State Rep. Ronnie Glynn will hold the first public town hall meeting of his term on the future of public education on Thursday from 5:30-7 p.m. CST at Burt-Cobb Recreation Center, the former site of historic Burt High School. During the forum, Rep. Glynn will discuss the three education-related bills he introduced upon entering office. MainStreet Clarksville has more information on the bills; participants are encouraged to RSVP for the event on Rep. Glynn’s Facebook page.

Due to a burst pipe and subsequent damage to the event space at Montgomery Bell State Park, the TBALL Opening Retreat will be  moving to Henry Horton State Park, located at 4209 Nashville Highway, Chapel Hill. The dates and times of the event will remain the same, only the location is changing. If you are involved in the TBALL Opening Retreat as an attendee or speaker, you will receive communication and a revised agenda from Kate Prince, TBA's Digital Media & Leadership Development Coordinator in the coming days. If you have questions, please email Kate at kprince@tnbar.org.

William Keith McCord died on Dec. 21. He was 89. McCord graduated from Alamo High School. He then served in the United States Marine Corp, graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and later graduated from Duke Divinity School and the University of Tennessee College of Law. He practiced law in East Tennessee for 50 years, and was a farmer and outdoorsman. McCord was appointed to the Tennessee Board of Regents by Gov. Ned McWherter and reappointed by Gov. Don Sundquist. He  served in that capacity for 12 years. He also served on the board of Lincoln Memorial University. The family requests that any memorials be in the form of donations to the William Keith McCord Scholarship at Pellissippi State Community College. A gathering of friends will be held on Jan. 12, 2023, from 5-7:30 p.m. CST at the Smith Life Event Center.

A Hamilton County resolution providing $50,000 to support temporary housing for displaced guests of the Budgetel Inn went into effect Christmas Eve without Mayor Weston Wamp's signature, according to an email to commissioners, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The funding was part of an agreement with the city of Chattanooga that provided a total of $100,000 to the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition to extend hotel stays for families who had previously lived at the Budgetel Inn in East Ridge. The motel housed hundreds of people when it was shut down Nov. 16. Both boards approved their $50,000 support unanimously. Wamp, however, released a statement saying the "resolution came together hastily and lacked protections to ensure taxpayer money would only go to people in need."

Public speaking is a core leadership skill and in today’s business environment, attorneys are expected to be comfortable with everything from moderating a panel discussion to leading a virtual meeting. Mimi Bliss of Bliss Communications has updated her highly-rated 2022 CLE on virtual presentations to cover a range of professional situations, from virtual courtrooms to professional conferences, panel discussions, and informal communications. In this on-demand workshop, you’ll learn how to sharpen your message; engage your audience; master the virtual presentation, including technology tools, lighting and set-up; and use voice, gestures and eye contact to speak effectively. Attorneys who participated in last year’s workshop said the speaking tips were actionable and relevant to lawyers. Join us online tomorrow from 12-1 p.m. CST for this CLE and receive one dual credit hour.

Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 reports that one of the five teens who escaped from the Natchez Trace Youth Academy in Waverly says a staff member at the facility helped them get out. Investigators said following the escape early Wednesday morning, the teens had stolen a car in Humphreys County before carjacking someone in Hickman County. But DeJuan Prime — who says he was one of the teens involved in the escape — said that an employee at the youth academy helped the teens plan it out. Prime said the teens and the staffer had planned the escape during the week prior: “It's five youth who escaped to see their parents on the holidays. Yes, I'm one of them.” According to the youth academy, all five teens have been safely located.

Main Street Clarksville reports that state legislators are considering changes to the third grade retention law that will take effect next year, mulling new learning support for early grades and a minimum age to begin kindergarten. Based on last year’s test results, 73% of Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) third graders could face retention — just 27.4% of MNPS third graders met or exceeded proficiency requirements on tests last spring. MNPS was the last school district in the state to reopen for in-person learning in 2021. Lawmakers passed the third grade retention law during a special education-focused legislative session in 2021. It requires third graders who fail to “meet” or “exceed expectations” on the spring TCAP test to repeat the grade. Students can avoid retention by attending summer school or tutoring programs. English language learners and those who have already been held back a grade are not impacted.

The Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking (CCAHT) says between 90% and 95% of human trafficking victims will find themselves in the criminal justice system at some point, according to WBIR in Knoxville. CCAHT launched a program with the Bledsoe County Correctional Facility last year to “provide individual support and group services to women who are incarcerated, who have a history of trafficking or exploitation,” says Executive Director Kate Trudell. A new law goes into effect on Jan. 1 that will require training in departments such as the Tennessee Department of Corrections, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Department of Human Services to include ways to identify, intervene, prevent and help survivors of human trafficking. CCAHT helped push for the law.

The American Lawyers Alliance is continuing its support of public education and citizenship awareness by recognizing the vital role that teachers play in law-related education. Since 1985 it has sponsored law-related education Teacher of the Year awards. The Lillian B Jarvis Award of $3,000 is given to a teacher in a Title I school who may not have the resources that many other teachers have. Applications are due March 15, the awards will be announced in May and the presentations will be made at the ALA Annual Meeting in August.

Tennessee is trending opposite of the national rise of women serving in state legislatures. WPLN reports that there will be 2,376 women serving in state legislatures across the U.S. in 2023. That’s slightly above last year’s number, which set a record. A year ago 23 of the 132 members of the Tennessee General Assembly were women, and in the upcoming session there will be 19, which is the lowest amount since the 1998. Nationwide, close to 32% of state legislators are women, but in Tennessee only 14% of the General Assembly are women.