Tennessee nonfarm employment has fully rebounded from the pandemic, surpassing pre-pandemic levels of employment with 45,500 more people holding jobs now than in February 2020. The Tennessee Quarterly Business and Economic Indicators report issued by Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office shows that state unemployment dropped to 3.2 percent, below the national rate of 3.6 ... (click for more)

In an opinion released Wednesday, the Tennessee Supreme Court determined that, while two Tennessee county governments had standing to challenge the Education Savings Account Pilot Program (the “ESA Act”), the Act is not rendered unconstitutional by the Home Rule Amendment, article XI, section 9, of the Tennessee Constitution. In 2019, the Tennessee General Assembly enacted ESA ... (click for more)

There's 137 acres of prime land in Hixson now being eyed by several different groups - it's the Valleybrook Golf Course. Chattanooga businessman Henry Luken, who bought it at an auction nine years ago for $950,000 (plus six percent sale commission, is shopping it for $3.4 million. He said a Florida group is eyeing it along with some groups in Chattanooga, but no deal has yet ... (click for more)

District Attorney Steve Crump said he has requested detention of two 16-year-old boys facing aggravated animal cruelty charges, though he said under the law they could not be transferred to adult court. One of the youths allegedly videoed the other beating a dog to death. They are scheduled for a detention hearing on Thursday in the Juvenile Court of Bradley County. DA ... (click for more)

I nearly bit off my tongue trying to restrain myself with regard to the attacks on Sheriff Jim Hammond in recent weeks. For over 25 years I have known Jim. I know him to be a fine Christian gentleman, a patriotic American, a genuinely compassionate leader. For many years, at his church, he taught Sunday School. On behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice, he taught constitutional ... (click for more)

On Monday Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill to combat bad behavior, which most laws do, but HB 1571 should have never been necessary. It bans angry mobs and profane picketers from going into neighborhoods to protest in front of somebody’s house. We’ve seen the upraised middle fingers and the insidious language spewed out of megaphones in recent weeks in front of some Supreme ... (click for more)