Orange flames surge up from a trash can in the corner of the lab. Smoke builds in the room. Thankfully, a thick stream of water from a firehose sprays at the can. But the hose doesn’t stay on the fire. It circles around the lab in a dizzying spin. Now spraying this way, now spraying that. Now facing the ceiling; now facing the floor. The fire continues to burn and the smoke ... (click for more)

Alpine Crest Elementary Fall Festival will be held on Friday, Sept. 28 from 4:30-8 p.m. at the school, 4700 Stagg Road in Red Bank. There will be inflatables, a chili cook off, petting zoo, face painting, vendors, food and more. Wristbands will be $10 for kids and parents get in free.  The wristbands are good for all activities, except for food and the private vendors. ... (click for more)

The mother of a 15-year-old boy who was killed by his father said Michael McElrath had been acting "manic" in the days leading up to the tragic incident in Hixson on Aug. 18. Judge Alex McVeigh bound a charge of criminal homicide against McElrath, a former jail officer, to the Grand Jury. He is charged in the death of Dylan McElrath, who was a sophomore at Hixson High School. ... (click for more)

Randy Boyd, who was among the Republican finalists for the governor nomination, is being considered as interim president at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Joe DiPietro this week announced that Nov. 21 will be his last day on the job. The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees are to meet next week and consider the Boyd appointment. Mr. Boyd, a UT alumnus, would ... (click for more)

Arming teachers with guns in the classroom, as Bill Lee proposes, would be the single most dangerous thing to happen to students in Tennessee history. Students and teachers in close proximity to loaded firearms daily? Across this state, in middle schools alone, there are probably hundreds of student/teacher conflicts a day. What if a student got hold of gun in a struggle with ... (click for more)

It’s easy for me to say that I either know, or know about, almost every person running in November for the state legislature. Yet when I describe Lemon Williams as the most exciting of the bunch, that’s because he's the only guy I had never heard of when he picked up his qualifying papers. He just turned out the best political aspirant I have had a conversation with in the last ... (click for more)