Trump Holds Back TN Governor Endorsement

President Trump has told both leading Republican candidates for Tennessee governor that he won’t endorse either of them before the Aug. 6 primary.

The announcement leaves Marsha Blackburn and John Rose, the two Republican frontrunners who have each built their campaigns around loyalty to Trump, without the president’s blessing. Both have long pointed to their ties with Trump as a central campaign argument.

Trump reportedly told associates he has personal relationships with both candidates and doesn’t want to weigh in.

With the primary just eight weeks out, the decision reshapes a race that had been defined by the question of who was more Trump-aligned.

Husband Saves Wife from Taco Truck Explosion

The day before their 25th wedding anniversary, Tim McPherson ran through fire to rescue his wife, Tiffany, after their taco truck exploded in Atwood.

The couple was preparing their food truck, TNT Tacos, for a day of work when the vehicle suddenly erupted in flames. Tim, who was by the door, turned around and went back in to pull his wife to safety. Both were airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville with severe burns.

“Tim could’ve easily ran out but chose to come back and get me and drag me out,” Tiffany wrote in a message from her hospital room. “He had to go through the explosion that was hell before busting us both through the door and saving our lives.”

The couple’s family has set up a fundraiser to help cover medical costs during what will be a long road to recovery.

Sahara Dust Headed to Tennessee

A plume of Saharan dust is drifting across the Atlantic and making its way toward Tennessee, where some residents might notice it in the mornings or evenings.

The phenomenon kicks off each summer as dry, fine sand from Africa gets swept up into the upper atmosphere and rides trade winds across the ocean. It typically arrives in the southeastern United States by mid-June and can linger through mid-August.

For most Tennesseans, the dust shows up as hazy skies and a milky, washed-out look to the horizon, especially vivid at sunrise and sunset. See photos from last year here.

Air quality can dip during peak plume events, but the dust helps suppress Atlantic hurricane activity by reducing the moisture and instability storms need to form.

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➤ Statewide: Middle Tennessee police departments say new technology tools are helping them manage an ongoing staffing shortage, allowing fewer officers to cover more ground. (More)

➤ Also Statewide: A new report shows that Tennessee is losing classroom teachers at a higher rate than any other state in the nation. (More)

➤ Nashville: Two people were hospitalized Monday after an incident aboard an American Airlines flight at Nashville International Airport. No cause has been released. (More)

➤ Knoxville: The mayor plans to introduce a one-year moratorium on large data center construction, making the city the latest to push back on the AI-driven data center boom. (More)

➤ Memphis: City council members are demanding answers after the city closed a 13-acre land deal with Elon Musk’s xAI, land originally intended for a greywater treatment plant whose future is now uncertain. (More)

➤ Murfreesboro: The airport is in early development stages for its first-ever air traffic control tower, with an FAA review underway for design concepts. (More)

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➤ Tennessee State will play Jackson State at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium on August 29, renewing one of HBCU football’s most storied rivalries. (More)

➤ University of Tennessee researchers developed the natural grass playing surfaces used at all 16 World Cup stadiums this summer, along with a 3D-printed foot device to test turf safety for players. (More)

➤ Nashville Predators assistant general manager Brian Poile is leaving the organization after 16 years. He’s the son of former Predators GM David Poile, who retired in 2023. (More)

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

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➤ A new list ranks 101 Middle Tennessee employers as the region’s top workplaces based on anonymous employee surveys. (More)

➤ WK Kellogg Co. announced 117 layoffs this summer at its Memphis factory, weeks after announcing more than 400 additional cuts at its Omaha facility. (More)

➤ Bristol Sportsplex has been listed for sale as its owners cite rapidly growing operations as the reason for the listing. The facility hosts a wide range of youth and amateur sports events. (More)

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The Lithium Boom is Heating Up

Lithium stock prices have more than doubled in the past year in response to ballooning costs and shortages. $ALB climbed 185%. $SQM, 133%.

But the real winner may be a private stock, EnergyX. Their tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods, leading General Motors to invest. Now, they hold rights to up to 13M tons of lithium across the Americas. 

Now, you can buy private EnergyX shares alongside 40k+ people. Join them as an early-stage investor before the 7/16 deadline.

➤ Make-A-Wish East Tennessee is sending a Roan Mountain boy battling heart disease on the fishing trip of his dreams in West Yellowstone, Montana. (More)

➤ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival opens tomorrow in Coffee County, and state officials have plans to keep Interstate 24 traffic moving through the weekend. (More)

➤ The most popular baby names for 2025 are out, with Liam and Olivia topping the list, while distinctly Tennessee picks like Waylon for boys and Willow for girls also made the cut. (More)

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Which baby name from the most popular list do you like best?

1. Olivia
2. Liam
3. Waylon
4. Willow
5. Other (reply to tell us!)

Previous Results:

Where’s your favorite spot to wait out a Tennessee thunderstorm?

1. On my couch: 47%
2. A neighborhood diner: 18%
3. The car: 18%
4. Basement (just in case): 17%

What famous Nashville landmark does Taylor Swift name-drop in her song Invisible String?

Show me the answer