UT Knoxville has joined MNPS’s University MNPS initiative, adding last‑dollar Tri‑Star scholarships and advising supports to build a no‑cost route to college for eligible Nashville seniors.

Parents and teachers pressed the Morgan County School Board after officials floated closing Petros‑Joyner Elementary. The small Oliver Springs campus has become a focal point in a district budget fight.

More than 1,600 junior athletes raced at Melton Hill Lake April 24–26, generating an estimated $6 million in regional economic activity. The weekend packed hotels and restaurants across Oak Ridge.

Tennessee’s Helene Agricultural and Timber Relief Fund opens April 22 for eligible East Tennessee farmers, offering payments to offset verified timber, crop and infrastructure losses.

Knoxville Police and the University of Tennessee Police Department posted photos and paid tribute to Sgt. Whaley Wednesday; few details were released.

Boone-based Samaritan's Purse added 19 rebuild locations after Hurricane Helene; dozens of homes are complete or underway and applications are open across four states.

Hundreds gathered Saturday on Lamar Alexander Parkway for a "No Kings" rally organized by Indivisible Blount County. Police monitored the crowd while volunteers handed out water and food.

Blount Memorial filed a state WARN notice saying it will lay off 85 employees, a cut that will touch the county’s only hospital and trigger state rapid-response services.

A petition with hundreds of signatures asks Jellico leaders to review a CleanSpark bitcoin data center after residents reported sharply higher electric bills. City officials and the company say the site is not driving costs up, but neighbors disagree.

Council adopted a new parks master plan, approved youth-service contracts totaling more than $520,000 and voted 8–1 to deny an appeal over a proposed day center.

Knox County and the McNabb Center broke ground on a 13,000‑sq‑ft recovery high school that will expand the Elevate program and let students get treatment while earning credits. The new campus is expected to open this fall.

A Year Three report shows the East Tennessee Collaborative served 872 families across ten counties, boosting earnings and projecting about $101 million in state savings.

A new iSelect index finds Tennessee 14th nationwide; households are now spending nearly 3% of income on electricity as prices climb.