Latest news with #Tennessean.com
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Want to submit a letter to the editor or op-ed to The Tennessean? Here are the steps.
The Tennessean encourages readers to send letters to the editor and guest opinion columns (aka op-eds) to comment on relevant topics of the day. The people's voice is an important part of strengthening our democracy and contributing to the public debate on important matters. Our focus is on Tennessee issues or commentary written by residents of Tennessee or those who have a connection with the Volunteer State. We are fortunate to have a healthy flow of correspondence, and we do our best to publish letters and guest opinion columns in a timely manner. The letters and op-eds we agree to publish all appear on Many letters typically go in the print product and in the e-edition, as appropriate, but occasionally timely, relevant letters packages will appear on the website too. Here are the guidelines for submitting letters or op-eds: Letters give a free forum for the people's voice, the vox populi, and should feel like watching a speaker at the soapbox at London's Hyde Park. Maximum length is 250 words and writers should include their full name, address and phone numbers for verification. Only your name, city and ZIP code will be published. Go to this link ( to fill out the letters form. We reserve the right to edit for length and libel, and we do not allow vulgarities to appear in letters. This is our basic criteria for guest opinion columns/op-eds: 600 words Insert 2-3 hyperlinks in the text for reference High-resolution headshot (1 to 5 megabytes) and please provide credit for the photo One-sentence author bio The subject should be something the author or authors know well. This is more of an expertise column. Send these op-eds to opinions@ Our team will be in contact with you. They fact check each op-ed and may contact you to ask for clarification, as necessary. Given the volume of content we receive, we may not be able to publish all submissions in a timely manner or at all. Please make sure to specify if the topic is time-sensitive. Compiled from contributions by opinion editors of the USA TODAY Network. First presented at TEDx Nashville on Jan. 29, 2025, event and sent out to prospective op-ed writers. Try to persuade, don't degrade Support opinions with facts Acknowledge and address opposing viewpoints Make your point within the first two paragraphs Do not be boring !!! Offer something more than your opinion. Offer ideas and options for improving a situation or solving a problem. It's always helpful to ask: "Would you read this?" Write with passion. Facts matter, but passion adds tone and texture to produce pieces that are not boring. Make your point early and with authority. If you can't make your argument in 500 words or less, it's likely a weak argument. It's vital to read after you write. If you don't see the headline soon, write again. The Tennessean opinion team. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Submit letter to the editor or guest opinion column to The Tennessean
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee Voices celebrates five years of interviews with leaders and newsmakers
On April 18, The Tennessean published the 446th episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, a now 5-year-old interview show born of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have hosted the program since the beginning in March 2020 shortly after the virus emerged in Tennessee and sent many employees — including me — home to work. COVID also led to the cancellation of live events — an important part of my job as an opinion and engagement journalist — where I sought to connect people on issues of public interest. It was disappointing and hard, but like many of you, I had to adapt, pivot and innovate. Thus, the Tennessee Voices video podcast launched on March 24, 2020, on The purpose was to record video interviews with leaders, thinkers, doers and makers from Tennessee for a 15-to-20-minute conversation about their work, their origin stories and how they were coping during the pandemic. In some cases, I learned about their reading and TV show preferences, including several who confessed to watching "Tiger King." The name "Tennessee Voices" pays homage to The Tennessean's long-time brand for its opinion columns. The goal was for the guest and me to model civil discourse during a politically polarized time and help each other and the audience understand the world during a pandemic. This was an extension of the work we had been doing through the Civility Tennessee initiative since 2017. I hustled to find the first few guests, who included Patrick Ryan, the former president of the Tennessee World Affairs Council; the Rev. Becca Stevens, founder of Thistle Farms; and Sharon Roberson, president and CEO of the YWCA of Middle Tennessee. Guests have run the gamut from politicians such as U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn to nonprofit leaders like reproductive rights activist Cherisse Scott as well as leaders in health care, education, business and nonprofit. Opinion: How Black and Latino Tennessee Voices Storytellers Live came to be in Nashville I have enjoyed hosting this show because it connects me on a one-on-one level with fascinating people who have a lot to offer in terms of achievements, wisdom and perspective, and I hope the audience gets a lot out of it, too. Speaking with each other — and not at each other — is fundamental to building a strong community and sustaining our democratic republic. April 17: Nick Ogden, founder and CEO of The Clear Blue Company April 15: Mo Sabri, Muslim country music artist (Check out his song "Married in a Barn" on YouTube) March 28: Winston Justice, ex NFL player and new finance CEO March 11: Pat Williams of iScribe on artificial intelligence and health care burnout Feb. 11: Melissa Hudson-Gant, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee Jan. 28: Ashley Blum, executive director of NAMI Davidson County Jan. 21: Fahad Tahir, president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas, and Laurel Graefe, regional executive, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Jan. 14: Buddy Teaster, president and CEO of Soles4Souls Jan. 7: Delaney Shelton spoke about her son' Boston's fentanyl overdose death and her advocacy David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@ or find him on X at @davidplazas. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices video show celebrates its fifth anniversary | Opinion
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The Tennessean Student of the Week returns: Vote now for best in Esports, STEM, robotics
What do robotics, STEM and Esports have in common? A whole bunch of math, and some really bright students. It's also the focus of this week's Tennessean Student of the Week poll. Seven students were nominated after The Tennessean asked Middle Tennessee high schools to send us their best in robotics, STEM and Esports. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the terminology, here's a crash course: Robotics involves the design, construction and use of robots. STEM is an acronym ― Science, Technology, Engineering and Math ― that refers to an educational field using all 4 interconnected disciplines. And Esports, short for electronic sports, refers to organized video game competitions. Each week during the school year, The Tennessean asks Middle Tennessee high school principals, guidance counselors, teachers and staff to send us their best students in different categories for our Student of the Week feature. We then let you, the reader, decide who deserves the title by voting in our weekly poll. Check on Monday morning to vote in our next poll at the link below. Remember, voting ends at noon on Thursday, so be sure to vote early. But first, learn more about the students nominated in this week's poll and what their nominators said about them: His contributions "have redefined what's possible through esports," Landon's nominator said. Described as the driving force behind his team, Landon has the athletic passion and determination to overcome any obstacle. He was integral to Tennessee's first-ever undefeated Unified Esports League Regional Championship. This achievement was a testament to Landon's unwavering spirit and leadership. As an athlete with special needs, he has been the heart and soul of his team; through his infectious humor, relentless drive, and ability to unite his teammates. He embodies the true spirit of esports. The junior has been on the esports team since his freshman year and has been the team captain for the past two years. Braden manages team communications and scheduling and is in charge of running practice sessions while taking several honors and AP classes. The freshman has stood out as a well-rounded and driven student, excelling in computer programming languages, while actively participating in Band and the Science Olympiad team. Malachi is enrolled in honors classes and currently pursuing his first CompTIA certification as he exemplifies the spirit of a future STEM and Cyber leader in Tennessee. A sophomore in the school's Academy of Engineering, Fynn started as a coder, but manufactures parts on 3D printers, and is a driver as well. Fynn was able to press an Alpha controller back into service when Beta lost all WiFi capability during a technology event. Fynn is described as being willing to listen to ideas and can improvise when necessary. The sophomore and second-year robotics student has stood out being willing to try and learn new things and his willingness to work well with others and help when needed. Dylan has managed his team and excelled at documenting the design process with the engineering notebook. Dylan is described as having a "can-do" attitude that makes him an ideal leader. A leader in the classroom and with the robotics team, this junior leads his team and gives every member the opportunity to be involved and provide ideas. He is also very involved in other extracurricular activities and clubs here at GHS. He has a 4.0 grade point average and is enrolled in Dual Enrollment classes. He just finished directing a short film for his Audio Visual class. He was featured by News 2 as a Student Musician of the Month in October 2024. The robotics team member at Beech had the drive that was crucial in starting a VEX V5 robotics team at the school. Adam came in as a freshman who had been on the robotics team at Knox Doss Middle and wanted to pursue robotics in high school. Adam showed he was very well versed in robotics building and coding and with he and his teammate's level of confidence the school was able to start a new team. Adam and his teammate worked hard to develop their robot and code it to perform in the school's competitions that got off to a good start and is planning for next year. Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@ and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Esports. STEM. Robotics. The Tennessean Student of the Week is back
