Data Center Planned Adjacent to Nashville Zoo

Atlanta-based DC Blox has filed permits to build a data center on a 23-acre site next to the Nashville Zoo in Antioch, requiring demolition of two office buildings.

The Nashville Zoo and metro councilmembers have voiced concerns about the impact on the zoo and surrounding neighborhoods, with the zoo saying it is “vehemently opposed” to the project.

Nearby, Cedar Hill voted this week to impose a two-year moratorium on data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities.

Mayor John Edwards proposed the pause so city officials and residents could study the impacts before any permanent decisions are made.

Nurse Illegally Prescribed 1M Opioids

A Middle Tennessee nurse practitioner has been convicted of conspiracy to illegally distribute nearly 1 million opioid pills to patients at a Carthage pain clinic.

A federal jury found Heather Marks guilty Monday on one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and eight additional distribution counts, the Justice Department announced.

Prosecutors say that Marks, who worked at the Lifeforce Pain and Wellness clinic in Carthage, prescribed opioids to roughly 1,000 patients over the course of the conspiracy, ignoring clear warning signs that patients were misusing drugs and selling the opioids on the street. 

Marks was among nine Middle Tennessee medical workers originally charged in a 2019 federal investigation targeting the Lifeforce clinic.

Lee Finishes America 250 Statewide Tour

Gov. Bill Lee completed a yearlong tour of all 95 Tennessee counties Monday, closing out a unique America 250 celebration.

“Over the past year, Maria and I have traveled from Mountain City to Memphis, and we’ve been reminded that our state’s greatest strength is its people,” Lee said of the campaign.

The tour, which launched last summer and was themed Tennessee: The Original Frontier, spotlighted people and stories tied to Tennessee’s role in shaping the nation.

His final stops included Unicoi County, where he and first lady Maria Lee unveiled an America 250 welcome sign at an I-26 rest area and received honorary citizenship for their support after Hurricane Helene.

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➤ Nashville: Interstate 40 was shut down for three hours after an oversized truck struck the Broadway overpass, the latest in a recurring pattern of bridge strikes. (More)

➤ Greeneville: Police say a man used counterfeit movie prop money to swipe Pokémon cards worth hundreds of dollars in a Facebook Marketplace sale. (More)

➤ Knox County: The county board of education took up proposed changes to a state law that briefly pulled Alex Haley’s Roots from library shelves, with two resolutions on the table. (More)

➤ Also Knox County: A man was charged after allegedly stealing a boom lift and leaving it lodged against the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, causing damage to the landmark. (More)

➤ Chattanooga: The city’s Fourth of July celebration will include the largest drone show in local history, a 500-drone spectacle over the Tennessee River. (See Details)

➤ Memphis: The Grizzlies are hosting a free NBA Draft party at FedExForum on June 23, opening the arena to fans watching the pick on the jumbotron. (See Details)

➤ Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel and former Vols Willie Gault and Deon Grant are all on the 2027 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. Gault was a 1982 first-team All-American wide receiver, and Grant was a key member of Tennessee’s 1998 national championship defense. (More)

➤ Six coaches at Tennessee State sent a no-confidence letter to the university president about the school’s athletic director, Mikki Allen. The signers include men’s basketball coach Nolan Smith and football coach Reggie Barlow. (More)

➤ Bridgestone Arena ranked 10th in the nation and 18th in the world in gross revenue among all venues, according to Billboard’s midyear report. The Nashville Predators’ home arena brought in $34.8 million and welcomed over 367,000 guests between October and March. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NHL | MLB | Soccer | WNBA | Tennis

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➤ Realtracs, Middle Tennessee’s multiple listing service, extended Zillow’s deadline to June 8 to comply with data-sharing rules before losing access to local home listings. (More)

➤ Tennessee’s job market is sending mixed signals as unemployment held at 3.6% in April, but the total number of employed Tennesseans fell for the fifth consecutive month. (More)

➤ Tennessee broadband officials are pushing to connect every home and business to high-speed internet by 2028, using more than $813 million in federal funding. (More)

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➤ The historic Sterchi-Audigier House will get a new life as a Knoxville performing arts center after fundraising saved the 1800s landmark from demolition. (More)

➤ Nashville International Airport is advancing plans for nonstop flights to Asia, though construction timelines suggest the first transpacific departure from BNA could be as late as 2034. (More)

➤ Oak Ridge High School students built a fully functional, miniature make-believe town for kindergartners at Willow Brook Elementary to use for hands-on learning. (See Town)

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Which other continent would you most like to visit?

1. South America
2. Europe
3. Asia
4. Africa
5. Australia
6. Antarctica

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite water activity for a Tennessee summer?

1. Drinking it: 30%
2. Boating: 24%
3. Kayaking/canoeing: 24%
4. Swimming: 22%

Tennessee is the only place in North America where what type of gemstone is harvested?

Show me the answer