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 Attorney General Herbert Slatery says a federal lawsuit settlement announced Monday by two Ohio counties with opioid drug makers and distributors "is an important step" in moving toward a 50-state "global" agreement with states totaling $48 billion.
by Andy SherFive charter schools in Hamilton County have been awarded nearly $200,000 under a Tennessee Department of Education Charter Schools Facilities fund established under Gov. Bill Lee's budget.
by Andy SherRepublican U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann came out on top among Tennessee's nine congressmen on political fundraising during the third quarter with a campaign war chest totaling $1.6 million for the 2020 elections, according to federal filings.
by Andy SherRepublican U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, of Georgia, says he voted against last week's nonbinding resolution condemning President Donald Trump's withdrawal of U.S. troops from northeast Syria for several reasons, including it having being hurried through the House.
by Andy SherA bipartisan U.S. House vote this week condemning President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw American military forces from northeastern Syria triggered a rare split among Tennessee and Georgia Republican representatives.
by Andy SherFormer Tennessee governors Bill Haslam and Winfield Dunn are split on which U.S. Senate candidate they're backing in the state's 2020 Republican primary, according to two GOP hopefuls' campaign financial disclosures.
by Andy SherFormer U.S. Sen. Bob Corker says President Donald Trump's move to give a "green light" to Turkey's invasion of northern Syria is a "betrayal of huge proportions" that "jerked the rug" out from under America's Kurdish allies.
by Andy SherU.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn on Tuesday was sharply critical of President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, saying "the U.S. does not abandon partners who have made sacrifices and contributions to protect our national security interests."
by Andy SherBelmont University in Nashville will host the third and final presidential debate in 2020.
by Andy SherIn a state where the prison and jail population has quadrupled over a nearly four-decade period, Tennessee's incarceration rate now stands 10% higher than the national average, according to a new report.
by Andy SherTennessee Finance Commissioner Stuart McWhorter on Tuesday announced members who will serve on Gov. Bill Lee's 25-person Health Care Modernization Task Force.
by Andy SherWith Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday expected to announce members of his long-awaited "Healthcare Modernization Task Force," his finance commissioner, Stuart McWhorter, says not to expect the group's eventual recommendations to involve "Band-Aid fixes or political talking points.
by Andy SherNASHVILLE — State Rep. Yusuf Hakeem is praising Gov. Bill Lee's administration for agreeing to add Chattanooga to the list of cities slated for public hearings on the Republican governor's proposed federal Medicaid waiver for the state's TennCare health insurance program.
by Andy SherThe number of Tennesseans with no health insurance climbed to its highest level in six years in 2019, according to a new University of Tennessee report.
by Andy SherGov. Bill Lee says he expects Tennessee's Capitol Commission to meet soon to address the controversy over the state's prominent display of a bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest which has generated repeated protests over the years.
by Andy SherTennessee Gov. Bill Lee says he believes opposition to his Medicaid block grant proposal during two public meetings earlier this week stems from misinformation or failing to take sufficient time to understand what he's trying to achieve.
by Andy SherSoutheast Tennesseans will get an opportunity to weigh in on Gov. Bill Lee's proposed federal Medicaid waiver in a public hearing scheduled for Oct. 16 in Chattanooga, an official said Wednesday.
by Andy SherSome Tennessee health care provider groups continue to have questions about Gov. Bill Lee's proposed federal TennCare waiver, which seeks to provide the state with greater flexibility in managing the program's $12.7 billion in costs.
by Andy SherFormer U.S. Ambassador Ronald Schlicher, who grew up in Chattanooga and during a 29-year State Department career served as director of the Iraq Task Force during the 2003 Iraq War and later as American ambassador to Cyprus, died Thursday.
by Andy SherRepublican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee on Thursday sought to cast doubt on the credibility of House Democrats' impeachment inquiry regarding President Donald Trump.
by Andy Sher