Marianna Bacallao
WVIK Newsroom Fellow July 2020 - June 2021Marianna Bacallao is WVIK Quad Cities NPR's 2020-2021 Fellowship Host/Reporter. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism and served as Editor-in-Chief for the student newspaper, The Cluster.
After interning with Georgia Public Broadcasting in 2018, she was selected as a 2019 John M. Couric Fellowship Reporter at GPB, where she contributed to the statewide newscast. She was a spring 2020 intern, helping produce GPB's daily news talk show, Political Rewind.
She also had the pleasure of interning with The Macon Telegraph and CBS affiliate, 13WMAZ. Georgia College Press Association awarded her first place in Sports Photography and Best Review, and she ranked third in the state for Best Photo Essay twice.
Marianna is now working at WPLN as the Nashville station's on-air afternoon host.
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One of the first schools to expel students related to pro-Palestinian protests was Vanderbilt University. One expelled senior is still hoping he can get his degree.
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The Tennessee legislature passed a bill that would undo local reforms implemented after the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police last year.
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Tennessee lawmakers will consider expanding the state's power to involuntarily commit someone with severe mental illness. Advocates worry the measure would undermine the rights of the most vulnerable.
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Families of transgender youth in Tennessee are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to block a state law that bans gender affirming care.
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The special session is expected to focus on gun violence and public safety. The Republican supermajority plans toughening juvenile sentencing laws instead of focusing on gun control reform.
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Truckers who worked for Yellow Freight suddenly have found themselves jobless after the company shut down. While they may find other jobs amidst a driver shortage, they're unlikely to be union jobs.
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For the first time, a federal court has allowed a ban on gender-affirming care to take effect. Transgender minors in Tennessee are now unable to access care.
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Pride organizers in Tennessee are running into a different deadline this year. A judge is expected to make a decision in the case against the restrictive drag law just as Pride festivals are underway.
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Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill banning drag performances the same afternoon he signed a ban on youth gender-affirming care. Advocates say some are asking whether staying in the state is worth it. -
People in the Quad Cities will honor the memory of George Floyd one year after his death.
