Latest Tennessee Headlines
All the headlines from our Tennessee Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tennessee Insurance Head McPeak Steps Down; Lawrence Tapped as Interim Chief
May 14 2019 // After eight years as the head of the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI), Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak is leaving Tennessee state government in order to pursue career opportunities in the private...
Tennessee Passes Bill Allowing Drivers with Unpaid Court Debt to Keep Licenses
May 7 2019 // Tennessee lawmakers have signed off on legislation that would prevent the state from revoking or suspending driver’s licenses over unpaid court costs. The Senate on Tuesday advanced a proposal allowing people to...
U.S. Supreme Court Says Tennessee Utility Can be Sued for Commercial Activity
May 6 2019 // The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the Tennessee Valley Authority can be sued over its commercial activity. But it left a lower court to decide whether the case of an Alabama man injured by a power line can proceed. The...
Tennessee Approves Ban on Handheld Phones While Driving
May 3 2019 // Gov. Bill Lee will decide whether Tennessee will ban the use of handheld electronic devices, including cellphones, while driving. The Senate voted 23-7 on Tuesday to send Lee the bill. The House previously cleared it in a...
Tennessee Doctor, 30 Others Targeted in Federal Opioid Investigation
Apr 26 2019 // A doctor who prescribed more than 4 million opioid pills, including to a pregnant woman who later died, is one of more than 30 medical professionals in Tennessee charged with illegally prescribing and distributing millions...
Historic Tennessee Courthouse Damaged by Fire
Apr 26 2019 // A fire has caused significant damage to one of the oldest courthouses in Tennessee. Fire officials told news outlets that the first crew arrived at the Loudon County courthouse Tuesday evening and quickly called for backup...
Brightway Insurance Opens New Agencies in Florida, Tennessee
Apr 25 2019 // Brightway Insurance opened new stores in Florida and Tennessee on April 15. The new franchise owners include: Steve Moser Steve Moser who opened Brightway, The Steve Moser Agency of Belle Meade in Nashville, Tennessee....
Increase in Accidents on Scenic Tennessee Road Prompts Officials to Take Action
Apr 18 2019 // Officials with scenic Natchez Trace Parkway are reminding motorists that the roadway is designed for leisurely drives and not interstate-style speeds. Chief Ranger Sarah Davis says in a news release that actions are being...
Montana Regulator Warns of Bad Insurance Policies Being Peddled
Apr 16 2019 // Montana’s insurance commissioner says a Tennessee man is peddling unauthorized car insurance policies. Commissioner Matthew Rosendale sent a cease-and-desist letter last week to Mervin Graber of Whiteville, Tenn.,...
Congressman Wants Probe of Fire at Historic Tennessee Social Justice Center
Apr 8 2019 // U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen is asking for a federal investigation of a fire that destroyed the main office at a Tennessee center that played a prominent role in the civil rights movement. Leaders of the Highlander Research and...
White-Power Symbol Found Near Fire at Historic Tennessee Social Justice Center
Apr 5 2019 // Representatives for a social justice center that trained the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders said Tuesday that a white-power symbol was spray-painted near the site of a fire that destroyed a...
Section of Tennessee Highway Bridge Collapses, Injures 1
Apr 3 2019 // Police in Tennessee say one person has been injured when a section of a concrete wall on an interstate highway bridge collapsed and hit a car. Chattanooga police said on Twitter the section fell Monday from an overpass on...
Tennessee Gov Requests Federal Aid for Flood Damage
Mar 26 2019 // Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is asking President Donald Trump’s administration to make federal assistance available for government efforts to address recent flooding and storms, citing a $151.3 million impact through...
FEMA to Review Flood Damage in 54 Tennessee Counties
Mar 15 2019 // Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are scheduled to conduct preliminary damage assessments in 54 Tennessee counties affected by flooding caused by a deluge in February. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency...
8 Kids Sent to Hospitals After Tennessee Church Bus Overturns
Mar 12 2019 // Police in Tennessee say eight children were taken to hospitals for evaluation after their church bus overturned on a highway during heavy rains. News outlets report the bus with a driver and 11 passengers was returning...
Judge Denies Purdue Pharma’s Request to Dismiss Tennessee Opioid Suit
Mar 6 2019 // A lawsuit claiming Purdue Pharma engaged in deceptive marketing to increase opioid prescriptions, resulting in an epidemic, has the go-ahead from a Knox County judge. The lawsuit brought by the state of Tennessee claims...
‘Monster’ Sinkhole Swallows Half of Tennessee Roadway
Mar 4 2019 // A sinkhole 30-feet deep and nearly as broad swallowed half a roadway in Knox County, Tennessee, and a county official says repairing it could cost more than $100,000. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports crews on Wednesday...
Official: Flooding in Southeast States Could Last for Weeks as Rivers Rise
Mar 1 2019 // Many Southern communities could face weeks of flooding, along with other disruptions, as recent rains have sent many streams over their banks. In one Mississippi Delta hamlet, the mayor says water has cut off all but one...
Officials Begin Assessing Damage as Rivers in Southeast Crest
Feb 27 2019 // The Tennessee River and other streams are lowering in hard-hit areas of north Alabama after days of flooding. The National Weather Service says the Tennessee has crested throughout the region, even though the water is...
Tennessee River Valley Breaks February Rainfall Records
Feb 27 2019 // A federal utility says the Tennessee River Valley on average has endured a record amount of rain for February. Tennessee Valley Authority River Forecast Center manager James Everett told reporters Monday that, on average,...
