The Week That Was
Death watch
Robert Glen Coe once bragged that ”old Judge Nixon“ would stop his execution no matter what the rest of the justice system decided. And this week, the federal judge did stay Coe’s execution only 58 hours before it was to be carried out. The issue was the constitutionality of the state’s method of determining whether Coe is mentally competent. But the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals quickly lifted Nixon’s stay, and Gov. Don Sundquist refused to grant clemency to Coe. He is to die by lethal injection for murdering 8-year-old Cary Ann Medlin, becoming the first person executed in Tennessee in 40 years. Students at Vanderbilt Divinity School said they will mark the day by fasting and praying.
Live free or die
State lawmakers defeated legislation requiring children riding bicycles to wear helmets. The bill, which passed the Senate, fell one vote short in the House. ”This is another in a series of bills to take away our freedoms,“ Rep. Shelby Rhinehart told representatives before the vote. State law already requires children to wear helmets on state highways. The bill would have extended the requirement to any public road or sidewalk.
Sweet surprise
Much to the surprise of their critics, the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team abandoned their hog-ball ways long enough to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Vols meet North Carolina Friday night.
