Join us next month in Philadelphia to learn about: The Public Health Approach to Gun Violence Prevention • Preventing Further Harm to People Harmed by Gun Violence • Trauma-Informed Reporting • Solutions Journalism • Peace Journalism • Putting Ideas in Practice www.pcgvr.org

When you register to attend the Gun Violence Prevention Reporting National Certification conference next month in Philadelphia, you will also be invited to claim a free one year (professional or associate) membership in the Association of Gun Violence Reporters. PCGVR.org

Reporters who witnessed the execution said that Byron Black, who had a heart implant, seemed to be in distress during the execution and said “it’s hurting so bad.” They said Black was breathing and moaning more than previous executions. wpln.org/post/tenness... @catherinejsweeney.bsky.social

In rural Tennessee, 16 middle schoolers waiting for cheerleading practice to start made a TikTok video seeming to role play a school shooting. The sheriff's office charged every single one with a crime. www.propublica.org/article/soci...

Byron Black is asking Tennessee's governor to commute his death sentence based on his intellectual disability. In 2021 death row inmates gained the right to petition the court for a determination on their disability, but Black's lawyers say he was since denied that chance wpln.org/post/timelin...

JUST IN: The Supreme Court upholds Tennessee law that bars gender-affirming care for minors.

That superintendent, Richard L. Bean, recently announced he'll be stepping down from the facility that bears his name. @paigepfleger.bsky.social and @mariamelba.bsky.social looked into how Bean was able to hold on to his position for decades:

John Oliver wasn't done with ProPublica & @wpln.bsky.social. Later in the episode he talked about @paigepfleger.bsky.social's 2023 profile of a TN youth center superintendent who illegally locked kids alone in their cells. www.propublica.org/article/knox...

You’ll see a familiar byline on the next episode of @lastweektonight.com ❣️

“He’s just been allowed to go unchecked,” said state Rep. Sam McKenzie of Knoxville. “It was just a bad situation compounded by a rubber-stamp board that really was trying to protect him, and not protect our children.” www.propublica.org/article/rich... @wpln.bsky.social @propublica.org

How the head of an embattled Tennessee youth detention center held on to power for decades despite multiple investigations, the use of seclusion wpln.org/post/how-the... @paigepfleger.bsky.social @wpln.bsky.social

"His former secretary, his personal lawyer, the judge for whom he served as a campaign treasurer and a pallbearer of his wife’s casket all sat on the board over time as voting members." A maddening story by @paigepfleger.bsky.social & @mariamelba.bsky.social

Many of the board members were his friends — his former secretary, his personal lawyer, a pallbearer for his wife’s casket. Others didn’t know they were listed as board members until we called them for this story. My latest with @mariamelba.bsky.social: www.propublica.org/article/rich...

Richard L. Bean remained in his perch as the superintendent of the juvenile detention center that bears his name despite scandals, investigations and the use of seclusion to punish children. @paigepfleger.bsky.social @mariamelba.bsky.social w/ @wpln.bsky.social

#ICYMI: A 2023 investigation by WPLN News and ProPublica found that Bean was illegally locking kids up alone in cells. A new scandal has forced his resignation.

NEW: Only three board members had the power to remove Richard L. Bean as superintendent of the Tennessee juvenile detention center that bears his name. And for decades, those positions have been held down by his closest friends and allies. With @wpln.bsky.social

Only one county juvenile detention center in Tennessee is governed by a board of trustees. Through scandals and state write-ups, it kept one man in power for decades. wpln.org/post/how-the...

NEW: How the Head of an Embattled Tennessee Youth Detention Center Held on to Power for Decades @paigepfleger.bsky.social @mariamelba.bsky.social w/ @wpln.bsky.social

Only three board members had the power to remove Richard L. Bean as superintendent of the Tennessee juvenile detention center that bears his name. And for decades, those positions have been held down by his closest friends and allies. www.propublica.org/article/rich... @mariamelba.bsky.social

@paigepfleger.bsky.social has been on this from the downbeat- honest investigative journalism doing its job!🙌

A 2023 investigation from @wpln.bsky.social‬ and ProPublica found the Richard L. Bean detention center was using solitary confinement more than other detention centers in the state. Sometimes the children were locked up alone for hours or days at a time. By @paigepfleger.bsky.social‬

In 2023, the head of a Tennessee juvenile detention center told us, “What we do is treat everybody like they’re in here for murder. You don’t have a problem if you do that.” Now, Richard L. Bean is out of a job after the mayor "lost confidence" in him. @paigepfleger.bsky.social @wpln.bsky.social

NEW: A 2023 investigation by @wpln.bsky.social and ProPublica found that Richard L. Bean was illegally locking kids up alone in cells. A new scandal has forced his resignation. By @paigepfleger.bsky.social

Really excited to join the new Association of Gun Violence Reporters as the Southern chapter leader. Learn more about the team and how to get involved here: agvr.org/meet-the-team/

The superintendent of an East Tennessee juvenile detention center abruptly announced his retirement. A 2023 WPLN News and @propublica.org investigation found that Richard Bean was illegally locking kids up alone in cells, and a new scandal has forced his resignation. wpln.org/post/the-hea...

Kudos to @aliyyaswaby.bsky.social & @paigepfleger.bsky.social for winning an @edwriters.bsky.social award for stories on Tennessee's crackdown on student threats. "These articles are a masterclass in how to persist when official data and cooperation are scant to nonexistent," judges said. 🎉🎉

NEW: A Tennessee school has agreed to pay $100,000 to the family of an 11-year-old student with autism who was arrested under the state's school threats law, by @aliyyaswaby.bsky.social by @paigepfleger.bsky.social w/ @wpln.bsky.social

NEW: A Chattanooga public charter school has agreed to pay the family of an 11-year-old boy $100,000 to settle a federal lawsuit claiming that it wrongfully reported the student to police for an alleged threat of mass violence. By @aliyyaswaby.bsky.social & @paigepfleger.bsky.social

Last year, an autistic student was handcuffed and charged with a felony over an alleged threat of mass violence. Now, @paigepfleger.bsky.social and @aliyyaswaby.bsky.social report his Chattanooga school has agreed to pay his family $100,000. wpln.org/post/chattan... @propublica.org

6/ At a hearing, the student explained why he posted the screenshot: “I just wanted to let people know, feel heroic. I didn’t want more people to get hurt.” www.propublica.org/article/tenn...

1/ The day after the Antioch High shooting, Nashville police arrested a 12-year-old for posting a concerning screenshot on Instagram. His school was supposed to figure out if it was a valid threat. Instead, the school expelled him with no further investigation.

“Everything about the death penalty is against the sanctity of life. It’s not pro-life,” one protester said. “Especially in the South where that phrase is used a lot … why isn’t this also an issue? Is this pro-life?” wpln.org/post/tenness... @wpln.bsky.social @thisisnashville.bsky.social

Tennessee executes Oscar Smith, ending pause on lethal injections. wpln.org/post/tenness... @wpln.bsky.social @paigepfleger.bsky.social @kelleyjhenry.bsky.social @stacyrector.bsky.social #deathpenalty

Police are reselling their SIG Sauer P320 pistols — alleged in multiple lawsuits to fire without the trigger being pulled — to the public.

There was a chance Gov. Bill Lee would call it off at the last minute, halting executions until a lawsuit challenging the lethal injection protocol could get a ruling. Smith's attorneys announced just now Lee denied the request.

On Thursday, the state of Tennessee will execute Oscar Smith by lethal injection. It's the first execution in years. @catherinejsweeney.bsky.social and I took a look back in time at the state's complex history with lethal injection to understand how we got here: wpln.org/post/timelin...

Thursday's lethal injection marks the latest chapter in a back-and-forth that’s lasted 25 years. So how did we get here? wpln.org/post/timelin...

When someone is ordered by a court to give up their guns in Nashville, there is no enforcement. Nobody checks to make sure the person has been disarmed. @paigepfleger.bsky.social reports Metro Council wants to change that by hiring a firearms dispossession investigator: wpln.org/post/nashvil...

Tonight! There’s still time to sign up to watch actors perform a reading of my investigation about domestic violence in rural areas of Tennessee, and join in on the conversation yourself! www.eventbrite.com/e/transforma...

How can art respond to conflict, danger, and triumph? Tonight, talented actors will perform a reading of a piece of journalism produced by WPLN in partnership with ProPublica. wpln.org/post/nashvil...

This morning at the Nashville airport a tourist asked if her boyfriend needed to take his belt off and the TSA agent said “Yes because he’s a fake cowboy” and…I’d like to thank that man for his service

A Republican-backed bill to alter Tennessee’s firearms dispossession form was pushed to 2026 after opposition from the National Rifle Association. The legislation was inspired by @paigepfleger.bsky.social's reporting for WPLN and @propublica.org in rural Scott County.

Many news reports have claimed Tennessee is fixing its school threats law, which has resulted in felony charges for rumors and jokes. But those reports are inaccurate. Instead, Tennessee is adding a whole new felony charge to the books. via @paigepfleger.bsky.social wpln.org/post/tenness...

The final police report of the 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville says the assailant, who killed 6 people, acted alone, bought serval guns legally and was driven by a desire for notoriety. (via @wpln.bsky.social)

Two years after the shooting, and multiple leaked documents later, MNPD has released a report on the Covenant School shooting — the motive, the means, and the details of the attack. Here's the latest: wpln.org/post/police-...

A new 44-page report from Metro Nashville Police comes shortly after the two-year anniversary of the Covenant School shooting that killed six people. WPLN's @paigepfleger.bsky.social reports it shows the assailant acted alone, obtained several guns legally and was driven by a desire for notoriety.

Really delighted to see folks talking about Scott County’s domestic violence court all the way out in Nebraska!

Read our original story about the warnings officials missed before the Antioch shooting: www.propublica.org/article/nash...

Talked with @healthjournalism.org about @wpln.bsky.social + @propublica.org's investigation into the Antioch High School shooting, collaborating with @aliyyaswaby.bsky.social and why it's important to pursue accountability investigations in the wake of tragedy: healthjournalism.org/blog/2025/03...

The Metro Nashville Police Department has officially added a sexual misconduct policy to its manual after nearly five years of advocacy from current and former MNPD employees. wpln.org/post/nashvil...