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News Across Tennessee

Stanton acquires first police vehicle

The town of Stanton has welcomed its first police vehicle, a fully-equipped 2026 Ford Police Interceptor Utility, made possible through an investment by Ford Community Relations as part of Ford's Good Neighbor Plan. The vehicle will serve as the primary patrol unit for the Stanton Police Department...

Franklin earns Top Workplace honor

The city of Franklin has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2026 honor by the Tennessean, an honor based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage. The confidential survey uniquely measures the employee experience and...

Clarksville to launch Financial Empowerment Center

Clarksville’s Neighborhood and Community Services Department has been awarded a $150,000 implementation grant to support the launch of the city’s Financial Empowerment Center (FEC). The grant comes through a partnership with the national Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund). The...

Crossville officials cut ribbon on new fire hall

The Crossville officials and Crossville Fire Department celebrated the opening of a new Fire House No. 2 during an open house. Replacing a previous fire hall, the cost of the $3.5 million state-of-the-art facility was covered from tax revenue generated by the Buc-ee's in Crossville. It will be...

Erwin officials help unveil new state welcome signs

Officials in Erwin joined Gov. Bill Lee and state tourism officials to unveil the first of the state's new "Welcome to Tennessee" signage program at the Unicoi County Welcome Center in Erwin. The new signage is part of $5 million in the state’s Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget to promote and showcase...

Ground broken on Portland TCAT expansion

Local officials, community members, and students gathered to break ground on an expansion of Portland’s Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT). The $47 million project will construct three buildings totaling 78,435 square feet. The expansion will include additional classrooms, program labs...
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People

Jim Thomas

Jim Thomas
Jim Thomas

Jim Thomas has been named the interim leader of the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Public Service (IPS) while 14-member committee conducts a search for permanent leadership. Thomas will take on the role beginning Oct. 1, following the retirement of current director Dr. Herb Byrd III. Thomas...

Ben Baird

Ben Baird
Ben Baird

Ben Baird, former LaFollette chief of police, died May, 25, 2026, at the age of 80. A LaFollette native, Bard joined the police department as a patrol officer in 1973 after graduating from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy. He then moved quickly through the ranks, serving as a sergeant...

Nancy Johnson

Nancy Johnson
Nancy Johnson

Nancy Johnson, former assistant fire chief and city clerk for Orlinda, died June 2, 2026, at the age of 67. Johnson served the city for three decades and was married to former Orlinda Fire Chief Dusty Johnson, retiring alongside him from their respective roles three years ago. For many of the 23...

A.J. McKinney

A.J. McKinney
A.J. McKinney

A.J. McKinney has been named the first-ever sports tourism business development manager with the Gallatin Economic Development Agency, which is a division of the city of Gallatin. The new position was created to promote the city as a premier destination for sports tourism, regional tournaments, and...

Jeff Damron

Jeff Damron
Jeff Damron

Jeff Damron has been selected as the city administrator for Tullahoma after having served in the role on an interim basis since March. Prior to being selected as interim city manager, Damron served as the deputy director of Tullahoma Parks and Recreation since June 2022. He also serves as a board...

Brian Ramsey

Brian Ramsey

Brian Ramsey has been named the interim city manager for Bristol, following the departure of City Manager Kelli Bourgeois to move closer to family in Minnesota. Ramsey joined the city in 2022 as director of engineering and was then promoted to his most recent role as director of public works since...
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State Briefs

Tennessee ranks 44 out of 51 on average hourly earnings

Tennessee ranks among the lowest-earning states in the nation, according to new  data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee ranks 44 out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., with an average hourly wage of $31.79 and an average working week of 34.7 hours, meaning the average...

Tennessee dedicates Trail of Tears State Park

Officials have dedicated Tennessee’s newest state park in Meigs County. Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park preserves and interprets the story of the Cherokee removal across the states in 1830s. Located at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers near the historic Blythe Ferry Crossing...

New population estimates for state-shared revenues to be published July 1

The first estimates under the state’s new annual population estimate program will be published on July 1.  

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) will publish the figures, which will be based on the estimated population as of July 1, 2025, derived from Vintage 2025...

Tennessee home building permits down for 2025

Housing permits issued by local governments in Tennessee were down 3.3% between 2024 and 2025, according to new data released by the Tennessee State Data Center (TNSDC). Pulling information from the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey, TNSDC said permits for single-family homes only declined 1.8...

Tennessee's April 2026 unemployment rate unchanged

Tennessee's unemployment held steady at 3.6% in April 2026, the third month the state has retained the rate. While the unemployment rate was unchanged since February 2026, the year-over-year unemployment rate increased by 0.1%. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) said nonfarm...

Nine Lakes of East Tennessee is state's newest wine region

Tennessee now has a new wine region. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) announced the Nine Lakes of East Tennessee has become a federally recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA), further establishing the state as an emerging leader in the Southeast’s wine industry. Centered around...
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TML Updates