Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1949, Hank Williams Jr., son of the country music pioneer by the same name and an influential artist in his own right, was born in Louisiana. He moved to Nashville a month later when his father joined the Grand Ole Opry.

This is an abbreviated edition of The Tennessee Flyover as our crew takes time to celebrate Memorial Day with family and friends. A full-size edition will return tomorrow.

After President Trump warned the Iranian World Cup team to steer clear of American soil “for their own life and safety,” Iran has now found a new country willing to host them instead. On The Flyover Podcast, Ayla Brown shares the surprise nation stepping in to take the team, plus what Iran has to say about the world’s sporting event being held in America. Tune in here!

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog — your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Crash Fundraiser Stirs Up Controversy

New reports indicate a fundraiser that raised more than $15,000 for victims of a deadly school bus crash distributed the money to only four of 24 families, leaving some of the others frustrated.

The crash, which took place in Carroll County in March, killed two students after their school bus crossed the center line and struck a dump truck head-on.

Local business MollyBee’s Tees & Embroidery, LLC, sold t-shirts and collected over $15,000 for the families. But the shop says the funds went only to four families whose children were killed or severely injured.

The business shared that, after distributing the funds, staff have received threats and harassment, which is causing them to reevaluate future fundraising efforts. Read the full Facebook post here.

Smokies Mark 100 Years of Protection

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is celebrating a century of wilderness protection this year, marking 100 years since Congress first authorized its creation.

Congress authorized both Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Parks in 1926, and then-President Calvin Coolidge signed the bill into law.

Spanning more than 522,000 acres across Tennessee and North Carolina, the park is the most visited in the country, drawing 12 to 14 million visitors each year.

The park was built through a rare grassroots effort, with local communities, private donors, and conservation advocates fundraising to help preserve the Smokies for future generations.

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Buffett’s ‘Phone’ Rule Could Make This Company Soar

Warren Buffett famously said that “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.”

But what if your phone could do it for you? 📲

That’s exactly what Mode Mobile has created: technology that turns idle phone time into passive income. With 490M+ users in their ecosystem and $1B+ in earnings and savings, their EarnPhone is being called the Uber of smartphones.

With 32,481% revenue growth, they were named the fastest-growing software company in 2023 by Deloitte, and with 7 billion smartphones worldwide their market could be significantly larger than Uber’s.

They’ve just secured their Nasdaq stock ticker $MODE, and you have until Friday to invest in their pre-IPO offering at $0.50/share.

🚨 Last chance to invest. Price changes on 5/29.

➤ Statewide: Soggy weather is expected to continue throughout the week, with forecasters warning of warm temperatures and heavy humidity. (See Details)

➤ Also Statewide: Multiple Tennessee cities have ranked among the best places to live nationwide, including Franklin, Murfreesboro, and Johnson City. (More)

➤ Putnam County: A semi-truck slammed into an overpass support pillar on I-40, causing significant structural damage and snarling traffic along the busy corridor. (More)

➤ Chattanooga: A fifth grader is facilitating a love of reading in her neighborhood by running her own Little Free Library, part of a movement to get more books into kids’ hands. (See Video)

➤ Hamilton County: A county sheriff’s office deputy suffered minor injuries Friday after a deer burst through his cruiser’s windshield while on duty. (More)

➤ Nashville: The Tennessee Titans unveiled a revamped 2026 radio broadcast team featuring franchise alumni in rotating sideline roles for their final season at the old Nissan Stadium. (More)

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The next Uber? One Shark Tank Investor thinks so

Imagine turning down Uber at a valuation of $10 million, only to watch it go public at over $80 billion. That’s exactly what happened to Mark Cuban.

But fellow Shark Tank investor Kevin Harrington may have learned from Cuban’s mistake, investing early in what investors are calling the Uber of Smartphones.

That company is Mode Mobile, and like Uber did with cars, they’re turning smartphones into income-generating assets. They’ve generated $115M in revenue and helped users earn and save +$1B. And investors have one final opportunity to invest in their pre-IPO offering before their share price changes on Friday.

⚠️ Last chance to invest alongside Kevin Harrington at $0.50/share.

This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile Regulation A+ offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.modemobile.com/ *Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur. *Mode cumulative revenue includes full year revenue of businesses acquired in 2025.