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News Across Tennessee

Chattanooga, Cleveland receive Thrive grants

Two Tennessee municipalities will benefit from Civic Experiments grants provided through the Thrive Regional Partnership, with support from the Trust for Civic Life. 

As part of Chattanooga’s National Park City program, Friends of Outdoor Chattanooga received a grant for the Chattanooga National Park...

Reinhausen to expand Humboldt operations

Reinhausen Inc., officials announced the company is expanding operations at its production facility in Humboldt, creating 90 jobs and investing $6.7 million. The project will support the company’s accelerated customer demand for advanced transformer production, voltage regulation, and grid...

Johnson City's Buffalo Mountain on track to become State Natural Area

Johnson City’s Buffalo Mountain Park has moved one step closer to a state natural area designation. Staff from the state’s Division of Natural Areas recently visited the site and confirmed its candidacy. The designation would place the park into a conservation easement. The city will then work...

Kingsport honored by Public Relations Society of America

Kingsport's Public Information and Communications Department received five awards from the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The department received three Awards of Excellence for the Main Street Rebuild communications campaign, the Model City 101 program, and the This is...

EV bike manufacturer to establish operations in Algood

LEV (Light Electric Vehicles) Manufacturing officials will establish its first Tennessee facility in Algood to serve as the company's primary U.S. assembly, logistics, and fulfillment center. LEV Manufacturing, part of the Life EV Group, will create 288 jobs and invest $7 million as the company...

Seven municipalities join Tennessee Downtowns program

The Tennessee Downtowns program has selected seven municipalities among its latest cohort. 

Dyer, Harriman, Henning, Medina, Moscow, Red Bank, and Rutledge are now among the 97 communities selected for the program. Begun in 2010, Tennessee Downtowns is in its tenth round, aiding municipalities in the...

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People

Scott Mason

Scott Mason
Scott Mason

Scott Mason has resigned from his position as city manager of Harriman after five years, stating he feels it is time for a change. Mason joined the city in June 2021, having previously served as principal of Midway High School. Mason said he has no future plans, but does expect to stay in the local...

Tim Ellis

Tim Ellis
Tim Ellis

Tim Ellis, longtime Goodlettsville City Manager and TML District 5 Director, has announced his intention to retire after nearly 40 years of service in local government. Ellis will have served as Goodlettsville’s city manager for 15 years at the time of his retirement, which is scheduled for Sept. 30...

Candace Whitt

Candace Whitt
Candace Whitt

Candace Whitt has been selected as the new grant procurement accountant for the town of Farragut. In this role, she’ll ensure that the Town’s grants, contracts, expenditures and financial records meet all legal requirements. Whitt comes to Farragut from Blount County government where she worked as a...

Hailey Russell

Hailey Russell
Hailey Russell

Hailey Russell is the new town recorder for Farragut. A certified municipal clerk, Russell is also in the process of becoming a certified municipal manager. She comes to Farragut from the town of Louisville where she served as an administrative assistant and performed duties similar to those of town...

Nashville announces changes to law department

Wally Dietz
Wally Dietz

Leadership changes are coming to Metro Nashville’s Department of Law. 

Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced current director Wallace “Wally” Dietz will retire from his position in July 2026. Tyler Yarbro has been tapped to succeed Dietz as the department’s director. 

Dietz has headed the law department...

Jonathan Jenkins

Jonathan Jenkins
Jonathan Jenkins

Jonathan Jenkins has been selected as the new assistant fire chief for the Franklin Fire Department (FFD). A veteran of the department, Jenkins will take over the role from Assistant Chief Greg Baltimore, who retired in December. Jenkins most recently spent the past six years as a battalion chief...
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State Briefs

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 Areas (AVA), further establishing the state as an emerging leader in the Southeast’s wine industry. Centered around...

State releases updated roadmap for EV adoption in Tennessee

The new 2026 Roadmap for Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Tennessee has been released, building on progress since the initial strategy was implemented in 2019. The updated guide incorporates recent industry data and lessons learned in project implementation to clarify priorities and guide action across...

Tennessee outlines EV freight framework

With commercial auto fleet managers increasingly interested in adopting medium- and heavy-duty EVs for freight transport, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Office of Energy Programs  has released the Tennessee Freight Electrification Framework This guide aims to...

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TML Updates