Cities Contend for Musk Tunnel Prize

Knoxville, Gatlinburg, and Hendersonville are finalists in Elon Musk’s The Boring Co. contest to build a free one-mile tunnel project in Tennessee.

The Boring Company requested tunnel proposals in January and narrowed submissions to 16 nationwide, selecting Knoxville’s Vol Loop, Gatlinburg’s Mountain Mile Loop, and Hendersonville’s Hendersonville Tunnel as finalists.

The winning project will be announced on March 23, as the company also continues work on Nashville’s planned 13-mile Music City Loop transit tunnel.

Blasting Resumes at AES Facility

Coach Runs Across State For Daughter

Trevecca track and cross-country coach Austin Selby plans to run 566 miles across Tennessee in June to raise money for his teenage daughter’s addiction treatment.

Selby will travel from Memphis to Bristol in 12 days, hoping to bring attention to mental health and the financial strain families face during recovery.

The run comes years after Selby himself recovered from severe injuries in a crash that doctors said would end his running career.

He says the challenge is meant to support his daughter Sadie and spark open conversations about addiction and hope. Follow his journey on social media here.

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➤ Statewide: Agriculture experts urge residents to destroy spotted lanternfly egg masses before they hatch later this month to slow the spread of the destructive invasive insect. (More)

➤ Jefferson City: Carson-Newman University said nine students, faculty, and chaperones stranded during escalating conflict between Israel and Iran have left Jerusalem and moved into Egypt as they work to arrange travel back to the U.S. (More)

➤ Nashville: The Metro Council voted to oppose The Boring Company’s Music City Loop tunnel connecting downtown to the airport. The state has already approved the project, and construction will continue. (More) 

➤ Also Nashville: A local elementary school has agreed to clear a teacher’s record after he refused to read an LGBTQ-themed book to first-grade students and instead arranged for another teacher to read it. (More)

➤ Chattanooga: The police department celebrated the largest academy graduating class in more than a decade, bringing the department closer to full staffing. (See Photos)

➤ Tellico Plains: A prescribed burn covered more than 650 acres of Cherokee National Forest on Tuesday, reducing wildfire risk and improving forest health. (More)

➤ Vanderbilt women’s basketball player Mikayla Blakes was named SEC Player of the Year after leading the Commodores to 27 regular wins—one of the best regular seasons in program history. (More)

➤ The Nashville Predators traded veteran forward Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild for a second-round pick. McCarron spent six seasons with Nashville, usually in a reserve role. (More)

➤ Lady Vols basketball player Kaiya Wynn announced she’s leaving the program after not being named a starter in the senior day game, a moment she described as her “breaking point.” (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer

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➤ Starbucks plans to open a corporate operations office in Davidson County in 2026 to support coffeehouse growth and customer demand, working alongside the company’s global headquarters in Seattle. (More)

➤ Tennessee ranked No. 4 among the nation’s most tax-friendly states, earning recognition for having no state income tax and relatively low property taxes. (More)

➤ PMC Biogenix will permanently close its North Memphis chemical plant on April 26, affecting 172 employees, according to a WARN notice filed with the state. (More)

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➤ Gov. Bill Lee proclaimed this week as David Crockett Week in Tennessee, proposing $22.7 million to rebuild David Crockett Birthplace State Park after Hurricane Helene damage. (More)

➤ Gatlinburg will host the Smokies BearWise Open House on March 18, with agencies across Sevier County teaching residents how to prevent conflicts and safely respond to black bears. (See Details)

➤ Tennessee Brew Works’ annual crawfish boil returns this weekend with live music and more than 2,000 pounds of crawfish, sausage, corn, and potatoes at its Ewing Avenue taproom. (More)

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