Tennessee

Album review: LANY’s “mama’s boy” is more of the same, and that’s not so bad
Photo Courtesy of Variance Story by Peyton Tranas/Contributing Writer Following the success of their first two albums, LANY is back with their third studio album, mama’s boy. LANY is an indie pop group, who formed just a few miles away in Nashville, TN. Their first two albums, “LANY” and “Malibu Nights,” were highly praised by …

Same words, different sound: Kelsea Ballerini changes it up on “Ballerini”
Photo Courtesy of WWD Story by Makala Greene/Contributing Writer On “Ballerini,” Kelsea Ballerini reinvents herself with a record that’s more emotional and mature than her last LP, which released on March 20th of this year. The new album dropped around the world on Friday, inviting everyone to hear more intimate versions of the songs they …

The Blues are the roots: Bill Steber’s journey to capture the essence of the Delta
Story by Emily Graham/ Contributing writer Bill Steber went to the Mississippi Delta and fell in love. . . with the place, with the music, and especially the musicians. “My first trip through the Delta as an adult was on an assignment for the Tennessean, it was in August of 1992 when I was a full-time staff …

COVID-19 in Tennessee: Maps, Data & Daily Updates
April 29, 2020 Story by Zoe Haggard / Contributing writer and data analyst The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Tennessee is 10,366 today after rising by 314. Davidson County reported 71 of the new cases. It continues to have the most number of cases–at 2,454–followed by Shelby County, which reported 56 new cases, …

Tennessee’s infant mortality rate decreases, still exceeds U.S. average
A new Tennessee Department of Health report states that Tennessee’s infant mortality rate dropped in 2018, but still exceeds the national rate by 17 percent. Infant mortality is defined as the death of a child before his or her first birthday, and is a critical indicator of the overall health of the state, as according to …

Investigation finds $300 million in state child care funds unspent
After news broke last week that the state of Tennessee has over $700 million in a reserve fund not being distributed to the poor families for which it was intended, a Tennessean investigation revealed a second financial bombshell: Tennessee has failed to spend about $300 million from a federal Child Care and Development Fund, who’s purpose …