News Briefly

A planned KKK rally in Riverfront Park Sunday didn’t happen. According to The Tennessean, KKK organizers said about 60 of their members showed up at about 5 a.m., only to discover that parts of the park were flooded. Rather than hold the rally in the unflooded parts, they simply decided to go home. That’s their story, and they’re sticking to it. Meanwhile, about 100 counter-protesters showed up but left after a while, as there was no one to antagonize them.

Police interview latest “person of interest”

Metro police have trained their investigative eyes on a 20-year-old criminal who lived in East Nashville, near the home of 13-year-old Tabitha Tuders, who disappeared last April. Police removed a cell window from a local detention facility on which an inmate had written something they think may be related to the Tuders case. Police are examining the handwriting for clues. It’s just the latest in a string of leads involving seedy characters who live—or once lived—near the Tuders home.

Put that money in park

Former Metro Police Chief Emmett Turner, readers may recall, had to return a $29,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee supporters gave him when he retired last year as police chief to become the state fire marshal. As it turned out, the gift violated the state ethics policy. So, The Tennessean reports, Turner has decided to use the money to fund scholarships for criminal justice students at TSU, his alma mater.

North, South or Timbuktu

As John Kerry was preparing to win yet more primaries—this time in Tennessee and Virginia—it was becoming increasingly clear this week that the need for a Southern running mate is just a bunch of hot air. Voters don’t seem to care where their Democratic nominee hails from—as long as he can unseat the chief.