Cynthia Abrams

The arrests have also strained the criminal justice system in Memphis.

The county mayor has requested more judges to move through cases faster, and the county jail is facing overcrowding.

For NPR News, I'm Cynthia Abrams in Nashville.

Typically, Tennessee receives around $72 million federal dollars each year to help residents pay their gas or electric bills.

Like many programs, it was put on hold during the shutdown.

But even though the government has now reopened, the state has not received any dollars, or even any notice of how much it can expect.

In the meantime, Tennessee is taking applications for assistance, like from Denise Simpson, a nursing student and mother of two.

I don't care what nobody says.

You have to be super mom with assistance.

It takes a village.

Most of the 12,000 households who have applied in the last two weeks, including Simpson, have yet to receive any help.

For NPR News, I'm Cynthia Abrams in Nashville.

The city of Nashville has put around $200,000 toward the gap, but... It does not even make a dent in the amount of families that you usually cover.

The federal government provides a number of supports to families in need.

There's food aid, disability payments, and there's also a program that helps low-income families pay their gas or electric bills.

Like SNAP, that's been delayed during the shutdown.

Lisa McCready-Beverly, with Nashville's Metro Action Commission, says the program usually receives $6 million in federal funding.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration laid off the entire staff responsible for administering the energy assistance grants.

For NPR News, I'm Cynthia Abrams in Nashville.

It was the first time ESPN's College Game Day, which each week selects the site of a highly anticipated football matchup, had chosen Vanderbilt's campus since 2008.