NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Today’s weather: Cloudy, small rain chance. HIGH 61, LOW 43

THE LEDE

Proposed MNPD Sexual Misconduct Policy Remains in Limbo

Community Review Board Executive Director Jill Fitcheard says she has been told that Metro HR’s review of a proposed sexual misconduct policy for the Metro Nashville Police Department is nearly complete. That review likely will determine how – or if – that policy is implemented. 

The proposal was released by the CRB in August and modeled after practices endorsed by End Violence Against Women International and the International Chiefs of Police. The MNPD initially said its leadership would review and respond to the proposed policy. Later, the department said it had shared the policy with Metro HR for review. 

The Metro Council approved a nonbinding resolution in September calling on the MNPD to adopt the policy.

ON THE RECORD

IN CHARGE: The Metro Board of Health’s pick to lead the Metro Public Health Department, Sanmi Areola, has accepted the job and will start in February. The board met all day Thursday to interview four finalists and deliberate, before settling on Areola. He previously worked nearly two decades at the Metro Public Health Department, culminating with a stint as interim director in the months just before COVID-19 arrived in Nashville. He is currently a deputy administrator for health for Prince George’s County, Md. Metro Councilmember Erin Evans, who chairs the council’s public health committee, said she hoped to bring Areola before the committee for questions soon. — Stephen Elliott

HEMP BAN: A Tennessee nonprofit that advocates for “hemp and healthy alternatives” says that a new Tennessee Department of Agriculture rule banning a popular cannabinoid called THCA would devastate Tennessee’s hemp industry. According to a lawsuit filed in Davidson County Chancery Court on Tuesday, products containing THCA make up “at least 25 percent of the total market for hemp-derived cannabinoid products in Tennessee and could well constitute more than half of the market.” Hemp-derived products have been legal in Tennessee since 2019, and while the General Assembly passed a law to regulate the market in 2023, it has not passed legislation to outlaw any particular hemp products. The suit accuses the department of “unilaterally” outlawing the product. The suit asks the court to place a stay on the new rule before Dec. 26, which is when the rule goes into effect. — Connor Daryani

SUIT DISMISSAL: U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson Dismissed civil claims of sexual assault against former Vanderbilt University assistant women’s basketball coach Victoria Picott on Monday. The claims were brought in April 2023 by a former player on the team who goes by Jane Doe in the suit. She alleged that Picott groomed and sexually assaulted her during her time at the school in the late 2000’s. But while claims against the school are still outstanding, Richardson ruled that the claims against Picott were barred by the statute of limitations and could not go forward. — Connor Daryani

SNOW CHANCE: When temperatures drop in the coming days, there is the possibility that some snow could fall as well. There is a 20 percent chance for flurries and/or snow showers Saturday night, prior to midnight. Some areas of Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky could see accumulation of up to half an inch. Any snow on the ground will be short-lived, however, as the temperature will move back above freezing during the day Sunday. Overall, it will be a cold holiday weekend. Many will see frost Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) into Friday as temperatures drop below freezing for the first time this fall. The lows will dip well into the 20s beginning Friday night, and each subsequent night throughout the weekend, which will create widespread frost every night through Monday. – David Boclair

BEST OF THE REST ($ indicates subscription required)

• CALL TO ACTION: Nashville’s riggers, the people who put together and dismantle stages for music acts, are working to form a union in pursuit of enhanced safety. (Nashville Scene)

• FARM FUNDS: More than $3.6 million in federal funds are headed to nearly two dozen Tennessee farms and businesses through the Rural Energy for America program. (Tennessee Lookout)

• END OF THE ROAD: Golfer Marina Alex, who won the 2010 SEC Championship and was a two-time SEC Golfer of the Year at Vanderbilt, announced her retirement from the LPGA Tour after 12 seasons and two professional titles. (LPGA)

• NEW EVIDENCE: The case of D.B. Cooper, the only unsolved skyjacking in U.S. history, might soon be closed courtesy of evidence turned over by the children of a convicted skyjacker. (Yahoo)

• INFLUENCER IN-FIGHTING: Two Amazon influencers, one in Texas, the other in Minnesota, are locked in a legal battle over the aesthetic they use to present their products. (The Verge)

• LAND GRAB: Utah wants to reclaim 1.8 million acres of land currently controlled by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and thinks the Supreme Court might agree. (National Parks Traveler)

• FAMILY FRICTION: One of New York City’s most prolific shoplifters is the son of a police officer. (The New York Times)

Quote of Note

“These matters should clearly be handled by these individuals and not our criminal justice system. Let’s take this silly, outdated statute off the books, once and for all.”

— New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, signing a bill to repeal a 117-year-old state law that criminalized adultery.