One of the two Black Democrats who were expelled last week from the GOP-led Tennessee House was reinstated Monday after Nashville’s governing council voted to send him straight back to the Legislature.

The unanimous vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council took only a few minutes to restore Rep. Justin Jones to office just four days after Republicans stripped him of his seat.

Republicans banished Jones and fellow lawmaker Justin Pearson over their role in a gun-control protest on the House floor in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting.

Pearson was expected to be reappointed Wednesday at a meeting of the Shelby County Commission.

The expulsions on Thursday made Tennessee a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy and propelled the ousted lawmakers into the national spotlight. In the span of a few days, the two had raised thousands of campaign dollars and the Tennessee Democratic Party had received a new jolt of support from across the U.S.

Special elections for the seats will take place in the coming months. Jones and Pearson have said they plan to run in the special election.

Judges block state move to reduce Metro Council

Metro Council will get to keep all 40 of its seats for now under a temporary decision issued Monday by three state judges.

The ruling stymies an effort by state Republican lawmakers to cut the council in half after it blocked the the 2024 Republican National Convention from coming to the Music City.

Nashville has operated under a combined city-county government system with 40 council members since 1963, when leaders were wrestling with consolidating the city and surrounding county as advocates worked to ensure Black leaders maintained strong representation there.

The new statute at issue would require Nashville to craft new council districts by May 1, a deadline city officials say is unreasonable.

Three state court trial judges – one from Nashville, one from Shelby County and one in Athens, Tennessee – agreed, saying there is a “compelling public interest in preserving the integrity of the Metro election process that is already underway.”

Nashville government officials who filed the lawsuit have argued that changing the council’s makeup now will throw this year’s elections into chaos, in part because it would require redrawing district boundaries after more than 40 candidates have launched campaigns.

Monday’s ruling blocked the requirement pending the lawsuit’s outcome.

10 counties qualify for disaster relief

Ten Tennessee counties will be eligible for federal emergency assistance in the wake of tornadoes and severe storms in the region March 31 and April 1.

The Tennessee counties named in the Major Disaster Declaration are Cannon, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Lewis, Macon, McNairy, Rutherford, Tipton and Wayne.

This disaster declaration includes FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) Program, Public Assistance categories A and B, and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Individuals in the declared counties can apply now for direct assistance through FEMA’s IA program online here anytime or by phone at 1-800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Central time. Multilingual operators are available.

Those eligible for FEMA’s IA program may receive help with rental assistance, home repair and personal property replacement, in addition to other uninsured or underinsured disaster losses.

The Major Disaster Declaration also makes FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Program available to all Tennessee counties. Grants provided through the Hazard Mitigation Program can provide reimbursement assistance for projects that prevent or reduce the long-term risk to the loss of life and property from natural hazards.

Ironwood Design Group opens Nashville office

Ironwood Design Group, a leading landscape architecture firm based out of Atlanta, has announced the opening of its second location in Nashville. This additional location will allow Ironwood to provide enhanced services and support clients and communities throughout the region.

The firm’s new Nashville office is located in the Gulch at 1033 Demonbreun Street, Suite 300. “We are in the heart of Nashville’s bustling and creative urban center, aligning perfectly with our vision,” says Sam Sampson, cofounding principal of Ironwood Design Group.

Volt Lighting opens Distribution facility

Volt Lighting, a leading factory-direct landscape lighting manufacturer based in Tampa, Florida, announced it has occupied a new 50,000-square-foot facility in LaVergne, allowing the manufacturer to maintain its promise to offer same-day shipping and deliveries within three business days, along with in-person pick up options for local residents.

With this move, Volt now has five regional distribution centers serving the continental U.S., with additional locations in Tampa, Pennsylvania, Texas and Nevada.

This is the second expansion in three years. In 2021, Volt opened a fourth location with its southwest distribution center in Texas.

Pinnacle ranks high among best workplaces

Pinnacle Financial Partners is the No. 24 Best Company to Work For in the nation, according to the latest list published by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE magazine. Pinnacle has been on the list every year since it was first eligible in 2017.

Earning a spot means that Pinnacle has surpassed rigorous benchmarks, confirming its status as one of the best workplaces in America.

To determine the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Great Place To Work analyzed the anonymous survey responses of more than half a million employees from Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 employees.

Companies also submitted essays describing their efforts to offer generous and innovative support for associates, which were validated against employee survey responses.

VUMC: COVID hurt cardiovascular health

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified another fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic – a significant decline in cardiovascular fitness that persisted among some groups even after social distancing recommendations were relaxed.

Their study, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed four years of activity and health data from more than 5,000 participants in the federal All of Us precision medicine research initiative who wore Fitbit activity trackers at least 10 days each month.

Participants who reported lower socioeconomic and mental health status (including depression, psychological and post-traumatic stress) were at the highest risk of reduced activity during the study, which ran from January 2018 through December 2021.

The significant decline in daily step counts persisted even after most COVID-related restrictions were relaxed, suggesting the pandemic had an impact on long-term behavioral choices and potentially on long-term disease risk.

Vanderbilt launches EV research projects

Research teams from Vanderbilt will conduct two projects that aim to identify the barriers to and potential health benefits of adoption of electric vehicles in the Southeast.

Michael Vandenbergh, co-director of the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program at Vanderbilt Law School and director of the Vanderbilt Climate Change Research Network, and Tina Hartert, M.D., MPH, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center will lead the projects.

The studies will be paid for by the Audi CO2 Cy Pres Settlement Fund, which will provide $1 million over three years. The research funds were granted as part of a class-action settlement of a vehicle emissions case. The settlement allows for money remaining in the fund to be used for environmental research projects.

TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands makes Opry debut

Tennessee State University’s Grammy-award winning Aristocrat of Bands, fondly referred to as AOB, has had many firsts, with appearances across the country at several iconic venues.

Now, the trailblazing band can add to its list of ‘first to do it’ following their debut at the Grand Ole Opry April 4.

“Being at Opry tonight as an HBCU band … this opportunity is breathtaking,” says AOB’s director Reginald McDonald. “To be a band of firsts, we are excited. This is another opportunity for our students to learn beyond the classroom.”

There were about 80 band members and five Sophisticated Ladies dancers that participated in the 12-minute performance.

“It feels so good to be here,” says Joshua Knox, an AOB drum major from Detroit, Michigan. “Being able to perform at this historic stage makes everything so great being here with my fellow band members.”

AOB performed two songs off their Grammy-award winning album The Urban Hymnal. The band performed “Dance Revival” and “Blessings on Blessings” with Grammy-award winning duo Louis York, who is featured on the song with TSU alumna Ashley “FluteBae” Crawford.