The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • A13

TENNESSEAN.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020 13A needed to be made. They found nothing serious enough to threaten the target race date of June 20, 2021. structure of the facility, it is in phenomenal Tatoian said. just a amount of work that has to be done. That really is a credit to the original architects, the con- struction company and our guys; when they put it together it literally is some- thing that has stood the test of Tatoian was unsure what the group might considering the last race at the 19-year-old facility was in July 2011.

The group will spend more time Wednesday checking on the luxury suites and wrapping up its assessment. some things have to be done to get it Cup Tatoian said. really comfortable with where we are at this point, and we feel like a year will be ample time to be ready to put on the big One upgrade will be to make sure the SAFER barrier steel and foam energy reduction is up to NASCAR standards. The wall is designed to absorb the im- pact of a high-speed crash. may not have been SAFER barriered before, may have to be Tatoian said.

is a critical one that we have to get Increasing fan capacity by adding temporary bleachers will also be done. Tatoian estimated 10,000 more seats would be ideal for the race in 2021. That number may increase after that. believe 35,000 is a really good number for us to shoot Tatoian said. given the market and where things are.

Coming the (coronavirus) pan- demic, who knows what long tail that is going to cause for all of The garage space for the race cars in the may need to be increased. That will not be an issue because the builders of the facility laid a piece of pavement on the other end of the opposite where the garage is now. Other issues include having more wiring and optics placed to meet the technological demands that have in- creased since the track was last used. Along with the NASCAR Cup race, Tatoian said the goal is to host at least 100 other events annually. That could include music and art festivals, auto auctions, car shows and other events.

that needs the amount of space that we have would lend itself well to the Tatoian said. such a beautiful property that we really want to take advantage of that. After we open this place up, for every day it goes empty, one day not generating any income or exposure. just like any big facility, you want those things to sit Tatoian said a full-time of be- tween 20 and 30 will be hired soon. The will expand to 1,000 to 1,500 on race week.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter structure of the facility, it is in phenomenal said Mike Tatoian, president and CEO of Dover International Speedway, about the Nashville Superspeedway. MIKE TENNESSEAN Racetrack Continued from Page 1A unanimously passed the Senate last week. Posey was set to attend Western Ken- tucky University in the fall, worked two jobs and played AAU basketball, the res- olution stated. Hundreds of similar memorials and resolu- tions are passed each session, rarely with resis- tance, regardless of the party of the sponsor. But House Majority Leader William Lam- berth, R-Portland, rose just before the vote to an- nounce he would not support the reso- lution, thus swaying the majority of the 73-member Republican caucus against the measure.

Lamberth announced he had done on exactly led to this young untimely News reports on killing note that police reported she and another girl had allegedly been involved in the sale of a small amount of marijuana before someone opened on their vehicle, killing her. do feel in my heart that I wish I could support this resolution, but I sim- ply cannot, given the activity she was involved with that led to her Lamberth said, not mentioning any actions. applaud that indi- vidual on the House I simply can- not support The resolution failed to pass, gaining 45 yes votes, less than the required 50, while 39 members voted Nine other members who were at- tending session and were not excused Tuesday did not cast votes at all. Black lawmaker shouts from House floor Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Mem- phis, began shouting and ex- pletives on the after the vote, prompting Justin Jones and several other activists seated in the gallery to clap and chant lives As the commotion continued, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, ordered Jones and others in his group to be removed.

State troopers Jones and two other demonstrators. According to Tennessee Highway Pa- trol, Jones, 24, of Nashville was charged with disrupting a meeting or proces- sion, resisting arrest and assault. The agency did not elaborate on the charges. According to court records, Jones was held under a $1,000 bond. A 22-year-old woman from Nashville and 31-year-old man from Dickson were each charged with disrupting a meeting and resisting arrest.

Jones had returned earlier in the day Tuesday to the Capitol for the time since February 2019, when he was charged with assault for throwing a drink at former House Speaker Glen Ca- sada, R-Franklin, and banned from re- turning until the case was resolved. unclear whether Jones will again be barred from entering the Capitol. stood up there and paint- ed this deceased 17-year-old in a public forum as a guilty party to a crime that never even been tried Parkin- son said in an expletive-laden appeal outside the chamber afterward. the girl is dead. The parents are watching As Sexton told House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Stewart, D- Nashville, to get control of Parkinson as he continued expressing anger on the Stewart said he could not restrain an elected member.

the most astonishing thing ever seen on this Stewart said. a young woman who died, that is the most astonishing, out- rageous vote ever seen on this House in over a After session, Love and a couple oth- er members of the Black Caucus ap- proached Sexton to discuss what un- folded. Rep. Rick Staples, D-Knoxville, said they asked that Sexton intervene to en- sure that legislators leave town later this week some sort of instead of with the friction that has played out between Republicans and Democrats the past couple weeks as Black mem- bers attempted to call out racism. Holt Whitt, chief of that it was discussed, but said nothing has yet been planned.

we are battling each other in such a slanted, angry way, what are our peo- ple going to Staples said in an in- terview after session, referring to how lawmakers should be modeling unity and progress to the rest of the country. While Lamberth voted Sexton and House GOP Caucus Chair- man Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, were among a handful of GOP members who voted in support of the resolution. Reach Natalie Allison at tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at Posey House Continued from Page 1A WASHINGTON Shortly before Eliz- abeth Warren joined their virtual happy hour on a recent Friday afternoon, the African American women co-host- ing the mused about call- ing her by her name. The Massachusetts senator had her own moniker in mind.

was going to say here today as an ally, but can we really just say co- laughed Warren, one of the few white women to appear at the events organized by Higher Heights For America, which promotes the organiz- ing and voting power of Black women. going to change unless it is Black voices that are Such overtures could help bid to become Joe running mate. The presumptive Democratic nominee is under mounting pressure to pick a Black woman in the wake of recent out- rage over racial injustice and police bru- tality. But some Black leaders say War- progressive politics, economic populism and policy proposals addressing everything from maternal mortality to the coronavirus could put her in a strong position. think totally still said Nelini Stamp, director of strategy and partnerships for the Working Families Party, a progressive labor activist group that endorsed Warren in the primary.

is one of the folks whose been talking about big structural change. And when thinking about re-imagin- ing public safety, that is something going to require some actual structural Representatives for Warren and Bi- den declined to comment. The pair speak frequently, and Warren hosted a virtual fundraiser for Biden on Monday that raised an impressive $6 million. Warren told an audience of more than 600 that when her eldest brother died of the coronavirus in April was alone. I be with But she said Biden called and funny stories that made me laugh in a way that re- minds us all of the good times that we have had with someone we have loved and me kindness and comfort at a time when I needed some kindness and Warren said, the kind of man Joe Biden door to change has been cracked Warren said.

we want to swing that door wide open then we must do the most good that we can do at this She urged sowing seed for the America of your greatest imagi- vice presidential search is entering a new round of vetting, and Warren is still on the list along with sev- eral Black women. They include Sen. Kamala Harris of California; Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Oba- national security adviser; Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; and Rep. Val Demings. New Mexico Gov.

Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Latina, is also being considered. Some Democrats say Amy Klobu- standing has fallen since George killing by Minneapolis police. The Minnesota senator, white, was a prosecutor years ago in the county that includes Minneapolis. During that period, more than two dozen people mostly people of color died during en- counters with police. The search was described by Demo- crats familiar with the process.

They spoke on condition of anonymity be- cause they authorized to public- ly discuss the vetting. During her bid for the Democratic nomination, Warren actively courted Black activists and assembled a deep roster of endorsements. She gave a memorable speech in Atlanta in Novem- ber on empowering Black women and combating institutional racism that some African American leaders laud as prescient. Warren talked a very straightfor- ward manner about many of the sys- temic issues that have plagued African Americans from the very beginning of our time here in said South Carolina state Rep. Kambrell Garvin, who endorsed Warren in the primary.

He said those included voter suppres- sion and redlining, a term for banking standards that long made it if not impossible, for Black families to se- cure mortgages in white neighbor- hoods. think that she could be an interest- ing and compelling pick for Vice Presi- dent Biden in regards to reaching out to African American Garvin said. Still, appeals trans- late to primary votes. Some of African American voters supported Biden, according to AP Vote- Cast surveys in 17 states that voted be- tween Feb. 3 and March 17.

Warren earned just of their vote, far less than the other strong progressive voice, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, at But about 7 in 10 Black voters none- theless said they would be if Warren won the Democratic nomina- tion for president, roughly as many that said that of Sanders. That suggests fa- vorable ratings possibly durable enough to apply to the vice presidency under Bi- den. Warren has continued to focus on race after ending her presidential cam- paign. She joined Black Lives Matter protes- ters outside the White House this month with her husband and their gold- en retriever, Bailey.

She has called for banning chokeholds as just the start of a larger overhaul of policing nationwide, and introduced legislation prohibiting the use of Confederate names and sym- bols from all U.S. military assets that has even drawn the support of some of her Republican Senate colleagues as well as Biden. The Rev. Jesse Jackson hosted a vir- tual town hall with Warren this month on the of the coronavirus. He said he still considers her the for the vice presidential slot, but said picking a Black woman could give Biden a boost in support from African Amer- ican female voters that might be similar to the one that lifted Democrat Doug Jones to an upset 2017 Senate victory in Alabama.

think he should choose an African Jackson said. needs the South to come During her appearance on pHour, Warren was asked candidly by Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Law Center, how she talked with white relatives and friends about the protest movement. Warren responded that stressed the need for non-Blacks to educate themselves on the African American perspective. got to stop she said, start outreach could help VP standing The Rev. Jesse Jackson joins Sen.

Elizabeth Warren, in Chicago last year. Some Black leaders view her favorably as a VP option for Joe Biden. KEVIN SUN-TIMES VIA AP Will Weissert ASSOCIATED PRESS.