BOONE, North Carolina, April 1 -- Appalachian Voices issued the following news release: More than a dozen organizations in Tennessee and Alabama have called on the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association (TVPPA) to urge its member utilities to immediately halt service disconnection and late fees for families during the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to the association last Friday, 14 organizations said: "In accordance with the principles of public power, TVPPA members have a duty to protec  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 3 -- The Campaign Legal Center issued the following news release on April 2: In a victory for voting rights, Tennessee lawmakers repealed onerous restrictions previously enacted in a 2019 law that sought to restrict and impose harsh penalties on community voter registration efforts. Campaign Legal Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Tennessee, and Fair Elections Center, had challenged the measure in a federal lawsuit filed last year on behalf of   more

NEW YORK, April 2 -- The Episcopal Relief and Development issued the following news release: * * * - Episcopal Relief & Development Supports the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee in Response to Tornadoes * * * Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee to provide direct assistance in communities impacted by the devastating tornadoes that struck the Nashville area in early March. At least two tornadoes touched down in North and East Nashville on March 3, 202  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- NARAL Pro-Choice America issued the following statement on March 27 by President Ilyse Hogue: Yesterday, Tennessee joined a growing list of states moving to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to push an anti-choice agenda. Governor Bill Lee's order halting all "non-essential procedures" in the state was shortly followed by a statement from his spokesperson citing the Governor's personal beliefs to make clear his expectation that abortion care not be provided during the crisis  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 1 -- New Phytologist, a journal that says it features plant science and its applications, published research articles, including the following topics, in Part 1 of its May 2020 edition: * Determinants of geographic range size in plants * Digging deeper: what the critical zone perspective adds to the study of plant ecophysiology * Moving on up - controlling internode growth * Boosting autophagy in sexual reproduction: a plant perspective Research: * Leaf carbon   more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 4 -- The Oak Ridge Associated Universities issued the following news release: A sunny March morning could have been an ordinary day on the ORAU Main and South campuses, except that these are extraordinary times. While most of ORAU's employees have transitioned for the foreseeable future to a telework workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 80 employees are deemed essential personnel and still work on site in areas like IT support, security, facilities   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, March 31 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release: Immunologists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have created a database that identifies gene-regulatory mechanisms in immune cells that facilitate Type 1 diabetes. The findings were published in Nature Immunology. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own cells. In Type 1 diabetes, immune cells called CD8 T cells kill insulin-producing  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, April 2 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release: Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and the German Cancer Research Center have identified ELP1 as a novel predisposition gene in the SHH subgroup of pediatric medulloblastoma. The work appears as an advance online publication in Nature. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. The SHH subgroup accounts   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, April 2 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release on April 1: A significant, sustained, global investment in treating children with cancer could save 11 million lives and yield a triple return on investment, according to a Lancet Oncology Commission report published by Lancet. Global childhood cancer rates are on the rise as more children worldwide survive infancy. Today, more than 80% of children with cancer live in low- and middle-income c  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, April 1 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release: Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have found that the ABCC4 transporter is critical to the SHH signaling pathway in the brain tumor medulloblastoma. This work provides a rationale for development of small molecule inhibitors that target ABCC4. The findings appeared in Cancer Research. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. There are four geno  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 1 -- The Tennessee Bar Association issued the following news on March 31: The Tennessee Supreme Court acted to help ease economic pressures on Tennessee attorneys appointed to provide counsel for indigent defendants. Specifically, the order increases the maximum dollar amount of claims that are exempt from judicial review in the ACAP system for court-appointed counsel. Court officials also outlined other steps attorneys could take to speed payments. "We appreciate t  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 3 -- The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association issued the following news: The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association has made the decision to cancel the 2020 Washington Youth Tour amid concerns over COVID-19. The event presented by the state's consumer-owned electric cooperatives takes more than 130 high school Juniors from across the state to Washington, D.C., each summer to learn about history, leadership and public policy. "We are heartbroken to make thi  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, April 3 -- The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association issued the following news on April 2: As the impacts of COVID-19 are felt across Tennessee, the state's consumer-owned electric co-ops have a simple message for those who have been impacted: We can help you. "If you are unable to pay your bill due to the financial impacts of the pandemic, I urge you to call your electric co-op today," says David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of the Tennessee   more