TDHS adopted broad‑based categorical eligibility for SNAP, raising the gross‑income cutoff to 200% and easing asset rules — a change that could expand benefits to more working families across Tennessee.

Rachael Ellis, a longtime Second Harvest operations and development leader, will become CEO on June 27. The Maryville nonprofit credits her with helping expand emergency distribution and donor support.

A Blount County Facebook post referenced a national tally — 31 children in 2025 — and urged caregivers to lock cars, check back seats and keep keys away from kids. Local and federal sources offer steps families can take now.

A Lenoir City woman says she lost a mid‑term pregnancy while detained by ICE; DHS disputes the account and lawmakers are pressing for stronger protections.

Lenoir City's new Don W. White Public Safety Training Center gives police and firefighters a local place for live burns, rescue drills and firearms practice. Officials say it will cut travel and reduce overtime.

After one year, Monroe County’s workhouse has placed about 60 people in, cut recidivism and supplied manufacturers with steady workers. Officials say the model is both a reentry win and a local hiring solution.

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.