SAM STOCKARD

Sam Stockard

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Sam Stockard is a reporter at the Tennessee Lookout. He is veteran Tennessee reporter and editor, having written for the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, where he served as lead editor when the paper won an award for being the state's best Sunday newspaper two years in a row. He has led the Capitol Hill bureau for The Daily Memphian. His awards include Best Single Editorial from the Tennessee Press Association.

New TBI agents ‘embedded’ with Memphis Safe Task Force
Tennessee

New TBI agents ‘embedded’ with Memphis Safe Task Force

6:02am ET
Sam Stockard
The state is pouring $9 million this year into a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation task force given wide-reaching authority across the state, including working with the Memphis Safe Task Force. The legislature set up an eight-member board with the power...
Spoilers or contenders? Two independent candidates for TN governor try to shake up the race
Tennessee

Spoilers or contenders? Two independent candidates for TN governor try to shake up the race

Sep 15, 2026
Adam Friedman Sam Stockard
In early September, a new website appeared attacking independent Tennessee governor candidate David Hatley for a 1998 felony conviction. Hatley, a Washington County businessman, has talked extensively about his past mistakes, using them as a catalyst in a book published...
Stockard on the Stump: One man picks state rep in Memphis
Tennessee

Stockard on the Stump: One man picks state rep in Memphis

Sep 11, 2026
Sam Stockard
The term “one man, one vote” is taking on new meaning in Memphis where, in the haste to fill a vacant seat, a lone member of the Shelby County Democratic Party selected the next state representative for House District 84...
ACLU claims Memphis Safe Task Force harassing plaintiff
Tennessee

ACLU claims Memphis Safe Task Force harassing plaintiff

Sep 10, 2026
Sam Stockard
Memphis Safe Task Force agents are continuing to harass and intimidate people who record their activities, according to a new federal court filing by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU and legal team for Memphis resident Hunter Demster filed...
Nashville lawmaker proposes pause on data center tax exemptions
Tennessee

Nashville lawmaker proposes pause on data center tax exemptions

Sep 09, 2026
Sam Stockard
A Nashville Democrat is pushing a three-year freeze on state tax breaks for data centers along with requirements for the Tennessee Department of Revenue to report the amount of money the state is losing. Rep. Aftyn Behn said Tuesday she...
Stockard on the Stump: Towns’ departure opens seat for Shelby Dems appointment
Tennessee

Stockard on the Stump: Towns’ departure opens seat for Shelby Dems appointment

Sep 04, 2026
Sam Stockard
Thirty-two years after entering the Tennessee House, Rep. Joe Towns said farewell, resigning his District 84 post following his victory in the Criminal Court Clerk’s race in Memphis where, presumably, he won’t have to fiddle with the state Registry of...
Bank downgrades Ferrovial stock over I-24 toll lane bid
Tennessee

Bank downgrades Ferrovial stock over I-24 toll lane bid

Sep 02, 2026
Sam Stockard
An international bank downgraded the stock for Spanish construction firm Ferrovial, a key player in the DriveTN group that won the bid for Tennessee’s I-24 toll lane project, citing “higher risks” associated with a promised payment to the state that...
Trousdale Turner prison guards to turn on body cams
Tennessee

Trousdale Turner prison guards to turn on body cams

Sep 01, 2026
Sam Stockard
Prison guards at privately-run Trousdale Turner Correctional Center will start wearing body cameras Tuesday as required by a new state law designed to improve safety at the embattled facility. The CoreCivic prison was supposed to initiate the body cams in...
Tennessee governor backs plan to name Nashville airport for Dolly Parton
Tennessee

Tennessee governor backs plan to name Nashville airport for Dolly Parton

Aug 28, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport officials announced plans Friday to rename the airport in Dolly Parton’s honor. Lee discussed the idea this week with Parton’s team after the legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist died at age 80...
Stockard on the Stump: Outgoing lawmaker fears private-school vouchers will haunt Tennessee
Tennessee

Stockard on the Stump: Outgoing lawmaker fears private-school vouchers will haunt Tennessee

Aug 28, 2026
Sam Stockard
State Rep. Caleb Hemmer is leaving the Tennessee Legislature with the feeling he made a mark in just two terms but with major concern that lawmakers passed private-school voucher programs that will prove too costly for the state to stomach...
Tennessee Transportation finds no “red flags” in toll-land bidder despite past problems
Tennessee

Tennessee Transportation finds no “red flags” in toll-lane bidder despite past problems

Aug 26, 2026
Sam Stockard
Tennessee Department of Transportation officials picked a road-building group to take on the state’s first toll project despite a series of bumps the consortium’s companies hit over the past decade-plus, ranging from bankruptcies to price-gouging accusations. DriveTN’s winning bid included...
Tennessee’s Dolly Parton dies at 80 after a life of music and giving
Tennessee

Tennessee’s Dolly Parton dies at 80 after a life of music and giving

Aug 25, 2026
Sam Stockard
Dolly Parton, the personification of Tennessee music, died Tuesday at age 80 after decades of entertaining the world. Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, delivered the news of her death in a video for the family, sparking mourning from her birthplace of...