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State Briefs

AMBC Baker Adaptive Mountain Biking Trail

Bike Tennessee adds new mountain biking routes, hubs

The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD) launched mountain biking routes through its Bike Tennessee program today, adding a new phase to the state’s existing road and gravel cycling

Boyd Center Projects Tennessee population to reach 8.1M by 2040

New projections show Tennessee crossing the 8-million-person mark sooner than previous forecasts predicted following robust growth earlier in the decade.

Transmission towers from TVA

Tennessee receives DOE grants for electric grid upgraes

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a $14 million investment in Tennessee’s power grid to tackle electricity costs, increased demand, and infrastructure need. The money will be used to strength the transmission system and build bulk power system transmission facilities that operate...

Downtown Paris

Downtown Improvement Grants awarded to 14 cities

Downtown Improvement grants have been awarded to 14 municipalities that participate in the Tennessee Main Street and Tennessee Downtowns programs.  

More than $3.9 million in Rural Economic Opportunity funding is awarded as part of the program, which allows communities to improve building facades...

A group of people, including uniformed park rangers, pose beside a large wooden sign that reads "Buffalo River State Park – Established 2026." Two rangers sit on horses on either side of the sign. The group is in an open grassy field with trees and a clear blue sky in the background.

State officials dedicate Buffalo River State Park

Officials have dedicated Buffalo River State Park near Linden as the 69th Tennessee State Park. The 448-acre property near the Perry-Wayne county line includes the largest horseshoe bend on the Buffalo River and will feature more than two miles of river frontage. While park access is currently...

Tennessee Department of Revenue

Tennessee September 2026 revenues $20.6M above estimates

Tennessee revenues exceeded budgeted estimates for the month of September with Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson reporting total September tax revenues were $2.2 billion, $20.6 million more than the budgeted estimate and $1.3 million more than September 2024.  

The...

Unemployment 2026 September

Tennessee September 2026 unemployment rate remains steady

Tennessee’s unemployment rate held firm at 3.4% in September, the third month in a row the state has maintained this rate. Data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development found the rate was unchanged since July and down one-tenth of a point from September 2025. The state’s rate...

Tennessee Higher Education Commission logo

THEC: Tennessee higher ed enrollment up 1.3%

Enrollment at public community colleges and universities in Tennessee has increased for the fall 2026 semester with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission recording 228,352 students enrolled. This is a 1.3% gain – approximately 2,933 students – from last year’s numbers. First-time freshman...

TVA transmission towers

TVA records several power demand records in September 2026

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has reported it set multiple high power records in September due to unseasonably high temperatures across the region. TVA said the powerful heat dome sent temperatures above 100 degrees, leading to homes, businesses, and industries consuming significantly more...

TDOT

TACIR: Tennessee faces $400M budget shortfall in highway maintenance

Tennessee has a $400 million gap in the cost of operating, maintaining, and improving its highways, according to a recently released report by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR). The study conducted by TACIR found that either increasing taxes or borrowing money...

Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Tennessee's August 2026 unemployment rate remains steady

Tennessee’s August unemployment rate held steady for a second month at 3.4%. Data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) indicates the rate for July and August is the lowest unemployment Tennessee has experienced this year, and is down one-tenth of a percentage...

(Photo by Tennessee Department of Revenue)

Tennessee's August 2026 revenues $54.6M above estimates

Tennessee revenues exceeded budgeted estimates for the month of August with Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson reporting total August tax revenues were $1.7 billion, $54.6 million more than the budgeted estimate, and $88.1 million more than August 2025.  

The total tax...