Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, politics and general assignment beats. He was won public service, investigative, deadline and project awards from the Tennessee Press Association, Common Cause of Tennessee, the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists and Remove Intoxicated Drivers. Andy grew up in Chattanooga. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Andy is a past chairman of the Tennessee Capitol Hill Press Corps and served as an acting director of the Regional Reporters Association while in Washington. Contact Andy at 615-255-0550 or asher@timesfreepress.com
Tennessee's population is estimated to grow by 1 million over the next 20 years to nearly 7.8 million, according to the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee.
by Andy SherTennessee's federal lawmakers are celebrating the compromise reached Tuesday over President Donald Trump's trade deal with Mexico and Canada.
by Andy SherTennessee, Georgia and Alabama congressmen are weighing in along partisan lines after U.S. House Democrats Tuesday morning unveiled two articles of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
by Andy SherTennessee Gov. Bill Lee is expected to have projected new general fund revenues of between $354 million and $408 million as the Republican builds the fiscal year 2020-2021 spending plan he will submit to Tennessee lawmakers in January.
by Andy SherTennessee urban and rural transit agencies, including the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, will share $16.2 million in federal grants to buy new or specialized buses to better serve riders, U.S. Department of Transportation officials announced Friday.
by Andy SherA $5 million Tennessee business incentive to aid Mueller Water Products' planned $41 million new operation in Marion County, Tennessee, has won easy approval from a state panel, with the company agreeing to pay an average wage of $24.29 an hour for an expected 325 new jobs.
by Andy SherAs Tennesseans and other travelers hit the road Wednesday for a busy and lengthy Thanksgiving holiday, motorists may want to take heed of a few sobering facts as they drive to join family and friends.
by Andy SherHamilton County's public schools have received nearly $333,000 so far under a Tennessee school safety grant program created last year in the wake of a mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school.
by Andy SherTennessee Gov. Bill Lee's administration on Wednesday formally filed with the Trump administration an ambitious and controversial block-grant funding proposal aimed at transforming the state's TennCare Medicaid program and freeing it from many federal rules.
by Andy SherTennessee Gov. Bill Lee still plans Wednesday to submit his proposal to convert much of TennCare's federal funding into a modified "block grant" despite the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services withdrawing its proposed guidance to states on the issue.
by Andy SherTennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said Monday the state so far has awarded $7.2 million out of a $20 million pool to assist local school systems in hiring resource officers to protect students.
by Andy SherTennessee families who participate in Gov. Bill Lee's private school voucher program would have to report and possibly pay federal taxes on the taxpayer-provided support, state Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn acknowledged Monday.
by Andy SherHoping to get a jump start on the legislative session that begins in January, Tennessee House Finance Committee members on Monday are kicking off their annual budget hearings.
by Andy SherPlans to renovate and expand UTC's football and athletic training facilities took a major step last week as a state panel OK'd a contract for a construction manager and general contractor on the estimated $22 million project.
by Andy SherIt's enough to set a certain bluetick coon dog howling and sniffing down the trail in hot pursuit.
by Andy SherA Tennessee probation officer from Altamont has been arrested on official misconduct charges for allegedly having a "physical relationship" with a Grundy County probationer, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
by Andy SherAs the Democratic-led U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday began historic public impeachment hearings to determine whether President Donald Trump used military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate political opponents, political passions played out among some Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama congressmen and senators on social media.
by Andy SherA 10-year, $10.5 billion transportation program approved by Tennessee lawmakers in 2017 is now expected to travel a far longer road toward completion, top state transportation officials say.
by Andy SherTennessee officials received nearly 1,800 public comments — most of it overwhelmingly negative — on Gov. Bill Lee's controversial plan to convert most federal financial support for the state's TennCare Medicaid health insurance program into a block grant.
by Andy SherA proposed $21.9 million advanced manufacturing building for Chattanooga State's Tenneessee College of Applied Technology ranks No. 2 on this year's wish list of building projects recommended by state higher education officials.
by Andy Sher