NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 15 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee issued the following news release: Tomorrow a class action lawsuit challenging the Tennessee Department of Corrections' inadequate Hepatitis C (HCV) treatment protocol goes to trial. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, Disability Rights Tennessee and Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings, PLLC on behalf of inmates who were denied adequate medical care after being diagnosed with HCV.   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 16 -- The American Farm Bureau Federation issued the following statement by President Zippy Duvall regarding the repeal of the 2015 waters of the U.S. rule: "The Administration has moved its effort to repeal the 2015 Waters of the United States rule to the Office of Management and Budget, the last step before formal issuance. This is good news and welcome news. "For too long, farmers and ranchers have had to live with real regulatory confusion. Some hear they must fo  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 16 -- The American Farm Bureau Federation issued the following statement by President Zippy Duvall regarding the Trump administration's efforts to reform agricultural guest labor rules: "AFBF applauds President Trump and his administration for recognizing the need to reform our nation's agricultural guest worker program. "American farmers and ranchers have long faced challenges in meeting their labor needs and asked for modernization of the H-2A program. "This is a   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 19 -- The American Farm Bureau Federation issued the following news release: The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has awarded nearly $9,000 in mini-grants to 10 communities across the nation through the White-Reinhardt Fund for Education program. The grants are used to create new agricultural literacy projects or expand existing efforts; the Foundation strives to help learners of all ages understand agriculture and the important role it plays in their d  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 18 -- The American Farm Bureau Federation issued the following news release: * * * - Farm Town Strong campaign continues to offer help and support * * * New data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration shows that rural communities have the highest death rates nationwide from opioid prescriptions, more than three times the national average. A previously unreleased database from DEA tracking prescription painkillers showed that the highest per-capita opioid de  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 18 -- The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture issued the following news release: "A Berry Good Project," a free downloadable book geared toward third- to fifth-grade students, is now available from Feeding Minds Press. The book helps students understand farmers' choices related to pest management. It also introduces students to careers in agriculture, including Extension agent and strawberry farmer. "Children's books are powerful tools to help students u  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Americans for the Arts issued the following news release: Americans for the Arts and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) today announced that Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-TN) was awarded the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership last night at NLGA's annual meeting in Wilmington, Delaware. The annual award honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state/territory leve  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- The Center for Biological Diversity issued the following news release: * * * - Famous Fish Now Recovered, Swimming in Four States * * * The Center for Biological Diversity, former federal biologist Jim Williams and law professor Zygmunt Plater petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to lift Endangered Species Act protection from snail darters. Thanks to government and citizen efforts, the little fish has now successfully achieved recovery and is no longer   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 16 -- The Country Music Association issued the following news release: The Country Music Association's acclaimed CMA Songwriters Series Presented by U.S. Bank has announced a performance in Phoenix at Mesa Arts Center's Piper Repertory Theater Wednesday, Aug. 21 featuring Lauren Alaina, Ingrid Andress, Marti Lynn Dodson and Mickey Guyton. The series hosts an intimate round of performances with some of Country Music's top songwriters taking turns sharing the stories be  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- The National Environmental Health Association issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) are pleased to announce the recipients of the HUD Secretary's Award for Healthy Homes, an award recognizing excellence in making indoor environments healthier for residents. The awards were presented during the NEHA 2019 Annual Educational Conference & Exhibition in Nashville, T  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights issued the following statement by Kristine Lucius, executive vice president for policy and government affairs, on the confirmation of Clifton Corker to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Corker refused to state that the Supreme Court correctly decided Brown vs. Board of Education: "The Senate has confirmed another nominee who failed to state that Brown was correctly decided. This trend is unac  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 18 -- The National Association of Music Merchants issued the following news release: Earlier today at Summer NAMM, the 35th Annual TEC Awards celebrated the pro audio and sound production nominees across the 23 Technical Achievement and eight Creative Achievement categories. A special product showcase from several nominated brands including Yamaha, Avid, BOSS, iZotope, Line 6, Rupert Neve Designs, PreSonus, Steinberg, and Eventide, served as a gathering point for the   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 18 -- The National Cotton Council issued the following news release: Ten cotton producers from Texas and Oklahoma will observe cotton and other agricultural operations in California's San Joaquin Valley while nine Southeast cotton producers will see the same in Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee during the week of July 28 as part of the National Cotton Council's 2019 Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.) Program. Sponsored by Bayer through a grant to The Cotton Foundati  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- National Nurses United issued the following news release: * * * - Broad Labor Support Will Also Call for Hospital to Respect RN Rights - JHH Continues Hard Line on Medical Debt as Other Hospitals Suspend Practice * * * Nurses will be joined by labor and community activists for a major rally outside Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Saturday, July 20 to press hospital officials to end their deplorable practice of suing low-income community patients and their familie  more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, July 15 -- The Nature Conservancy issued the following news: * * * - $130 million investment fund to promote forest health, carbon storage and economic opportunities in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia * * * The Nature Conservancy (TNC) today announced that the TNC-managed Cumberland Forest Project has acquired 253,000 acres of working forest land in the Central Appalachian coalfields of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The project represents one of the largest and mos  more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, July 15 -- The Nature Conservancy issued the following news: The Nature Conservancy today announced that the Cumberland Forest Project, managed by The Nature Conservancy, has acquired a quarter-million acres of working forest land in the Central Appalachian coalfields of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. The project represents one of the largest land conservation and ecological restoration efforts pursued by The Nature Conservancy in the eastern United States in the o  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, July 16 -- New Phytologist, a journal that says it features plant science and its applications, published 42 research articles, including the following topics, in its July 2019 edition: * A simple genetic architecture and low constraint allow rapid floral evolution in a diverse and recently radiating plant genus * A systems biology view of wood formation in Eucalyptus grandis trees submitted to different potassium and water regimes * Abscisic acid is a substrate of the A  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, July 18 -- The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy issued the following news release: Nonprofit advocacy group Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is hitting the road this summer to educate Floridians across the state about the many benefits of electric vehicles by offering firsthand driving experiences. Launching this week, the Driving on Sunshine electric vehicle roadshow will bring a variety of electric vehicles to Floridians across the state through a series of ride and   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 15 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release: * * * - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists reveal a crystal structure that illustrates a mechanism that powers and possibly starts DNA replication * * * Life depends on double-stranded DNA unwinding and separating into single strands that can be copied for cell division. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have determined at atomic resolution the structure of mac  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 17 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists discovered an association between a mutation that causes a lysosomal storage disorder and fibrotic conditions, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis What can a family of rare inherited disorders teach scientists about more common health problems like fibrosis Plenty, based on research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists t  more