The campaign against a gay principal

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The things that were said about me are completely untrue, shameful, and hurtful…These things were said and done in the same community that I loved, that I lived in, that I grew up in.”

– Jeff Peterson, describing the unfounded rumors that were circulated by a small group of school board leaders and led to his dismissal as Raymond School principal.

In rural Racine County, a small town’s school board was taken over by a right-wing majority in 2022, and a gay principal soon became the subject of false rumors that were spread on social media. In a news analysis, freelance journalist Heather Asiyanbi digs into the actions of a handful of school board members and their allies who appear to have orchestrated the principal’s ouster and now are embroiled in a state discrimination investigation and a federal lawsuit.

Congress allowed enhanced subsidies that reduced the cost of health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace to expire at the end of last year, making coverage unaffordable for millions. In the first part of an occasional series, Stateline healthcare reporter Shalina Chatlani looks at the impact of that loss on residents of Mississippi, where the number of people with diabetes and other chronic illnesses who no longer have insurance, and thus regular care, is on the rise.

Dolly Parton, the personification of Tennessee music, died Tuesday at age 80 after decades of entertaining the world, opening doors for generations of singers and songwriters from all walks of life. Sam Stockard of our affiliate Tennessee Lookout recounts the life story of the entertainer who gave people hope that “anything was possible,” in the words of her nephew who announced her passing.

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