By J. Holly McCall | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, Lookout readers:
A statue of W.C. Handy, the “Father of the Blues,” sits in a small park overlooking Beale Street, the iconic downtown Memphis street flanked by music establishments like the Rum Boogie Cafe, Sun Records, where Elvis Presley recorded, and civil rights museums.
These days, reports Senior Reporter Sam Stockard, Handy’s statue is overlooking, on many days, an empty street.
The Memphis Safe Task Force, the potpourri of federal and state agencies assembled by President Donald Trump, flooded Memphis one year ago and the Lookout is examining the impacts of the coalition. Among those, reports Stockard, are struggling businesses on Beale. Republican lawmakers say they’ve heard no complaints but a Memphis city councilmember says businesses are “taking a beating.”
In other news:
Endorsement alert: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has endorsed Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder in the letters campaign for the 5th Congressional District and will hold an event in Nashville Saturday with Molder. Molder, a Democrat, faces Republican nominee former state agriculture commissioner Charlie Hatcher.
Buckle up: Today is the final day of the third quarter fundraising period for candidates in the upcoming election, so prepare yourself for a deluge of text messages and emails seeking to convince you of the urgency of your $5 donation.
Which also means: Campaign finance disclosures are due to be filed in two weeks, when political nerds can see which bigwigs are backing candidates.
Another execution. The State of Tennessee will execute Christa Pike at 10 a.m. today at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Nashville. Pike, who will be the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1820, was convicted of the 1985 murder of a classmate.
And a correction! On Tuesday, we inadvertently referred to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, as a Republican.
THE LOOKOUT’S TOP STORY
A September Friday afternoon on a deserted Beale Street in Memphis: business owners say traffic is down, in part due to the influence of the Memphis Safe Task Force. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Sam Stockard
A year after a coalition of law enforcement agencies converged on Memphis, conducting widespread traffic stops and roundups, Beale Street businesses are struggling to stay afloat as customers avoid the historic downtown area.
NEWS AND NOTES
Trump TV ads paid for with $20M in Homeland Security funds, Dems find | Jonathan Shorman, States Newsroom
GOP senator bungles accusation against former special counsel Jack Smith in heated hearing | Ashley Murray, States Newsroom
US Supreme Court allows Trump to resume deportations outside immigrants’ home countries | Ariana Figueroa, States Newsroom
News orgs banned from White House accuse Trump of First Amendment violation | Jennifer Shutt, States Newsroom
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
After weeks of uncertainty, the federal government has begun distributing COVID-19 vaccines to states for the Vaccines for Children program, which provides free immunizations for low-income and uninsured kids. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Anita Wadhwani
The federal government has begun supplying COVID-19 vaccines to states, including Tennessee, to be used as part of a free immunization program for low-income children, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Tuesday.
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
A federal judge sided with Nashville in a case against the Trump administration for threatening to withhold counterterrorism funds. Pictured: Metro Nashville Courthouse. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Sam Stockard
A federal court ruled in favor of Metro Nashville and five other cities and counties, striking down the Trump administration’s effort to withhold anti-terrorism funds unless they adopted election-system policies targeting to check citizenship.
COMMENTARY
John Cole’s Tennessee: The In-Volunteer State
John Cole’s Tennessee: Tennessee’s official nickname is “The Volunteer State,” but state Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is demanding records from Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, including patient records, pertaining to advice about out-of-state abortions.
ICYMI
$26K profit from grassroots Soybean Festival to be donated to Martin Fire Department | Cassandra Stephenson
Democratic gubernatorial contender Jerri Green talks affordability, Republican supermajority | Cassandra Stephenson
Planned Parenthood files legal challenge to investigation, document demands by Tennessee AG | Anita Wadhwani
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