Tennessee Matters

The State of Tennessee government is the largest employer in the Volunteer State. "TeamTN" works together to maintain infrastructure, protect natural resources, and develop thriving communities in a myriad of important positions. Have you ever thought about working for the State of Tennessee? John Clark sat down with Ylonda Banister, the Recruiting Executive Director for the State of Tennessee Human Resources Department to find out all of the details.

Gone are the days of the big bulky phone book and calling the operator at 411. With domestic violence being reported by 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men, protecting your personal information is paramount. John Clark sat down with Stacy Scruggs, the Program Coordinator of the Safe At Home program in Tennessee to learn more about how we can protect our information.

In order to celebrate their son's life and fund research that will find cures for childhood cancer, Grainne and Clay Owen founded Curing Kids Cancer in 2005. The group believes that finding cures for childhood cancers also requires finding doctors and research facilities that are breaking new ground in pediatric cancer research. John Clark sat down with Grainne Owen to learn more.

If you love the outdoors, whether it’s boating, hunting, fishing, or if you just like to observe wildlife, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency works to help enrich your outdoor experience. They are a state-run agency that preserves, conserves, manages, protects, and enhances the fish and wildlife of the state and their habitats for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of all Tennesseans and visitors to the state. John Clark sat down to learn more from Executive Director Jason Maxedon.

Nashville Classical Charter School began as the brainstorm of dedicated community activists and experienced urban educators. Their vision was a school - free, public, and open to all children - that would achieve a different result. Today, for 550 children, that vision is a reality. Let's listen as host John Clark learns more from Charles Friedman, Founder and Executive Director at Nashville Classical Charter School.

Since the Tennessee Lottery launched in 2004, more than $6.7 billion has been raised for education programs in the state and it has funded nearly two million scholarships and grants. Students and families aren’t the only ones who benefit. Lottery players have won more than $13.8 billion in prizes, and retailers have earned more than $1.3 billion in commissions. Funding from the Lottery has helped the state become a role model nationwide for helping make college degrees and certificates a reality for students throughout Tennessee. John Clark talked with Rebecca Paul, the President and CEO of the Tennessee Lottery, to learn more.

On March 5, 2020, the Tennessee Department of Health announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Tennessee. Since that time, about 34% of the state's 7 million people reported testing positive for the virus and approx. 28,000 Tennesseans died. Former TN Dept. of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey and Dr. Alex Jahangir as chair of the Metro Nashville Board of Health became the faces of public information during the pandemic crisis. On Tennessee Matters, John Clark talks with the two state health experts, looking back at the pandemic and the future of public health in Tennessee.

The United States federal government was ordered to pay over $230,000 to victims of one of the largest mass shootings in the country where 26 people died and 22 more suffered injuries. This case was tried in federal court through the Federal Tort Claims Act and found the U.S. Government 60% liable for failing to provide the shooter’s prior domestic violence convictions to the FBI. The case is similar to the mass shooting at Virginia Tech and others except the feds settled those cases and admitted their wrongdoing. The results of this case could have long-lasting effects on all states, including Tennessee. On Tennessee Matters, we’re talking to a lead attorney in the Sutherland Springs Mass Shooting Case, Jamal Alsaffar.

If you received a diagnosis tomorrow that threatened your ability to work, do you know how to navigate the disability system? This topic is critical to many patients and their families who are also frequently confused about the eligibility criteria and application process for disability benefits. On this episode of Tennessee Matters, Beth Moore with Patient Advocate Foundation tells us how her organization can help you understand how disability is defined, the criteria for benefits, questions to think about before filing and tips for building and submitting a solid application for a timely decision.

Celebrating means many things to many people of all faiths, but almost unviversaly, observing the holidays means allowing Chris Kringle to come into our lives. For more than a few years now, in North Georgia, litteraly thousands of children, of course young an old, have come across Derek Dugan. Effectionately known to many as Santa Derek. We visited Santa Derek in his home and learned that a man looking for direction during a time of crisis, found solace and his place in the world when he sat for the first time upon the throne of Santa Clause.