A now-defunct Tennessee sports betting operation was under investigation. Then, House Speaker Cameron Sexton stepped in.

Cameron Sexton took steps that allowed the owners of a payday lending company, Advance Financial, to keep using their stores to boost a now-defunct online sports betting enterprise.

Tension is palpable between the Fayette County School Board and community members as the board seeks to dissolve a decree over desegretation.

By the time the 9-year-old boy arrived in their foster home, he had been in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services for more than half his life, separated from four siblings and...

Borrowers say the lending company Advance Financial encouraged them to borrow back the value of almost all of the payments they made.

Borrowers say the lending company Advance Financial encouraged them to borrow back the value of almost all of the payments they made.

Borrowers say the lending company Advance Financial encouraged them to borrow back the value of almost all of the payments they made, tearing a hole in the safety net the law tried to create.

This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Tennessee Lookout . Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published.

Borrowers say the lending company Advance Financial encouraged them to borrow back the value of almost all of the payments they made.

Borrowers say the lending company Advance Financial encouraged them to borrow back the value of almost all of the payments they made, tearing a hole in the safety net the law tried to create.

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending bu...

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Tennessee-based Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers.

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending bu...

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending bu...

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending bu...

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending…

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending bu...

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending bu...

The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor. It’s the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians.

With new policy guidance allowing immigration enforcement in houses of worship, area clergy sort through complex legal questions in case of ICE raid.

A bill by Tennessee Republican William Lamberth would ban convenience stores from selling hemp and THC products.

A bill filed and hastily withdrawn by Nashville Democrat John Ray Clemmons to strip local authority over license plate readers drew concern.

"Cash for Clout" is a series in the Tennessee Lookout focusing on the flow money into politic and its influence on the Tennessee Legislature.

A group of companies, families and corporate associations have spent more than $1 million each since 2009 to lobby the Tennessee Legislature.

"Cash for Clout" is a series in the Tennessee Lookout focusing on the flow money into politic and its influence on the Tennessee Legislature.

Republican U.S. Rep. John Rose of Cookeville is calling on the federal government to impose “robust tariffs” on ceramic tiles from India.

Despite dire warnings about driving hemp farmers out of business and bolstering the black market in Tennessee, state lawmakers this week allowed proposed Department of Agriculture rules on cannabinoid...

Tennessee lawmakers tweaked a bill to allow the public to know how much money officials spend to bring an NFL Super Bowl to Nashville.

A bill to halt medical monopoloies, spurred by escalating wait times at Ballad Health hospitals, failed to pass a Tennessee House committeee.

Tennessee lawmakers tweaked a bill to allow the public to know how much money officials spend to bring an NFL Super Bowl to Nashville.

Scene staff writer Eli Motycka was reporting on student protests regarding campus speech and Israel's military invasion of Gaza

A local reporter left a Vanderbilt University student protest that he was covering in handcuffs on Tuesday afternoon. Campus police arrested Nashville

The American Federation for Children sent a text message attacking Tennessee Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, for opposing vouchers.

Tennessee's population growth means the state could get a 10th U.S. House of Representative sseat after the next redistricting cycle in 2032.

Tennessee's population growth means the state could get a 10th U.S. House of Representative sseat after the next redistricting cycle in 2032.

Tennessee Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville, says ticket vendors aren't following the spirit of a law requiring transparency in online sales.

Tennessee lawmakers approved paid parental leave for public school teachers and staff, but confusion has led to some teachers being denied.

For over a decade, one Tennessee county was arresting and illegally jailing hundreds of children. A four-part series reveals how this came to be — and what it would take to stop it.