Hi {{first_name | reader}}
Meet Senior Reporter Anita Wadhwani. You may already be familiar with her work. For more than six years, she’s been breaking stories in the Lookout that hold Tennessee’s government agencies and officials accountable.
In 2021, Anita was the first reporter in the state to break the news that the Department of Children’s Services had kids sleeping on floors in state office buildings, raising an issue state lawmakers still haven’t resolved.
In February, she broke the story that Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased space in Wilson County for a “mega” detention center for immigrants, designed to hold up to 15,000 people.
Local and state lawmakers had no knowledge of the purchase but within days learned the news was true and began to push back. Hundreds of Lebanon residents packed a county commission meeting to protest the facility, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn got involved and within two weeks, Wadhwani was able to report ICE had scrapped plans for the project.
That’s the power of local reporting: digging up information for Tennesseans so they have the chance to take action in their community. As a nonprofit news outlet, we depend on your support to help us report breaking news critical to Tennesseans, like the stories Anita’s telling.
Our goal is $5,000 by Sept. 3. Can you chip in $100, $50 or even $25 to help us get there?
With gratitude,
