A bill proposing the prohibition of kratom, also referred to as “gas station heroin” in Tennessee, is awaiting Governor Lee’s approval before becoming law. The legislation seeks to regulate and, in many instances, criminalize the possession, sale, and distribution of kratom—a substance frequently available at gas stations and smoke shops. Should the bill be enacted, …
The Tennessee school voucher expansion bill was approved by the Senate on Thursday, April 16. An amendment to the legislation increases the number of Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarships from 20,000 to 35,000. Ultimately, the Senate voted to adopt the House’s version of the bill rather than its own proposal, which would have expanded vouchers to …
On Friday, April 17, 2026, a large funeral procession for Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Landon Faulkner will be traveling through Dunlap. They expect significant traffic delays. The procession is expected sometime around or after 1:00 PM. West Valley Road will be closed to through traffic from Cordell Dr. to John Burch Rd. Please expect …
On Tuesday night at 9:02 pm, Cagle Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a reported one-vehicle rollover crash with possible entrapment on Highway 111, just south of Dollar General. CVFD arrived on scene and reported a single-vehicle rollover with all occupants out of the vehicle and no entrapment. According to witnesses, the vehicle struck TDOT …
Eighty-four of Tennessee’s 95 counties recorded unemployment rates below 5% in January even as most counties saw an uptick in their rates over the previous month, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Unemployment rates in 90 counties increased from December to January. Rates decreased in three counties and …
Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett, Chief Deputy Spencer Daniels, and the men and women of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office announced on Saturday afternoon the death of Deputy Landon Faulkner. On Wednesday night, Deputy Faulkner was involved in a serious collision on Highway 111 in Sequatchie County, where he collided with a disabled vehicle in …
A multi-vehicle crash closed both directions of State Route 111 in Sequatchie County on Wednesday night, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The crash was reported around 8:32pm CDT Wednesday near past the scenic overlook on the southbound lanes before reaching the top of the mountain and Lewis Chapel. Authorities were forced to close northbound …
The USDA will be dropping hundreds of thousands of oral rabies vaccine baits across East Tennessee and North Georgia for the next couple of weeks. These are intended to slow the spread of rabies amongst wildlife, such as raccoons, coyotes, skunks, foxes, etc and are safe to be consumed by wildlife animals. Approximately 1.7 million …
Gas prices are continuing to climb across the area, with drivers feeling the impact at the pump. According to GasBuddy, prices in the area have increased more than 26 cents per gallon in the past week. Compared to last month, prices are now roughly 88 cents higher, bringing the average cost to around 3 dollars …
At 9:23 PM, the Dunlap Fire Department responded to a single motor vehicle accident involving entrapment on Lewis Chapel Mountain, Henson Gap Road. Upon arrival, sheriff’s deputies discovered a vehicle overturned with the driver unresponsive and trapped in the wreckage. Firefighters utilized Hurst eDRAULIC tools (commonly known as the jaws of life) to extricate the …
