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Metro Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell signed 44 executive orders on Friday, including Executive Order 45, which expands Metro's Green and Complete Streets policy with calls for the city to close some streets to vehicles and "serve the most vulnerable users of the transportation network." The policy was originally introduced by disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry in 2016. The text of O'Connell's order acknowledges inspiration from Barry's Executive Order 31, signed in 2016, which aimed to "[a]pproach every transportation improvement project phase with the purpose to create greener, safer, and more accessible streets for all users" to "enhance environmental quality" of Metro Nashville.

Former Johnson County General Session Court Judge Perry Stout pleaded guilty to charges related to money laundering and distributing marijuana on Friday in a plea agreement with prosecutors that saw charges dropped related to the weapon he allegedly possessed at the time he committed the crimes, a conspiracy to sell the drugs, and maintaining a home to sell or use drugs. Stout was reportedly "visibly broken in appearance," in court on Friday, reported The Tomahawk, which added that he "seemed almost disconnected" from the events unfolding in the court room, "but was very keen to ensure that his family was considered in connection to his plea deal."

A bill in the Virginia General Assembly, submitted by Delegate Rae Cousins (D-Richmond), would allow convicted criminals in the commonwealth to petition for their sentence to be terminated after serving 15 years, regardless of the crime they committed. Cousin's HB 855, according to the bill's summary, "Provides a process for a person serving a sentence for any conviction or a combination of any convictions who remains incarcerated in a state or local correctional facility or secure facility" and meets criteria established in the law.

An elementary school Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) affiliated with Sylvan Park Paideia Elementary in Nashville is holding a "diversity night" featuring guest speakers who will offer information about "LGBTQ+ identities" and "how to support elementary kids through these identities" on February 8. According to an event listing on the Sylvan Park school website, supporting elementary school children who do not identify as heterosexual "starts with educating and supporting the parents/caregivers and educators about these identities so children feel comfortable to talk about their own process as well as their peers' process."

Conservative grassroots organization EZAZ's Merissa Hamilton announced on Tuesday an eight-stop tour to register Arizonans for the 2024 election featuring voter registration activist Scott Presler from January 23 through January 25. Presler told The Arizona Sun Times he is "excited" to return to Arizona, which he called a "must-win" for Republicans in November. Hamilton shared news about the event to X, formerly Twitter, and included details about events in Phoenix, Sun City, Tempe, Maricopa, Tucson, Payson, Prescott Value, and Lake Havasu City.

A political action committee that endorses Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) released a new advertisement targeting Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) on Tuesday, with its release timed one day after Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake released her own commercial labeling Gallego and Sinema as "enablers" of President Joe Biden. "When Republicans take back the U.S. Senate, we will fix the problems caused by [Biden] and his enablers [Sinema] and [Gallego]," wrote Lake in a Monday post to X, formerly Twitter, containing her campaign's new ad.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on Tuesday began asking utility companies to request their customers voluntarily curtail their power usage in an effort to "reduce electric consumption" as frigid weather slows much of the country, but the federally owned power company recently told Tennessee media outlets it does not expect rolling blackouts to occur because of winter weather in 2024. Energy companies in Alabama and Kentucky have confirmed the TVA is requesting their customers decrease their energy use, with Huntsville Utilities in Alabama explained in a news release that "dangerously low temperatures" and "the expected high electric demand" prompted TVA to request "voluntary curtailment across their entire system."

The Metro Nashville and Davidson County government placed a job listing for a "DEI Education Trainer" on Friday, who will work a "flexible/hybrid" schedule for about $56,000 per year. Posted on Friday, the job listing indicates the full-time position is for the government's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion division, and the applicant will be "responsible for expanding the current training efforts" of the city's DEI office "and promoting alignment of Metro's equity goals."

State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) was ruled out of order by the Tennessee House of Representatives on Wednesday after he reportedly claimed House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) was "drunk with power" on the second day of the 2024 legislative session. Jones asked to speak about his purported concerns over an incident he and Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) claimed to witness on Tuesday, when they allege that Sexton's security detail prevent Republican Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) from riding in the same elevator as Sexton.

Virginia hospitals and health systems provided $3.3 billion in community support for the commonwealth in 2022, according to a new report by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) published on Wednesday. The report also revealed Virginia's healthcare industry generated more than $64 billion in positive economic activity over the same period. VHHA determined the dollar amount in community support by "reflecting the cost of uncompensated care, community wellness investment, taxes, and donations."

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney reportedly wants the Virginia General Assembly to approve $100 million for the city's sewer upgrades, plus additional revenue for new speeding cameras, and warned Virginians could see their utility rates "skyrocket" without additional state funding. “We’re asking for more because we know if we are unable to find the needed amount, a lot of this burden will fall on the ratepayers,” Stoney claimed, according to 12 On Your Side. The outlet reported that Stoney warned "utility bills could skyrocket" without additional funding approved by Virginia lawmakers and Governor Glenn Youngkin (R).

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump reportedly urged Memphis Mayor Paul Young to embrace the police reforms passed through city ordinances following the death of Tyre Nichols last year, even after former Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland claimed the ordinances were illegal. Crump, who represents family members of Nichols, said in a statement issued on the anniversary of Nichols' death that the family and legal team "are deeply disturbed by the recent revelation by former Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland that he actively avoided signing and enforcing the Driving Equality Act in honor of Tyre Nichols that the Memphis City Council passed in Spring 2023."

Memphis had the highest murder rate of 2023 in a comparison of 10 major cities identified as "homicide hubs" within the United States, according to an analysis published Wednesday. The only Tennessee city tracked for the Wirepoints report, Memphis had a murder rate of 63.9 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023. A total of 397 homicides were reported in the city last year, up by 38 percent from 2022, when the city saw 288 homicides.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Police Chief Darin Schierbaum held a joint press conference on Thursday to detail what they identified as a downward trend in crime within the city, but preliminary numbers published by the Atlanta Police Department (APD) in December 2023 reveal that not all types of crime are declining. Dickens said during the press conference that the "major crime against people" was "down more than 15 percent," with homicides down about 20 percent and rapes down about 50 percent since 2022.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego (D) was selected by Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg to participate in a new advisory committee on December 29. Gallego was among the 27 members of the agency's new Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee (TTAC) for a two-year term named by Buttigieg last week. Explaining the need for the committee, Buttigieg noted the United States faces both "unprecedented opportunity and unprecedented challenges in transportation."