By J. Holly McCall | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, Lookout readers:
With ground beef ranging from $4.99 to $9.99 at Kroger stores across Tennessee, those with jobs are happy to have them and be able to put bread (and meat) on the table.
But Tennessee has lost about 55,000 jobs just since November, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although the state has lost jobs for eight months in a row, a top economist at the University of Tennessee says there’s no cause for concern: the unemployment rate has remained under 4% since 2017.
In other news:
From Memphis: Several community leaders and organizations are speaking out after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials raided a local bar, detaining and taking more than 100 people.
State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, the Memphis Democratic nominee for the 9th Congressional District, said in a statement, “Masked federal agents showing up in the middle of the night to take people away by the busloads is not what should happen in a democracy. These are authoritarian tactics meant to terrorize us.”
THE LOOKOUT’S TOP STORY
Tennessee shed jobs for the eight month in a row, according to federal data. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Adam Friedman
The state’s top economic advisor at the University of Tennessee isn’t concerned yet, even as job numbers show that, for the eighth month in a row, the number of people employed in the state has slightly dropped.
NEWS AND NOTES
GOP path to retaining US House majority narrowing as midterms near | Shauneen Miranda, States Newsroom
Voting rights struggle continues, advocates say at March on Washington anniversary | Ashley Murray, States Newsroom
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
Online petition group @change.org flew a plane over the Tennessee Capitol pulling a banner promoting the renaming of the Nashville International Airport for the late, beloved Dolly Parton. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Sam Stockard
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport officials announced plans Friday to rename the airport in Dolly Parton’s honor. Doug Kruelen, president and CEO of the airport, said “Dolly’s remarkable legacy reminds us that what makes Nashville special is our ability to welcome people from every walk of life.”
An autopsy released Friday by the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center showed 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson of Memphis was shot in the back by National Guard members on July 5, contradicting initial accounts from officials that Johnson turned towards guard members with a gun. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Rev. Earle Fisher
Memphis were told the National Guard would provide support. Instead, Guard members pursued Tyrin Johnson through downtown Memphis and opened fire. A military deployment promoted as a way to make Memphis safer ended with a young Black man shot in the back.
ICYMI
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