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News Across Tennessee

Gallatin employs new device to aid in water rescues

The Gallatin Fire Department has acquired a new piece of equipment that will aid in underwater rescues. The handheld sonar system – AquaEye PRO – allows rescuers to more clearly see to the bottom of rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water more quickly than relying on divers. Sonar signal from the...

Townsend launches new smart phone app

A new smartphone app will help Townsend residents report non-emergency issues, allowing the city to tackle issues such as potholes, broken streetlights, and missed garbage collection. Residents are able to include photo attachments to help better describe situations. Additionally, the calendar...

ORNL unveils new quantum computer

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has unveiled the new 20 qubit IQM Pathfinder, a new quantum computer that outperforms even the most powerful supercomputers in the world. Able to multitask and perform multiple calculations at once, the computer will help researchers solve complex equations...

Harrogate breaks ground on new hotel

Officials with the city of Harrogate, Claiborne County, and the Claiborne Economic Partnership joined local developers to break ground on a new Comfort Inn and Suites along U.S. Highway 25E. The hotel is expected to be ready to open in March 2027 with 72 rooms in the 40,000-square-foot structure...

Homeland Vinyl to expand Surgoinsville operations

Homeland Vinyl Products will expand its Surgoinsville operations by purchasing an additional facility. The company will create 50 new jobs and invest $5.5 million in the new plant on Industrial Drive. Once operational, the company will establish new grinding operations with plans to create...

Smyrna concludes multi-year road safety project

After seven years of planning, coordination, and construction, the city of Smyrna has unveiled the major traffic and safety improvements on its Lowry Street corridor. The city requested a TDOT Safety Audit of the corridor in 2019, which includes major intersections at Jefferson Pike, and along Sam...
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People

Bill Cowan

Bill Cowan
Bill Cowan

Bill Cowan, former Winchester city councilman, died Monday, June 8, 2026, at the age of 81. A U.S. Army National Guard veteran, Cowan retired after 30 years at BellSouth. He was first elected to the Winchester City Council in 1989, serving two terms. He continued to be involved in numerous city...

Matt Slagle

Matt Slagle
Matt Slagle

Matt Slagle has been selected as the new city manager of Bristol from a pool of 52 applicants submitted nationwide. Slagle has been serving as a councilmember since October 2025 when he was appointed to the east district seat vacated by the departure of former mayor Mark Hutton. His appointment was...

Tyler Williams

Tyler Williams
Tyler Williams

Tyler Williams has been selected as the acting town manager of Mount Carmel after Town Manager Jim Stables accepted the position of fire rescue chief for Brevard County, Fla. Williams has served as Mount Carmel’s assistant town manager since 2024 and will oversee the town’s day-to-day operations...

Julie High

Julie High
Julie High

Julie High has been selected as the new city manager of Goodlettsville following the retirement of City Manager Tim Ellis on Sept. 30. High has served as Goodlettsville’s assistant city manager since 2021 and joined the city’s staff in 2004 as director of finance and administration. Prior to her...

Norm Sugarman

Norm Sugarman
Norm Sugarman

Norm Sugarman, former alderman for Kingston, died June 8, 2026, at the age of 90. A graduate of the Sewanee Military Academy, he served in the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron during the Berlin Crisis. Upon his return to the U.S. from Germany, he worked at the Oak...

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 a 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...
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State Briefs

Tennessee May 2026 unemployment remains steady

Tennessee’s May unemployment rate remained unchanged from 3.6% for the fourth consecutive month. Data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) indicates the rate was also above the 3.5% rate recorded in May 2025. Tennessee’s unemployment rate remains below the...

Tennessee May 2026 revenues $227.2M above estimates

Tennessee revenues exceeded budgeted estimates for the month of May.  

Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson reported that total May tax revenues were $1.9 billion, $227.2 million more than the budgeted estimate and $244.7 million more than May 2025. The total tax growth...

THP announces reaccreditation

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is proud to announce that the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) has been awarded its Fifth Accreditation Award by the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police. This accreditation is granted for a three‑year period, extending through June 2030...

Tennessee becomes first state in nation with nuclear fusion framework

Tennessee has become the first state in the nation with its own regulatory framework for nuclear fusion machines. The technology-neutral approach to fusion regulation taps into more than 60 years of resources and experience from its involvement as a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Agreement...

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

Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park preserves and interprets the story of the Cherokee removal across the state in the 1830s. Located at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers near the historic Blythe Ferry Crossing, the park was formerly the county’s Cherokee Removal Memorial Park and...
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