Kelly Puente

2 weeks ago | tennessean.com | Kelly Puente

Tennessee consistently ranks among the worst in the nation for maternal deaths. Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, said the Maternal Mortality Review Committee should post quarterly reports for real-time transparency. Tennessee's Maternal Mortality Review Committee was established in 2016 to investigate the deaths of women during and after childbirth in an effort to reduce the state’s high maternal mortality rates.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Kelly Puente

Two guards were held hostage and later freed in an overnight riot at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center that drew a mass multi-agency police presence, according to officials and news reports. The Trousdale County Sheriff's Department in a statement said the incident began just after 10 p.m. on June 8. Officials said the incident was contained inside the prison fences and the inmates were eventually returned back to their cells.

3 weeks ago | tennessean.com | Kelly Puente

Proponents say the law is necessary to mitigate impact to the roofing industry. Critics say it will lead to higher energy costs and more heat-related illnesses. Critics are sounding off against a new law going into effect July 1 that repeals the state mandate for reflective roofs, known as “cool” roofs, that are meant to lower temperatures and reduce energy costs. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Rusty Grills, R-Newbern, and Sen.

1 month ago | tennessean.com | Kelly Puente

The Tennessee Supreme Court set execution dates for four people on death row in 2025. Oscar Franklin Smith's execution May 22 was the first in five years. A judge has temporarily called off one man's execution set for this year, unless his lawsuit concludes before his execution date. All four people whose execution dates were set already had execution dates before Gov. Bill Lee paused capital punishment in 2022. It was later found the state wasn't following its own lethal injection protocol.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Kirsten Fiscus |Evan Mealins |Kelly Puente

The state of Tennessee has executed Oscar Franklin Smith, sentenced to death for the 1989 killings of his estranged wife Judith Robirds Smith and her two teenage sons, Chad Burnett and Jason Burnett, in Nashville. Smith, 75, was killed by a fatal dose of the drug pentobarbital injected into his veins at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. He was pronounced dead at 10:47 a.m. May 22. In a lengthy final statement, Smith spoke out against the governor and the justice system.