Stiffer fines, more jail time soon likely for illegally flying remote controlled aircraft over ‘critical infrastructure’ A measure that will significantly increase the penalty for flying drones in off-limits airspace has passed both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly. Senate Bill 306 cleared the House of Representatives last week on a 95-1 vote. It passed […]
Man fished out of lake after landing in troubled waters A Williamson County angler got himself and his boat into what could have become a life-ending predicament on Center Hill Lake this week were it not for quick and competent action by marina workers in the vicinity. Smithville radio station WJLE reported that the fisherman […]
A new study from the state comptroller’s office reveals a pervasive connection between underperforming teachers and lower-than-optimal student test scores. Tennessee’s Office of Research and Education Accountability released a report this week seeking to assess the negative impacts that underachieving teachers may have on student performance and academic success. The report determined that students’ performance […]
U.S. senators from the Volunteer State, both Republicans, have staked out opposing positions on the effort to thwart President Donald Trump’s declaration of “national emergency” regarding border enforcement. The final Senate vote tally on Thursday was 59-41 in favor of blocking Trump’s Feb. 15 emergency declaration. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the resolution last […]
High water levels and a raging Caney Fork River at the Center Lake headwaters have proved too extreme even for world class whitewater kayakers. The USA Freestyle Kayak Trials scheduled for Rock Island this weekend have been cancelled “Due to flooding in the river gorge,” according to Team USA’s Facebook page. The event will instead […]
The Tennessee General Assembly is considering a measure declaring its members “strongly support” that Congress mandate the Tennessee Valley Authority to henceforth make all the agency’s governing board and subcommittee meetings open to the public. The legislation in Washington is called the “Tennessee Valley Authority Transparency Act,” and is sponsored by U.S. Reps. Tim Burchett […]
Here is the text of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s first state of the state speech delivered before a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly: Lieutenant Governor McNally, Speaker Casada, Speaker Pro Tem Haile, Speaker Pro Tem Dunn, Members of the 111th General Assembly, Justices, Constitutional Officers, friends, guests, fellow Tennesseans: Tennessee’s voters and its […]
Flavor-making is the spice of life for Cookeville entrepreneurs Part of running a successful small business is knowing how to focus your energies where they’ll do the most good. For Putnam County taste-creators John and Amanda Brantley, that means concentrating on the two aspects of their business they love most — the making and the […]
Crews are beginning to embark upon construction of the new lodge and restaurant at Tennessee’s most popular state park. Regional politicians and state government officials gathered this week at Fall Creek Falls for a ground-breaking ceremony at the lake construction zone at Fall Creek Falls. The planned new 98,000-square-foot will be built to “to reflect […]
Text of prepared inauguration speech delivered by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Jan. 19, 2019: In 1796, a man and his young family began their homestead just up the way on the banks of the Cumberland River. That was the same year the great state of Tennessee was formed. 223 years and 50 governors later, we […]