Morning Round-up: Nooses at APSU, Online Voter Registration, & Cleveland Gets a Main Street Grant

Six nooses arranged in the colors of the rainbow caused quite a stir on the campus of Austin Peay State University. The school’s President says they were part of an art display for a sculpture class — and were not intended to be a political statement or hate symbol. The student hung the nooses from a tree near the art building at the Clarksville campus. Some students at a community forum appeared skeptical that anyone would not know nooses are a symbol of lynching.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation that would allow Tennesseans to register to vote online or update their records. Applicants would be directed to apply on paper if their name, date of birth or other identifying information could not be confirmed with the Department of Safety. The online voter registration system would in place by July 2017 if the Governor signs the bill.

Six Tennessee cities will each receive 50-thousand dollars grants to encourage business growth in their downtown areas. Cleveland is among the cities receiving the Tennessee Main Street Entrepreneur Grants.