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)

Ronnie D. Gholston, age 24, of Whitwell, along with two other men, were bowfishing Thursday evening on Nickajack Lake. Around 10:30 p.m. their 15-foot Lowe fishing boat started to take on water. The three men jumped into the water to swim to shore. As they swam, two men in the group observed that Mr. Gholston was no longer communicating with them. The two men swam to an island ... (click for more)

The city’s temporary sanctioned encampment for people experiencing homelessness will begin admitting residents this weekend through a referral-driven application process. The city-owned encampment, which is operated by nonprofit organization Help Right Here, is designed to give residents a safe space to begin the process of securing permanent housing, and will provide tents, ... (click for more)

Republican supporters have complained for years about the inherent unfairness of Tennessee's open primary system, which allows Democrats to choose Republican nominees for state and local offices. Yet despite supermajorities for the past few terms and plenty of opportunities to respond to grassroots' concerns, the Republican leadership failed to act. How ironic - and illuminating ... (click for more)

There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when college athletics were pure. There was no transfer portal, where the disgruntled athletes could scoff at commitment, loyalty, and tradition in vain pursuit of the NFL. And there was no “name, image, and likeness” (NIL) where college-aged teenagers are now paid for endorsements, autographs, appearances, and the like. During this ... (click for more)