People

Teresa Keen has retired after 49 years of service to the city of Portland. Keen began work at Portland City Hall in 1977 and is retiring from her current role as assistant to the mayor. During her tenure with the city, Keen said she saw much of the city’s business go from handwritten to computerized...

Chris Willyard has been selected as the new fire marshal for the Hendersonville Fire Department. Willyard has served with the department for 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...

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 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 County Mayor in 2010, Rial served on the...

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

Cameron O’Hanlon has been selected as the first executive director of Clarksville’s new Arts, Culture & Tourism (ACT) Authority. A native of San Antonio, Texas, O’Hanlon grew up in Northern California and has spent the past 13 years at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts...

David Cantu has been selected as the new fire code official for the town of Farragut. Cantu brings more than 20 years of experience in emergency services and public safety to the role. He comes to Farragut from Oak Ridge where he served with the Oak Ridge Fire Department for nearly five years, with...

Dwayne Honaker has been selected as interim fire chief for the Bristol Fire Department. Honaker is a 29-year veteran of the department and has been serving as battalion chief since 2008. He will step into the leadership role after the retirement of current Chief Mike Carrier. Honaker joined the...

Leslie Rucker has been selected as city manager of Tennessee Ridge. Rucker has been with the city for 37 years, serving 29 as utility manager and 8 years as the city recorder. Rucker takes over the city manager role from Kenneth Dunavant, who served as a part-time city manager for Tennessee Ridge...