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Article Icon 1$63M ICE Call Center Headed to Adams

Federal contract documents show the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $63 million contract to Koniag Government Services to establish a 24-hour ICE call center in Adams.

The facility would support local law enforcement agencies across the nation in immigrant detention operations and migrant tracking.

Local Adams officials say they were unaware of the planned facility and were skeptical that the small town’s infrastructure could support an operation of that scale. 

The contract adds Adams to a growing list of rural communities being tapped for federal immigration enforcement work far from the border. The town, located in rural Robertson County with a population of around 600, is best known as home to the Bell Witch legend.

Article Icon 1Death Row Inmate Asks SCOTUS for Help

Darrell Hines, an inmate scheduled to be executed Thursday for the 1985 murder of Katherine Jean Jenkins, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review his claim of cruel and unusual punishment.

His attorneys point to Dr. Mark Fowler, who was primarily involved in the botched May execution of Tony Carruthers, when medical staff took more than an hour to establish IV access.

Hines’ lawyers say two strokes this year left him partially paralyzed and at heightened risk of the same complications, and the Tennessee Department of Correction has not confirmed whether Fowler will participate.

The Tennessee Supreme Court denied his request last Thursday, and Gov. Bill Lee has said he does not plan to intervene.

Article Icon 1Bible Left at Scene Sinks Burglar

A Sumner County jury has convicted a North Carolina man who broke into an elderly Hendersonville man’s home while high on cocaine, and was caught after leaving a Bible at the crime scene.

Kippy Lee Lynch and a co-defendant entered the Island Brook subdivision home in January 2023 while the owner slept, filling backpacks with valuables and taking a handgun from the victim’s car.

As the pair fled on foot, they dropped stolen items, including a backpack that held a Bible inscribed with Lynch’s name, which investigators later recovered.

Prosecutors, who noted Lynch’s criminal record stretching back 30 years across three states, convicted him of aggravated burglary, vehicle burglary, theft, DUI, and cocaine possession.

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The Flyover

Quick Question: What color is your urine most often?

Did you know the color of your urine may reveal clues about your blood sugar health that an A1C test might not show? While urine color is often associated with hydration, a new university study has raised questions about a surprising factor that could affect how the body manages blood sugar. Changes in your urine may provide clues worth paying attention to, especially if you are concerned about maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.

Now, you can learn more about what different urine changes could potentially mean and discover a simple approach being discussed for supporting healthier blood sugar levels. Take a closer look at the research and see what your urine may be telling you about your health.

Check it out here.

Around Tennessee

➤ White County: County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson is weighing legal options after a proposed data center appeared to sidestep the county’s July 20 ban on such facilities. (More)

Campbell County: Noah Smith, 26, unseated 72-year-old incumbent Dennis Powers in the Republican primary for House District 36, which also covers Union and part of Claiborne counties. (More)

Knoxville: The Tennessee Historical Commission awarded $1.1 million in 28 matching grants for preservation projects statewide, six of them in East Tennessee. (More)

East Tennessee: A $2 million Powerball ticket was sold somewhere in the region, lottery officials say. The next drawing is tomorrow at 10:59 p.m., with a $905 million jackpot. (More)

➤ Memphis: Elvis Week 2026 is underway at Graceland, drawing fans from around the world for 10 days to celebrate the King’s life and music. (See Details)

Monteagle: A preservation easement will permanently protect the Highlander Folk Library, a rare surviving building from the civil rights-era campus where Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once gathered. (See Photos)


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Tennessee Carolina Sports

Tennessee Titans second-year receiver Elic Ayomanor has been the standout of training camp, catching a touchdown in each of the first two practices and becoming Cam Ward’s go-to target. “To me, Elic is a star,” veteran Calvin Ridley said. (More)

Titans players and the newly redesigned mascot T-Rac will make weekly appearances at high school football games across Middle Tennessee this fall. Host schools will receive a $1,000 grant from the Titans Foundation. (More)

Tennessee women’s basketball will travel to UConn on Dec. 12 to open a new home-and-home series, reviving one of the sport’s most storied rivalries. UConn won the last meeting 96-66, the largest margin in series history. (More)

Comedian Theo Von addressed the Vanderbilt football team at this week’s practice, which tight ends coach Brendan Flaherty called “a legitimate message to Vanderbilt football,” not a comedy set. (More)

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

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Tennessee Business

➤ Kyoto Fusioneering is relocating its U.S. headquarters to Oak Ridge and will build UNITY-3, a first-of-its-kind tritium breeding blanket test facility, jointly with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (More)

➤ Every Papa Murphy’s location in Tennessee is now closed after the take-and-bake chain announced closures last month. Its online directory no longer lists any active stores. (More)

➤ Tall Man Toys & Comics in Knoxville is closing after 10 years, citing rising costs, tariffs, and tighter household budgets. Everything’s 50% off through the month’s end. (More)

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Did you know the color of your urine may reveal clues about your blood sugar health that an A1C test might not show? A new university study has raised questions about a surprising factor that could affect how the body manages blood sugar.

Discover what your urine may reveal and learn about a simple approach being discussed for supporting healthier blood sugar levels.

Check it out here.

Et Cetera

➤ Taylor Swift, Lyle Lovett, and others will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame this fall. Swift, who started her career in Nashville as a preteen, will become the youngest-ever inductee. (More)

➤ A timber rattlesnake, Tennessee’s largest venomous snake, was spotted at Nashville’s Percy Warner Park. The species runs 36 to 60 inches with distinctive black chevron crossbands. (See Video)

➤ A black bear was caught on video raiding a jelly bean dispenser and scattering candy across the ground in eastern Tennessee as a stunned tourist recorded the whole thing. (See Video)

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➤ Did you know your urine color may reveal clues about your diabetes risk that even an A1C test could miss? A new university study has raised questions about a surprising factor affecting blood sugar. Learn how to detect this potential issue and discover a simple approach being discussed for supporting healthier blood sugar levels. See what the research reveals and learn more.

The Flyover Podcast

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

New research reveals the dangerous driving mistake 78% of Americans don’t believe they’re making. (Hear Mistake)

➤ Federal rules may soon let parents grow their children’s savings with pretax paycheck dollars, and employers could match. (Hear Details)

➤ After 1,666 days in a Russian prison, a US Marine veteran’s story just took a dramatic turn. (Listen Now)

  

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North Carolina Trivia

Taylor Swift filmed the music video for The Story of Us inside which Vanderbilt University building in 2011?

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