Scammers often pose as legitimate businesses to try to get money from people, but there are often red flags that can warn you of a scam. The Florida Bar tells of Ronald Austin, who is licensed in both Florida and Georgia and received what appeared to be a legitimate request for legal services. When Austin investigated further, several small things — like minor misspellings in the email and an unreasonable end date to the proposed project — raised questions for him regarding the legitimacy of the request, which he ultimately refused. Read the full story here.

The U.S. Senate confirmed all six of President Biden’s nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Board of Directors on Wednesday, as lawmakers sought to finalize a flurry of legislation and appointments before the holidays. WPLN reports that the TVA Board is supposed to have nine, president-appointed members at all times. But, for nearly two years, the board has been short-staffed with only members appointed by former President Trump. That’s even though three of these new members were first nominated by Biden in April 2021. The Board acts as the federal utility’s main check on power, unlike private utilities that answer to a state public utility commission.

The Manchester Times reports that the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC) announced a partnership with The Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI) to further their mission of suicide prevention within the state. The Jason Foundation, headquartered in Hendersonville, is a nationally recognized leader in suicide awareness and prevention. This new partnership will allow for the information, tools and resources provided by The Jason Foundation to reach even more communities throughout Tennessee. Together, the two groups will work with state agencies and other non-profits to raise awareness and provide additional resources to Tennesseans.

More than a dozen laws will go into effect on Jan. 1, WKRN reports. Laws related to medical records, subscription service cancellations, early retirement for emergency communications personnel and mail-order pharmaceuticals are among some of the new laws that will be enforced starting in 2023. The most notable law taking effect in January is “Dallas’s Law,” named for Dallas “DJ” Barrett, who died after a fight with security guards at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row on Aug. 16, 2021. The law revises the required training necessary for someone working as a security guard/officer, adding de-escalation techniques, safe restraint techniques and emergency first aid/CPR training. Prior to the law’s passage, those hired as security guards by a “proprietary security organization” were exempt from those certain training requirements; now all those hired as security guards in Tennessee will be required to show proof of that training. Read summaries of the other laws taking effect.

Gov. Bill Lee last week granted clemency to 16 people, including two inmates who will be eligible for parole, the Associated Press reports. The governor approved 13 pardons and three commutations, including the elimination of parole restrictions for one 78-year-old man who has been out of prison for 18 years. Fourteen of the 16 are no longer in prison. Lee also issued expedited parole eligibility to 30 people in prison related to changes to a drug-free school zones law. This is Lee’s second round of clemency actions since taking office in 2019. The AP has more on all 16 who were granted clemency.

New court records show the City of Memphis is denying or objecting to several claims in a negligence lawsuit filed against them by rape victim Alicia Franklin. In the 25-page document filed yesterday, attorneys for the city object to the claim that the abduction and murder of jogger Eliza Fletcher could have been avoided if police had properly investigated Franklin’s 2021 rape. In the new filing, called an answer to the plaintiff’s request for admissions, the city admits it didn’t dust for fingerprints at the Franklin scene, didn’t seek to interrogate the alleged rapist and murderer Cleotha Abston and didn’t request expedited DNA testing. The Daily Memphian has the full story.

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper last week announced that a bill to name a Nashville post office after late state Sen. Thelma Harper had cleared the House and Senate and was headed to President Joe Biden’s desk. Harper was a Nashville Democrat who became the first African-American woman elected to the state Senate. She died in April 2021 at the age of 80. According to the White House, Biden signed off on the bill today and the U.S. post office at 2245 Rosa L Parks Blvd. has been renamed as the Thelma Harper Post Office Building.  

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti last week joined 13 state attorneys general in calling on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the U.S. Department of Justice to speak out against threats posed by foreign third-party litigation funding (TPLF). The coalition penned a letter to Garland expressing significant concern over foreign adversaries leveraging the U.S. judicial system to undermine the nation’s interests. They’re asking Garland to communicate what steps are being taken to preserve the independence of the court system and protect the U.S. against hostile foreign entities. Read more from the Attorney General’s Office.

Shelby County Pretrial Services has expanded its simple summons program, which sends defendants text message reminders about their court dates, the Commercial Appeal reports. All defendants released from custody pending court disposition are placed in the program if they provide a valid cellphone number. Before the program’s 2021 pilot, 73% of those eligible showed up for their court dates. As of this month, that number has risen to 97%. Pretrial services is now looking to add new features to the text messaging service, like allowing defendants to text back with questions that would be answered by staff.   

Disability Rights Tennessee has released a new report with recommendations on fixing the “broken youth justice system” at the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Nashville’s WKRN reports.  The 17-page report's key recommendation proposes a "families not facilities" framework as the most successful and cost-effective way to prevent children from getting into the youth justice system in the first place—and to rehabilitate those already there. According to WPLN, the report gives six recommendations, including addressing racial and geographic disparities, creating community-based mental health services for youth and families, stopping the transfers of youth to the adult criminal justice system and more. Read the report.