Politics

Gov. Bill Haslam's administration is responding to what it calls "confusion" about the role of a Muslim staffer and a council that has advised two state departments on Islamic affairs. The Republican governor was criticized this summer by several Republican groups over what they perceived as the growing influence of a version of the Islamic code called Shariah in Tennessee government.

The involvement of a state representative in a major coal deal in Kentucky is raising some eyebrows. The $7 billion contract signed Wednesday creates a 25-year standing order to ship 9 million tons of Kentucky coal annually to India.

Gubernatorial chief of staff Mike Haydon was remembered Wednesday as a dedicated public servant and a genuine character during a memorial service at the Capitol. Haydon died Sunday from a pulmonary embolism at his home in Springfield.

Lieutenant Governor Jerry Abramson's assertion that the Fancy Farm picnic is no longer a relevant political event has inspired a growing backlash.