In 2018, Elizabethton High School (EHS) students in Alex Campbell’s sociology class began investigating a series of cold-case murders dubbed “The Redhead Murders” that took place in and around the state in the 1980s. With help from various investigators, including an FBI behavioral analyst, the students developed a theory that six of the murders fit the profile of the same killer and eventually gave him the moniker of "The Bible Belt Strangler." Their findings led to at least one of the victims being linked to a possible suspect who died before more charges could be brought. In January of this year, the "Murder 101" podcast was released, telling the story of the class' investigation. Now, the Board of Education has approved release documents for students and staff members to participate in a documentary related to the project, to be directed by Jon Watts of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" fame and released by Amazon MGM Studios. According to the agreement, filming was to begin Friday and extend until May 31, 2027. The Elizabethton Star has the story.

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved $10 million for "emergency repairs" at the Shelby County Jail. In May, the commission approved emergency funding to repair locks on cell doors and earlier this month, broken elevators at 901 Poplar raised safety concerns for employees, visitors and inmates. Sheriff Floyd Bonner's office will be responsible for the rest of the $16.4 million estimate for repairs. The Daily Memphian has the story.

Lawyers for Christa Pike, Tennessee's only woman on death row, have finalized a settlement to end her solitary confinement. Male death row inmates are separated from the general prison population, but they are allowed to work, eat meals and congregate outside their cells with good behavior. The Nashville Banner reports that as the only woman, Pike effectively has been in solitary confinement for nearly 30 years, conditions which her lawyers say "have had a devastating impact on her mental and physical health." The agreement will grant her the behavior-dependent opportunities afforded to the men on Tennessee’s death row, giving her more time out of her cell and allowing her to work a job and share meals with other incarcerated women. A motion to reopen her case and reduce her sentence was filed in 2023, but was denied.

State Democratic Party Chair Hendrell Remus on Sept. 12 announced that he had removed Shelby County Party Chair Lexie Carter. The Memphis Flyer reports that Remus said Carter had not measured up to the needs of a coordinated Democratic campaign for the fall election, specifically citing the campaigns of Jesse Juseth, who is running against Republican incumbent John Gillespie in District 98, and Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, who is running against Republican U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn. Carter expressed surprise, stating that she had recently overseen an event that raised upwards of $40,000 for party coffers. She alleged that a number of disagreements and confrontations had occurred between herself and Remus at the recent Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The Rutherford County Board of Education voted Sept. 19 to remove six books from high school libraries, including Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Beloved." The ACLU of Tennessee had urged officials not to remove the books, issuing this statement. Chalkbeat reports that recent changes to a 2022 state school library law have created confusion for librarians and school leaders, leading some to quietly pull controversial books from the shelves. WKRN reports that a recent survey of members of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians found that more than 1,100 titles have been removed statewide under the new changes, and more are under review in various districts.

Federal authorities arrested and charged a Texas man last week for online threats made against Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk. David Bloyed of Frost, Texas, allegedly made the threats against Funk on a social media platform in July after a member of a hate group was arrested in Nashville. “In a functioning democracy, we simply cannot tolerate threats of violence against elected officials,” U.S. attorney Henry Leventis said. Read more in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on Monday issued a statement on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision not to review the Friends of George's Inc. v. Steven Mulroy case, saying in part, "We fought hard to defend Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act, and I am glad that the entire Court of Appeals unanimously declined to rehear the case." Friends of George's, a Memphis-based theatre group, challenged the law in March, alleging that it violated the First Amendment and would have a chilling effect on the state’s LGBTQ community. The district court agreed and halted enforcement of the law in Shelby County. A three-judge panel of the appellate court reversed the decision in July, saying, “there is no constitutional interest in exhibiting indecent material to minors.” The theatre group appealed to the full court later that month.

Visitation for John Richard "Dick" Lodge will be at Christ Church Cathedral from 3-5:30 p.m. CDT on Wednesday with the funeral following on Thursday at 3 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to Abe’s Garden Community, the Center for Contemplative Justice or Christ Church Cathedral. Additionally, yesterday's Passage misstated Lodge's age. He was 75.

As a teacher in Tennessee State University's health and physical education department, Inez Crutchfield was uniquely placed to take on a behind-the-scenes support role of the Civil Rights Movement. She was a fixture in Nashville's 1960s sit ins, driving students to organizing meetings, bringing them food in jail when they were arrested and reassuring their worried parents. Crutchfield became the first Black president of the Davidson County Democratic Party Women's Club and went on to be the first Black woman to serve as Tennessee's representative on the Democratic National Committee, though never running for political office herself. A funeral service for Crutchfield will be held Sept. 23 at First Baptist Church Capitol Hill. Time to be determined. The Tennessean has this remembrance.

Vanderbilt Law School announced that Kelly Bahiraei has been named assistant dean for legal studies, reporting to Vice Dean Lisa Bressman. In this position, Bahiraei will be responsible for developing and managing several non-law degree academic programs within the law school, including the undergraduate minor in legal studies, the master of legal studies and the master of laws. Bahiraei previously served as associate director of Admissions, Recruitment and International Student Services at Vanderbilt Law from 2014-2019. Prior to her return to the law school, she worked at K&L Gates as legal recruiting manager, and at Bass, Berry & Sims, leading a team responsible for student programming and recruitment.