Tag: Steve Cohen

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Cohen Introduces Resolution Censuring Alito

Steve Cohen | Photo: U.S. House of Representatives

More than a few flutters of reaction have resulted from recent news of Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito’s  having flown an upside-down American flag at his residence in apparent support of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the nation’s Capitol.

And if Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen has his way, a truly stiff wind could be blowing Alito’s way via an official congressional reprimand.

Cohen has introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives a resolution of censure, charging  the arch-conservative Alito with bias, improper political activity, and a “breach of judicial ethics” for flying the upside-down flag, widely recognized as a symbol of the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” movement, in the aftermath of the insurrection.

The resolution would censure Alito “for knowingly violating the federal recusal statute and binding ethics standards and calling the impartiality of the Supreme Court of the United States into question by continuing to participate in cases in which his prior public conduct could be reasonably interpreted to demonstrate bias.” It also demands that Alito  recuse himself from all litigation related to the 2020 election or the January insurrection.

Accusing Justice Alito of “poor judgment,” Cohen, a member of the house Judiciary Committee, said, “There must be accountability to protect the integrity and impartiality of the High Court. We must protect the Constitutional rights to fair and impartial proceedings.”

Responding to the high volume of criticism he has received, Alito has attempted to blame his wife for flying the upside-down flag in reaction to a neighbor’s yard signs criticizing the justice.

Among the many favorable reactions to the Cohen resolution was this one from Alex Aronson, executive director of  Court Accountability: “We commend Representative Cohen for introducing this resolution censuring Justice Alito and calling for his recusal. It is good to see members of the House Judiciary Committee taking a leadership role in holding out-of-control Supreme Court justices accountable, and this resolution is an excellent first step.”

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New Rules Could Change Travel from Airlines, Car “Booting,” and “Gas Station Heroin”

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

New rules will change air travel, mandating refunds for flights and eliminating hidden airline fees. In addition, new laws could come soon to limit fees for booting cars in parking lots, and restrictions on “zaza” or “gas station heroin.”

New airline rules

Last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued final rules to require airlines to give passengers a prompt, automatic cash refund for canceled and significantly delayed flights, instead of travel vouchers or credits. The idea was proposed, in part, by U. S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis), as a ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. 

The new rules were part of Cohen’s Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act and Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act. The legislation would also protect consumers from “ridiculous” or hidden fees on certain services, though USDOT has not yet ruled on the idea.

  “These passenger protections are long overdue,” said Congressman Cohen. “When airlines are responsible for flight delays or cancellations, or do not provide the services that their customers pay for, passengers should be made whole, not tied to airline vouchers or travel credits. I have also heard from many travelers about their frustrations with hidden fees for checked bags, seat assignments, and flight change and cancellation fees that far exceed the costs to provide these services.”

New rules for “booting” and towing cars

In Tennessee, a bill is headed for Gov. Bill Lee’s desk that would prohibit unlicensed individuals from booting vehicles and cap the fee to remove a boot at $75. The legislation was sponsored by state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin). It also proposes new rules for towing and parking.

“This legislation will protect vehicle owners in Tennessee from bad actors seeking to profit off of  immobilizing and confiscating vehicles,” said Johnson. “I’ve received complaints from many constituents who have had to go through unreasonably long and expensive processes to regain control of their vehicles which were unfairly immobilized or towed.

“Unfortunately, our current laws do not provide legal recourse to punish parking enforcers engaged in certain nefarious practices. This bill targets those bad actors and protects Tennessee vehicle owners.”

The bill would require booting be done if only a licensed parking attendant is present in a commercial parking lot. Boots would also have to be removed within 45 minutes of a driver’s call. The legislation would also ensures that vehicle owners are properly notified if their vehicle is being towed, sold or demolished by a towing company. Also, if the towing process has begun, but the vehicle hasn’t left the parking area, the bill requires towing companies to release vehicles to the owner for a fee of no more than $100. 

Getting “gas station” heroin out of gas stations

Another piece of federal legislation would ban the sale of tianeptine — sometimes called “zaza” or ”gas station heroin“ — at retail stores, like gas stations. The proposal is from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey) who said the drug is causing an uptick in calls to poison control centers and emergency room visits. America’s Poison Control Centers said 391 tianeptine cases were reported nationwide last year.

Tianeptine is most commonly used for treating anxiety and depression. However, the drug has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sometimes the drug is abused to create a euphoric, opioid-like effect. A common tianeptine brand is called “Neptune’s Fix.”

“It’s clear that these harmful tianeptine-containing products pose a serious threat to consumers and are jeopardizing the health of our communities, particularly our kids,” Pallone said in a statement. “These dangerous products do not belong on store shelves, which is why I’m introducing a bill today to empower FDA to prohibit the marketing of ‘gas station heroin’ to protect consumers.”

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CannaBeat: Feds Move On Cannabis; Could Loosen Laws in Tennessee

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The White House will remove cannabis from the federal list of the country’s most dangerous drugs, according to the Associated Press, a move that could lead to looser laws in Tennessee.

In 2022, President Joe Biden promised to reevaluate cannabis’ placement on Schedule I. Schedule I is the federal government’s classification for some of the worst drugs, such as meth and heroin. These drugs are highly addictive and have no medical use, according to the government.

Biden promised cannabis reform in a statement in October 2022. It outlined three steps his adminstration would take to end what he called the government’s “failed approach” on cannabis so far. 

Back then, Biden pardoned all federal offenses of simple possession and urged governors to do the same. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee did not make any cannabis pardons.

Biden said the next step to reclassify cannabis was to check with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Attorney General to “expeditiously” review how cannabis is scheduled under federal law. 

Those conversations went on, apparently, behind the scenes, even out of Congressional view. Last summer Congressman Steve Cohen and Congressman Matt Gaetz grilled Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram for details during a meeting of the House Judiciary Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee. They got very few. 

Milgram said her agency couldn’t move on the matter without word from HHS. She said DEA had not heard anything and had not even heard of a timeline for when HHS might send word. 

On Tuesday, The AP reported that DEA will move to reclassify cannabis, citing five anonymous sources. That proposal must then get the approval of the White House Office of Management and Budget and go through a public comment period. If approved, cannabis would be listed on Schedule II, alongside drugs such as ketamine. 

Tennessee lawmakers have long said they wouldn’t approve any looser laws for cannabis unless the drug was moved from Schedule I at the federal level. Despite the creation of the Tennessee Cannabis Commission years ago, a group tasked with establishing a cannabis program for Tennessee, no material changes have been made in state laws.  

State Rep. Jesse Chism (D-Memphis) said he hopes that with the reclassification ”we can start the ball rolling soon and begin having serious discussions here in Tennessee.”

“Our state has spent millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to enforce cannabis laws that are outdated and harmful to a lot of people, including many Tennesseans who are trying to get relief from painful chronic medical issues,” Chism said in a statement. “In addition to wasting those dollars, we’ve completely ignored the financial benefits that could be coming the state’s way. 

“I’ve filed several pieces of legislation ranging from allowing medical use to decriminalization to even trying to put a non-binding referendum on the ballot to hear from Tennessee’s voters. The main point of contention has always been its federal classification.  Hopefully, with this movement we can start the ball rolling soon and begin having serious discussions here in Tennessee.”

Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus Chairwoman Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) applauded the move, saying it will will have benefits for Tennesseans seeking medicinal cannabis.

“Reclassifying marijuana as a less-dangerous drug at the federal level is a historic decision, driven by common sense,” Lamar said in a statement. “Republican lawmakers have kept Tennessee in the dark ages on marijuana policy — wasting our tax dollars locking people up for a plant. While my ultimate goal is still legalization in Tennessee, this is incredible news for folks who would benefit right now from natural medical cannabis to treat chronic pain or illness.”

Cohen, a longtime advocate for cannabis reform, was frustrated by delays in the process during that Congressional hearing last year. “I’ve been here 17 years … and I’ve seen DEA heads, I’ve seen [Federal Bureau of Investigation] directors, I’ve seen attorney[s] general, exactly where you’re sitting, say governmental gibberish about marijuana. They’ve done nothing for 17 years, and for years before that. It goes back to the [1930s]. 

“The government has messed this up forever and you need to get ahead of the railroad. You’re going to get something from HHS. Biden understands [cannabis] should be reclassified. He said from [Schedule I to Schedule III] and it should be classified from [Schedule I] to 420. We ought to just clean it up and get over with it.” 

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The Last Straw?

Paul Young (Photo: Brandon Dill | MLK 50)

Push is coming to shove in the public outrage stemming from the shooting death last week of MPD Officer Joseph McKinney. And the shoving, on behalf of stouter crackdowns on local crime, is coming from more sources than ever before.

Mayor Paul Young, who has arguably been somewhat slow on the draw in fleshing out his crime program, cruising along with an interim police chief and nobody yet to fill his ballyhooed position of public safety director, is suddenly all cries and alarms.

Sounding almost like some of the more active Republican critics of Memphis crime in the legislature, Young released a statement including these words: “Together, let’s petition our judges and the DA for stronger, swifter sentencing for violent offenses. If you are part of the judicial system, hear my voice first. We need to work together to do better for our community.”

DA Steve Mulroy himself expressed anger that a $150,000 bond that he’d previously set for previous crimes committed by the youth suspected in the death of Officer McKinney had been somehow amended by a judicial commissioner to allow the youth back on the streets through his own recognizance.

And Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright, a leading critic of the current crime wave, was warning, on behalf of his commission mates, “We are not finished. … You’re going to see some judges get exited stage left if I have anything to say about it.”

It was a definite irony that, scarcely a week after the MPD had announced the 100th homicide in Memphis this year, Young scheduled this week’s public celebration of his first 100 days in office at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church.

Perhaps the mayor will use that occasion to outline further his and the city council’s plan for a new nonprofit organization to reverse the crime trend.

• Former Shelby County Democratic chair Gabby Salinas, who in recent years ran two close races against established Republican office-holders, has a different situation on her hands this year.

She’s running for the state House District 96 seat being vacated by Democratic incumbent Dwayne Thompson. Not a Republican contestant in sight so far, but Salinas has four Democratic rivals — Eric Dunn, Telisa Franklin, Orrden Williams Jr., and David Winston. She remains the favorite.

• As mentioned in this space of late, Democrats are seriously contesting the state House District 97 seat now held by Republican John Gillespie. Mindful of the potential perils of procrastination, they brought out some heavy artillery last week.

At a fundraiser for party candidate Jesse Huseth at the home of attorney Robert Donati last week, an important attendee was 9th District U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, the county’s senior Democratic office-holder, who formally bestowed his endorsement on Huseth and was critical of Gillespie for legislative actions intended to shift various aspects of law-enforcement authority from the city to the state.

Cohen noted that the 97th, which was redistricted by the legislature last year, would now seem to be tilted demographically to Democrats in this election year — “up three points for Huseth and up five points for Biden.”

As Huseth himself put it, the East Memphis-based district had lost “four solid-red precincts and picked up two light-blue precincts and two light-red precincts.”

The point of the redistricting, which was carried out by the General Assembly’s GOP supermajority, remains something of a mystery, although it is said that Gillespie signed off on it, thinking it gave him more potential access to‚ and opportunity to serve, the business community.

• No doubt emboldened by the local unpopularity of Governor Bill Lee’s school-voucher program, which was formally opposed by the Memphis-Shelby County School Board and by the boards of the six municipal school districts as well, Democrats are taking another crack at the state House District 83 seat held by Mark White, House education chair and a champion of vouchers.

At least one Democrat is: political newcomer Noah Nordstrom, an MSCS Spanish teacher.

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Snapshots of the Moment

Photo: Representative John Gillespie | Facebook John Gillespie

John Gillespie, the Republican incumbent in state House District 97, has kept a relatively moderate profile in the two terms he’s served since winning his seat over Democrat Gabby Salinas in 2020, focusing on non-ideological matters like drag-racing bans and deviating from GOP orthodoxy on gun legislation.

But all that may be changing. Gillespie is now following the lead of the House Republican leadership and another Shelby County GOPer, state Senator Brent Taylor, in sponsoring hard-line crime legislation destined to strip away local law-enforcement prerogatives.

A controversy arose last week after a cell phone video was circulated of a conversation in Nashville in which Gillespie appeared to be assuring the visiting parents of the late Tyre Nichols that he would hold up on seeking an immediate vote on his bill to nullify city council restrictions on the kind of preemptive traffic stops that would end in the savage beating death of young Nichols by MPD officers who are now facing trial for murder.

Instead, Gillespie put the bill on the floor for a relatively quick party-line passage.

The incident may loom large in this year’s legislative elections, in which Gillespie will be opposed by businessman Jesse Huseth, a Democrat who has already released a statement deploring Gillespie’s conduct of the matter.

• Tami Sawyer, recent winner of the Democratic nomination for General Sessions Court clerk, is keeping her activist’s hand in, blogging her discontent with both a pending appearance at the University of Memphis by Kyle Rittenhouse, the youth acquitted of killing two people at a Kenosha, Wisconsin, protest event, and Rep. Gillespie’s short-circuiting whatever commitment he may have given on rolling his bill.

• A hat tip to my daughter Julia Baker of The Daily Memphian for noting that the aforementioned Brent Taylor, notorious for his constant verbal and legislative targeting of local DA Steve Mulroy, is on the same page as Mulroy regarding the need for a new crime lab in Memphis.

• Veteran watchers of presidential State of the Union addresses over the years are used to seeing 9th District Congressman Steve Cohen ready on or near the aisle for banter or conversation as the president — of whatever year or whatever party, for that matter — is either headed to the podium or finishing up afterward and headed out.

Those aisle seats have to be staked out well in advance, and Cohen, using staffers early on to help hold down a place, is something of a master of the art.

Sometimes he shares local artifacts with the passing chief executive. In 2008, he was seen on national television handing George W. Bush a University of Memphis booster’s cap to be autographed. Watching at home, then Tiger basketball coach John Calipari saw it all and later got in touch with Cohen, putting in a bid for the cap and pledging to get it into the U of M Sports Hall of Fame. Cohen turned it over, but the cap never made it to its intended destination. Not long afterward, Coach Cal — cap presumably in tow — decamped to the University of Kentucky.

Always Cohen manages to have something to say. Last Thursday night, he caught Biden going in and took the time to encourage the president to pitch his remarks to the Democratic side of the assembled audience of lawmakers and to give the Republicans hell. Presumably Biden already had that strategy in mind. In any case, that’s what happened.

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Looking into the Crystal Ball

Steve Cohen (Photo: U.S. House of Representatives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

After what amounted to yet another paltry turnout in a local election, most people are turning their attention to more everyday matters — the car note, the mortgage, the approaching holidays, the prospect of yet another Rolling Stones tour, or what-have-you.

Not so for the class of political junkies, who form a major part of those who choose to peer into this space. Many of them are already looking forward to the election year 2024, or even to 2026. Some are still mulling over what happened in 2023. (We’ll get to that in a minute.)

The big deal next year, of course, is the race for the presidency, and most reliable pollsters, commentators, and news gatherers — not to mention the minions of social-media savants — are pretty much in unison about that. It looks to be Biden vs. Trump, and a clear majority of Americans seem to be nothing less than disconsolate about that.

There will be a statewide election, too, and no doubt there will be some interesting legislative races.

Democratic state Representative Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, she of the Tennessee Three, is already well into a campaign against incumbent Republican Marsha Blackburn for the U.S. Senate, and that definitely should generate some buzz.

Closer to home, 9th District Democratic U.S. Representative Steve Cohen says he’s running again, for a 10th term next year, and he’ll be heavily favored, though it’s probable that, as usual, some Republican will hazard a long-odds race against him. Ambitious Democrats will likely bide their time until such time, years hence, as Cohen might opt to retire, and contestants at that point might include Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, state Representative Justin J. Pearson, and state Senator Raumesh Akbari.

Cohen, incidentally, is as frustrated as other House members that the Republicans, who own a bare majority there, can’t seem to decide who, among their number, should be speaker to succeed the now-deposed Kevin McCarthy.

In case you’ve wondered, as I have, whether Cohen and other Democrats, in the interests of bipartisan government, would be willing to help break the logjam by casting votes for an acceptable Republican to be speaker, he says he definitely would, though he doubts that such a nominee could emerge from the GOP caucus.

Looking ahead to 2026, the aforesaid Lee Harris will be term-limited, and at least three Democrats are likely to be aspirants to the job of county mayor — Assessor Melvin Burgess, current County Commissioner Mickell Lowery, and recent city mayor candidate Van Turner.

Just as it was known for years that Turner would at some point seek the job of Memphis mayor, it was also known that he has from time to time considered running for county mayor. A veteran of two terms on the county commission, he certainly has credentials and he allows that, while he’s in no hurry to decide, such a race might be in his future.

For that matter, he hasn’t totally turned his back on the election just held. Turner’s name was among those mentioned as interested parties in the matter vented post-election by defeated council candidate Jerred Price, who wants county Election Coordinator Linda Phillips to give a more complete accounting than she has thus far of the reported pre-election theft of election codes from the parked car of an Election Commission employee.

Though he is not an active part of Price’s effort, Turner agrees that an investigation of some sort is in order.

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Cohen Presses Buttigieg on Memphis Transportation Needs

Congressman Steve Cohen via Youtube

Representative Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) reminded U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday that “Memphis is the center of the country,” and “what’s good for Memphis is good for America.”

These remarks were made during an oversight hearing for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Prior to these comments, Cohen applauded the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and its investments towards Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) and Shelby County.

In June it was announced that two Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants were being awarded by USDOT. MATA received $25 million for its Crosstown Corridor Safety and Multi-Modal Enhancement Program, and Shelby County received $13.2 million for its Eliminating Barriers on North Watkins (Project ELBOW.)

“These projects include many complete street elements to ensure safety and accessibility for all road users,” said Cohen. “This will transform the community and make it much safer to get around. One of the areas I’ve put a lot of emphasis on in getting the bill passed was complete streets.”

Cohen also reminded Buttigieg that Memphis has been ranked as one of the deadliest cities for traffic fatalities of pedestrians and bicyclists.

“The facts are, in minority communities it’s more likely that they’re not going to be sidewalks,” said Cohen. “It’s more likely they’re going to have median strips that help their crosswalks for people to get across at pedestrian passings. That’s one of the reasons we have so many high deaths of pedestrians and even bicyclists.

Cohen also mentioned that the city had recently been the recipient of the recent Safe Streets for All grant for $640,000 in order to remedy these things and to assist in the development of “comprehensive action plans to significantly reduce those fatalities.”

Not only did Cohen say that these problems need to be rectified, and that minority communities deserve to have foliage and safer streets, but he also asked if there was anything Buttigieg could do to “incentivize state governments.” Cohen added that state governments “put out a lot of these grants.”

“I don’t think we have Congressional authorization to ‘kick anyone in the rear,’ but we do work with state DOT’s knowing that we all share in principle, a commitment to safety, but believing that there are specific interventions that would make the biggest difference,” said Buttigieg.

Buttigieg added that they try to draw attention to the “eligibility of formula funds,” however the states may not be aware of the ways they could use these funds.

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Noted Tennessee Political Figure Roy Herron Dies

Roy Herron. (Photo by Jackson Baker).

Roy Herron, a longtime  influential member of the Tennessee political community,  died on Saturday from catastrophic injuries suffered in a jet ski accident a week earlier at Kentucky Lake, where the Herron family owned a lodging.

Herron, 69, had served several terms in the Tennessee state House of Representatives and later the state Senate. He was first elected to the House in 1986 to succeed fellow Dresden resident Ned McWherter, who was elected governor that same year. Herron later was a candidate for a seat in the U.S. Congress and served a term as chairman of the state Democratic Party.

He was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he had been flown. He had never regained consciousness after the accident, which occurred when a personal watercraft containing himself and Kayla McDonald, a member of a group vacationing with his son Benjamin, was hit from the rear by another watercraft traveling at high speed. 

Most of the party were associates of the younger Herron, who was taking a weekend break from his studies at Emory University Medical School in Atlanta.

Reports indicate that, when their craft was struck, Herron was accompanying McDonald, who was driving to a pontoon float where other members of the party were gathered. McDonald’s injuries were also severe.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency identified the driver of the craft that collided with that of Herron and McDonald as 24-year-old Peter Fagachugad. Unconfirmed reports indicate that  Fagachugrad’s craft may also have contained an 11-year-old. The TWRA is continuing to investigate.

During his years in the legislature, which began when the Democrats held uncontested power in both chambers, it was widely considered an inevitability that he would ascend to higher office. He was highly personable and was well liked on both sides of the political aisle.

Ninth District Congressman Rep. Steve Cohen, who served in the legislature with Herron, remembered him as a spark-plug, a standout  orator,  and a key member of the Democratic contingent. “We all thought he was on his way to the top,” Cohen said.

He had served as Democratic caucus chair of the state Senate and declared for governor in 2010 before switching to a race for the 8th Congressional seat when the U.S. House incumbent, John Tanner, opted not to run for reelection.

As it turned out, 2010 was the watershed year when overall sentiment in Tennessee, long a Democratic stronghold, passed to the Republican Party, and Herron was defeated by Republican Stephen Fincher of Frog Jump. Herron’s election to a two-year term as state Democratic chair would come in 2013.
 
Along with his prowess in politics, Herron was a standout athlete, who ran numerous marathons and regularly participated in iron-man triathlons. He was also the author of four books and numerous articles. He was an Eagle Scout and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee-Martin and Vanderbilt University.

He was a devoted family man. Dennis Dugan of Memphis, where Herron spent much time, said, “We were close. He was much loved within the family and outside as well.”

The Rev. Nancy Carol Miller-Herron, Roy’s spouse of 36 years, said in a statement. “Roy loved his family with all his might. He passed doing what he loved most — spending time with our sons and their friends in the Tennessee outdoors where his spirit was always most free. Roy was defined most by the love and care he showed so many. We know his thoughts and prayers would now would be with our friend, Kayla McDonald, who was also injured in the collision and who is recovering from her injuries.”

The Tennessee House Democratic Caucus is mourning the passage of former state lawmaker Roy Herron. Herron served in the State Legislature for more than a quarter century, first as a State Representative for a decade and then as the State Senator for the 24th District for 16 more years.  He also served as Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party.

House Minority Leader Karen Camper spoke on Herron’s love of people and his love of God:

“Roy loved his family and loved representing his neighbors in West Tennessee.  He always considered it an honor to be their voice in Nashville. He was also a God-fearing man who wrote books advising on how Christians can also serve in politics.”

House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons also spoke on Herron’s legacy:

“Throughout his life, Roy Herron worked tirelessly for the people of Tennessee.  As a lawmaker, I have sincerely appreciated and valued his sage advice and perspective over the years.  Roy was a true public a servant and a man of faith who loved his family, his fellow Tennesseans, and our great State.  Roy Herron will be missed by all.”

In addition to his wife, Herron is survived by his three sons, John, Rick, and Benjamin; his brother, Ben; and many cousins, nephews, and nieces. Arrangements for the funeral are pending, but it is expected to be held on Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Martin.

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Memphis Passenger Rail Talks Surface in Congressional Amtrak Hearing

Photo: Aris on Unsplash

Passenger-rail planning in Tennessee surfaced briefly this week in a Congressional hearing with Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner with a bit of recent news regarding Memphis. 

In a previous story, the Flyer described efforts underway by a state group to deliver a passenger-rail plan to legislators and other state officials next month. The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) has been working on a rail plan since 2022, when the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill requesting one.  

While TACIR works to meet the July deadline, several Tennessee cities filed an application with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for grant money to help them begin to plan for a possible rail route for passengers.

In March, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly announced that his city had teamed up with Atlanta, Nashville, and Memphis in the submission that could draw $500,000 in planning funds for a route that would connect those cities. 

“It’s time to bring the Choo Choo back to Chattanooga!” Kelly tweeted at the time. 

That application surfaced in a hearing this week of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) asked Amtrak’s Gardner about passenger rail movement in the state. 

“The state has submitted a corridor identification application to the [FRA] for service from Memphis east to Nashville, onto Chattanooga and to Atlanta,” Gardner said. “That’s a very interesting corridor, one that holds a lot of promise.” 

Gardner said the application is a “first critical step” in the passenger-rail-planning process. If nothing else, it simply gets the state and the cities into the federal system, to stand in line and be ready for funds when they become available. 

Credit: House Committee on Infrastructure and Transportation

Cohen said a rail line between Nashville and Memphis is more important now that Ford Motor Co. is building BlueOval City in Haywood County, just a few miles east of Memphis between the city and Nashville. 

Also, Cohen said the “area’s not served by air transportation, commercial air.” No direct flights exist from Memphis International Airport to Nashville International Airport. Spirit Airlines will get you there with an 11-hour layover in Orlando (for $211), according to a search at Kayak. Delta Airlines will deliver Memphians to Nashville in just over three hours with a stop in Atlanta for $359, also according to Kayak. 

Bus service from Memphis to Nashville has been around awhile, offered by many different companies. A one-way Greyhound ticket costs $42 (on a recent search) and takes about three hours and 45 minutes. FlixBus and Megabus run the route, too. BizBus began offering the route last month in a service that promised comfortable seating, Wi-Fi, and an onboard attendant for about $50.        

“I have heard a great amount of support [for passenger rail] in Memphis and Nashville,” Cohen said during Tuesday’s hearing. “People in Memphis want to go to Nashville, the state capital, for all kinds of reasons. And people in Nashville have even more reasons to leave and come to Memphis. So, there’s this great synergy of energy there.”

One recent commenter on the Memphis subreddit spelled their desire for a Memphis-Nashville connector pretty plainly. 

“As someone who recently had to drive to Nashville with a massive case of diarrhea, I would’ve LOVED a mode of travel that had its own bathroom,” u/newcv wrote in the most upvoted comment about the issue. 

Tennessee takes small step toward bringing passenger rail trains to the state
by u/Tortylla in memphis

While state officials await TACIR’s report, they have signaled their support to the feds of passenger rail in Tennessee. Howard “Butch” Eley, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), has given that support in two letters to the FRA. 

“Addressing growing transportation congestion in Tennessee’s major urban areas and along major commuting and commerce routes throughout our state is of paramount importance to [TDOT] as we work to meet the state’s growth, prosperity, and mobility needs,” Eley wrote to the FRA in March. “We believe Tennessee is an important state in the national discussion of long-distance passenger rail service. 

“Between 2010 and 2020, Tennessee grew by nearly 600,000 people and our state continues to be a leader in job growth and economic development. Tennessee is also a major tourist destination and visitors to our state come to all parts of our state to experience our rich culture of music and entertainment as well as our natural and scenic beauty.”

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In Harm’s Way

Congressman Steve Cohen with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week (Photo: Courtesy Steve Cohen)

We hear a lot these days about “bullet trains,” which whisk commuters from place to place with incredible speed. The train which took Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen last week from U.S. ally Poland into Kyiv, the capital of wartime Ukraine, took all of 10 hours. But the ride was surely worth it.

It was Cohen’s privilege, as ranking member of the congressional Helsinki Commission, to ride that slow train (hampered by security precautions) into harm’s way so as to present the gallant Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the formal support of the commission for himself and his beleaguered nation.

The Helsinki Commission is an official government body created in 1975 to support compliance with that year’s Helsinki Accords, a nonbinding agreement pledging the nations of Europe and the Americas to the pursuit of peace and detente.

Accompanied by fellow House members Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Cohen was ushered into the president’s office as an air raid siren blared, reminding the visitors of the potential dangers involved.

The American delegation spent an hour with Zelenskyy, who, says Cohen, was the affable and resolute figure the world has grown familiar with during Ukraine’s courageous stand against the nonstop attacks of the Russian invader.

According to Cohen, Kyiv itself, relatively unscarred, remains determined to persevere and comports itself like any other busy metropolis. He described seeing workers rebuilding a bridge that was demolished during the war’s early phase to prevent Russian access into the city.

The American group also visited suburban areas — notably Bucha, the site of widespread massacres and other atrocities by occupying Russian troops, who were later forced to withdraw. Aside from that, says Cohen, “Bucha is actually an upscale sort of place, kind of like Germantown,” but one marked by numerous mass graves.

How would the congressman rank his Ukrainian experience? “Inspiring, and right up there with anything I’ve ever done.”

• However the tangled matter of mayoral residency requirements gets resolved, and it likely will get sorted out on a May 18th hearing in the courtroom of Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins, former Mayor Willie Herenton remains unworried, insisting that, as a new online broadside of his puts it, “My residence has never changed.”

He cites an official definition by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett of a residence as a “place where the person’s habitation is fixed and is where, during periods of absence, the person definitely intends to return.”

In Herenton’s case, that means a house on Barton Street, near LeMoyne-Owen College, an ancestral place of sorts where Herenton’s mother lived, as did the former mayor, despite his subsequent acquisition of other dwellings, including one in Collierville which he later sold.

Herenton contends that would distinguish him from two other mayoral candidates, Sheriff Floyd Bonner and NAACP president Van Turner, both of whom lived just outside Memphis before acquiring dwelling places in the city during the past year.

The issue to be determined by Jenkins is whether, as a vintage city charter maintained, a five-year prior residency is mandated for mayoral candidates or was made moot by a 1996 referendum of Memphis voters that imposed no such pre-election requirement.