Articles by Jonathan Mattise

Survivors of Deadly Tennessee Wildfires Seek $14.8M from Feds in Lawsuit

Two survivors of deadly Tennessee wildfires that began in Great Smoky Mountains National Park have sued the federal government, claiming they lost loved ones and a home because of the negligence of park workers. The lawsuit in Knoxville was filed …

Tennessee AG: State, Local Opioid Suits Complicating Settlement Efforts

The Tennessee attorney general says lawsuits by local prosecutors over the opioid epidemic are complicating his efforts to reach a multistate settlement with drug companies. In response, the prosecutors, who represent about half of Tennessee’s counties, say local communities lose …

18 States, Business Groups Oppose Coal Ash Cleanup Order at Tennessee Utility

Eighteen states, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, national coal industry interests and more than a dozen other groups are urging an appeals court to overturn a coal ash cleanup order at a federal utility’s Tennessee plant, contending the decision will …

Tennessee Gov Proposes $30M Plan to Fight State Opioid Epidemic

Gov. Bill Haslam touted a $30 million plan Monday that focuses on prevention, treatment and law enforcement to attack an opioid epidemic that kills at least three people a day in Tennessee. The Republican governor released details of the `TN …

Tougher Tennessee School Bus Law Now in Effect

School bus drivers must be at least 25 years old in Tennessee starting New Year’s Day under one of 16 new state laws taking effect. Lawmakers made the change in reaction to a November 2016 school bus crash that killed …

Tennessee Community Devastated by Fires Doubtful Climate Change Poses Future Risk

Bob Bentz had just installed underground utility lines and paved a new road when wildfires roared through the eastern Tennessee treetop canopy he wanted to transform into a $30 million adventure park. A year later, after the blaze killed 14 …

Judge Orders Tennessee Valley Authority to Remove Coal Ash at Power Plant

A federal judge on Friday ordered the nation’s largest public utility to dig up its coal ash at a Tennessee power plant and move it to a lined waste site where it doesn’t risk further polluting the Cumberland River. U.S. …

Prosecutors Unable to Prove Arson Against 2 Youths in Tennessee Wildfires

Prosecutors have dropped arson charges against two juveniles in connection with the Tennessee wildfires that killed 14 people and tore through thousands of homes and businesses in November, a law enforcement official said Friday. In December, District Attorney General Jimmy …

Tennessee Valley Authority, Environmental Groups Await Decision on Pollution Case

The Tennessee Valley Authority finished a four-day trial Thursday in which environmental groups accuse the utility’s power plant outside Nashville, Tennessee, of illegally polluting the Cumberland River with coal ash. Still, a decision in the case may not come for …

Police Testify Driver in Deadly Tennessee School Bus Crash was Speeding

The 24-year-old driver in a Tennessee school bus crash that killed six children was speeding about 20 miles per hour over the 30 mile-per-hour limit, police testified Dec. 14, drawing tears from their families in court. Johnthony Walker also was …