BLACK HISTORY MONTH
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CELEBRATION OF LOVE
FEBRUARY 9, 2023 | VOLUME 35 | NUMBER 6
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Police arrest 19-year-old in connection with Green Hills shooting, second suspect at large BY MATT MASTERS
Gov. Bill Lee at the State of the State address on Monday, Feb. 6.
PHOTO BY MATT MASTERS
Gov. Lee proposes new spending during State of the State address as he heads into second term BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT
Gov. Bill Lee is proposing a $55.6 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Lee unveiled his proposal Monday during the State of the State address at the Tennessee State Capitol, seeking to garner support from the lawmakers who must approve the line items in his wish list. Some protesters were present at the Capitol for the address, including one who shouted over a portion of the speech about the state’s opposition to abortion. She and others were removed from the chambers. See the full rundown here. Here are some of the highlights from Lee’s pitch for 2023-24: • $1 billion in capital spending for
Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology, including building six new TCAT campuses and improvements and expansions at existing vocational colleges • $3 billion for state road projects, plus $300 million for local road projects as part of infrastructure plan that includes a proposal to allow private companies to build toll lanes on state roads • $125 million for teacher raises, with the goal of getting the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 in the next four years • Three-month grocery tax holiday • $250 million for the state’s rainy day fund, boosting it north of $2 billion • $200 million for moving the Tennessee
Performing Arts Center from its current home; Nashville Mayor John Cooper had previously pitched the East Bank as a possible site for a new theater building • $100 million in grants for anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers,” a dramatic escalation in funding for organizations like the Hope Clinic for Women, for which Lee sits on an advisory board; the Associated Press reported that anti-abortion state governments allocated $89 million nationwide to such centers during the 202122 fiscal year • Another go at paid family leave for state employees, killed by Republicans in the legislature the last time Lee >> PAGE 2
PHOTO BY MNPD
Michael A. Green The Metro Nashville Police Department arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with the Jan. 30 shooting of a woman in Green Hills, while another suspect is still wanted by police. According to an MNPD news release, Michael A. Green, whose Dodge Avenger sedan was recorded near the scene of the shooting, has been charged with attempted criminal homicide, especially aggravated robbery, and especially aggravated kidnapping in that attack, and they said that he is also being charged with additional violent crimes. That unidentified woman remains hospitalized with three gunshot wounds. “While our daughter’s injuries will take time to heal, this vicious attack will not stop her. Many of you have seen the video of her attack which sickens us, >> PAGE 2
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