are emerging, including at a state prison in Ohio.
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The Huge Cost of Waiting to Contain the Pandemic
As the numbers show, the timing of social distancing can have an enormous impact on death tolls.
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In the American South, a Perfect Storm Is Gathering
In states with many uninsured citizens, few hospitals and leaders who have not required citizens to stay home, a disaster is looming.
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The People Leading When Leaders Do Not
Business owners, pastors and others are voluntarily closing their doors as the coronavirus spreads, seeking to fill a void when clarity from political leaders is lacking.
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Tornadoes Kill 25 in Tennessee, Shredding Buildings in Nashville Area
A powerful storm system cut a path through the middle of Tennessee early Tuesday morning, toppling electrical lines and littering streets with debris.
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