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News Across Tennessee

Chris Willyard

Chris Willyard
Chris Willyard

Chris Willyard has been selected as the new fire marshal for the Hendersonville Fire Department. Willyard has served with the department of 16 years, joining after spending six years with the Hendersonville Police Department. In addition to serving as the fire marshal, he will continue to serve as...

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...

Norris launches sports complex plans

The city of Norris is expanding its recreation opportunities at the Norris Community Building. Officials have unveiled plans to turn two tennis courts and a disc golf-course at the community facility into a $1 million sports complex, which will add four pickleball courts, a high school regulation...

Cleveland dedicates new fire engine

The city of Cleveland has dedicated a new fire engine for its Fire Station No. 5 in the Candies Creek area. The new apparatus is a Pierce Enforcer quipped with a 515-horsepower Paccar engine and a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump, enhancing the Fire Department’s capacity to respond to emergencies and...

Steel tower manufacturer to open first U.S. facility in Fayetteville

Stella-Jones Corporation will open its first U.S. steel lattice tower manufacturing facility in Fayetteville. The new facility will create nearly 230 jobs and is part of a $45 million investment. Expected to be fully operational by the end of 2027, the facility will help support growing demand from...

New historic marker unveiled at Johnson City Senior Center

Officials with the Johnson City Parks and Recreation Department, municipal leaders, and local seniors gathered to unveil a new historical marker commemorating the first nationally accredited senior center in Tennessee. Founded in 1961, the original senior center has since expanded to the Memorial...
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People

Craig Bennett

Craig Bennett
Craig Bennett

Craig Bennett has been selected as the first town administrator for Caryville. The Caryville Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted in April 2025 to create the town administrator position. Prior to coming to Caryville, Bennett served for more than three years as an operations officer with the U.S...

Bob Rial

Bob Rial
Bob Rial

Bob Rial has been selected as the interim manager of Fairview. Rial will begin the role on a part-time basis until he finishes out his current term as Dickson County mayor in November, at which point he will transition to full-time. Prior to being elected Dickson County mayor in 2010, Rial served on...

Longtime Memphis State Rep. Hardaway dies

Hardaway
State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis

Longtime Memphis State Rep. G.A. Hardaway died on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the age of 71 after a brief illness.  

A Democrat, Hardaway was initially elected to serve District 92 in March 2007, which became District 93 in January 2013. The district represents parts of South Memphis and the Orange...

Justin Bush

Justin Bush
Justin Bush

Justin Bush has been selected as major of operations for the Bristol Police Department. A 16-year veteran of the force, Bush has gained leadership experience serving as the department’s captain of patrol and captain of support services. In his new role, Bush will oversee the Patrol and Criminal...

Leon Downey

Leon Downey
Leon Downey

Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, is returning after 38 years in the role. Since 1988, Downey has guided efforts to grow the city into one of the most popular tourism destination in the nation and has welcomed numerous attractions, providing the city with...

Nashville firefighters added to National Fallen Firefighters Memorial

The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial added the names of two Nashville Fire Department during the 45th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.
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State Briefs

Comptroller's office unveils municipal fiscal metrics

The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has expanded its online fiscal health metrics to now include financial metrics for Tennessee’s cities, providing a more complete picture of local government finances across the state. The dashboard, available at tncot.cc/fiscalmetrics, has historically provided...

THSO announces results of 2025 seat belt survey

While seat belt usage is on the decline in Tennessee, it still exceeds the national rate. Results from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) annual roadside observational study determined a usage rate of 91.3% in 2025, a decrease of 0.9% over 2024 but still higher than the national rate of 90%...

Tennessee unemployment increases, records 9,200 job losses in February

Tennessee’s February unemployment increased slightly over the previous month but remained below the national average. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) recorded an unemployment rate of 3.6% in the state in February, up from a 3.5% recorded in January. The rate is...

Tennessee March 2026 revenues $69.2M above estimates

Tennessee revenues exceeded budgeted estimates for the month of March.  

The Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson reported that total March tax revenues were $1.7 billion, $69.2 million more than the budgeted estimate and $119.2 million more than March 2025. The total tax...

Bike TN adds 37 new routes

Cyclists can now experience 37 newly currated gravel cycling routes as part of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD)’s  Bike Tennessee program. The routes bring the total number of routes to 89 and add more than 1,000 miles of diverse terrain. In addition to creating even more...

TDOT to pilot autonomous freight trucks on West Tennesee I-40 corridor

A program piloting the use of autonomous tractor trailers and freight technology will soon be coming to Interstate 40 in West Tennessee.  

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced the selection of Cavnue, LLC as its private-sector partner for the Memphis/West Tennessee Smart...
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TML Updates