May 26, 2021 Mister Peabody s Coal train doesn t run much through upper East Tennessee these days. The trains John Prine sang about in his famous song, Paradise, are practically non-existent.
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Compared to the 1950s and 60s when Claiborne, Campbell and Scott counties were considered coal-mining country, the industry has nearly vanished, according to those who monitor it.
Yet the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is set to resume regulation and permitting of Tennessee s coal mining, taking over from the federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement after 37 years. This includes overseeing mountaintop removal and mining in which the Earth s surface is removed and equipment digs into the ground to mine coal.
(Envato Elements)
In the “State of Hate” Tennessee, Senate lawmakers moved Monday (5 April) to let parents and guardians opt their kids out of LGBT-inclusive curriculums.
SB 1229 requires local education authorities and public charter schools to alert parents and guardians in advance whether a class will teach about LGBT+ lives.
They will be told at least 30 days ahead of the class if teaching materials will include anything about gender identity or sexual orientation, regardless of whether or not the class is part of a sex education program.
And a clause that has fuelled alarm among advocacy groups, the right for them to excuse their children from any of these classes – and schools can do nothing to stop them.