Monday, August 31, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1890, silent-screen actress Margaret Landis was born in Nashville. She saw her Hollywood career fade with the arrival of “talkies,” reportedly in part because of her Tennessee accent.

Fentress County has a new top cop, and he’s barely old enough to have finished the academy. What was your first real job, and how do you look back on it now? Hit reply and let us know.

Today’s sponsor, Incogni, helps protect your privacy by removing personal information from data brokers and continuously monitoring for new exposures that could leave you vulnerable to scams, phishing, and identity theft.

Tennessean Among the Missing in Nepal

At least one Tennessean is among 22 Americans unaccounted for after catastrophic flooding struck a trekking group tied to the McMinnville-based Isha Foundation near the Nepal-China border.

The foundation said 77 followers and three volunteers had just finished a two-week Himalayan trek and reached an immigration center at 9:05 a.m. Wednesday, only for floodwaters to rush in nine minutes later.

In a somber Friday update, the group said it expects the worst, noting the immigration complex was completely washed away, and local experts see little chance anyone survived the flood’s force.

Up to 50 feet of silt now buries the valley, and fears of a second flood have slowed recovery crews digging through the debris.

Firefighters Deploy to Texas Wildfire

Fire crews from across Tennessee are displaying the Volunteer spirit by heading to Texas to help battle the Ross Fire, a wind-driven blaze burning west of Fort Worth.

The Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association said units from Brentwood, Franklin, Knoxville, Murfreesboro, Columbia, and Maury and Madison counties have been dispatched, with Columbia alone sending six personnel, an engine, and a support truck to a rally point near Fort Worth.

The fire, which ignited Aug. 24 near Palo Pinto, exploded to roughly 85,000 acres, forcing evacuations across two counties before crews gained ground.

It was about 31% contained as of Sunday morning, and the Tennessee deployment is expected to last 10 to 14 days.

Grandfather Unearths 2.29-Carat Diamond

A Germantown man struck it lucky on a family trip, unearthing a 2.29-carat yellow diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Barry G. Smith was searching the park with his wife and two granddaughters on Aug. 16 when, about 30 minutes in, he spotted something glimmering and pocketed it, thinking it was just a common mineral.

Park staff at the Diamond Discovery Center identified it as a canary yellow diamond, the rarest color found there and the park’s third-largest find of the year.

Smith named the gem the Sage Juniper Diamond after his granddaughters, saying he never expected to find one.

A Note from Cole, CEO of The Flyover

Dear Reader,

This week, The Flyover’s editions, including The Tennessee Flyover, passed six million readers combined.

Before anything else, thank you. A milestone like this belongs to the people who open our email every morning—that’s you.

But the number isn’t the point. The point is what six million of you showed up for, and what you have walked away from.

You know what’s on the other channel. Anchors telling you what to think before they’ve told you what happened. So-called “straight news” pages that read like opinion pages. The legacy media had one job: reporting the news, and somewhere along the way, they decided their real job was converting you to their ideology.

The slant isn’t an accident, and it isn’t decided in front of you. It happens in rooms you’ll never see. Every so often, the door cracks open: last fall, a leaked memo revealed that a legacy media outlet had spliced a presidential speech into something it never was. Two top executives resigned. That’s one leak from one room. The decisions that never leak? Those just become the evening news.

We run on the opposite principle: the truth survives the light. The facts arrive the way we found them. We don’t bend them toward a conclusion, and we don’t decide what you’re allowed to make of them. That’s your job.

We report what happened, not what to think about it.
We keep the spin out and trust you with the facts.
And The Tennessee Flyover stays free.

That was the deal at reader one. It’s the deal at six million. It’ll be the deal at 60 million.

Because here’s what I’ve learned this year, watching those newsrooms shrink and quietly walk away from their readers: a promise like ours doesn’t get broken all at once. It erodes, one compromise at a time, when an outlet stops answering to its readers.

We keep ours by staying answerable to you.

So on the week you made us six million strong, I’m asking you to put your name behind the promise. If news that plays it straight is something you want to see thrive, this is how you feed it.

Support the news you can trust. Free, every morning.

Make a generous donation to support The Tennessee Flyover.

Give $10
Give $25
Give $50
Give $100

Our promise: we answer to you. Help us keep it.

– Cole
CEO, The Flyover

Flying together with our sponsor

Unknown Number Calling? It’s Not Random

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.

Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear.

Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code FLYOVER

➤ Statewide: Tennessee households hit by a recent severe storm may receive replacement SNAP benefits for August, with automatic replacements of 30% to 60% for eligible residents, the USDA said. (More)

➤ Knoxville: A stabbing at World’s Fair Park triggered shelter-in-place alerts across the UT campus Friday until the suspect was arrested. The victim’s injuries were non-life-threatening. (More)

➤ Nashville: A nursing mother detained by ICE for nearly three months has been released and reunited with her two daughters in time for their birthdays. (More)

➤ Fentress County: Hunter Fowler was sworn in as Tennessee’s youngest sheriff, promoted after former Sheriff Michael Reagon pleaded guilty to tampering charges. (More)

➤ Gatlinburg: Rangers are still searching for a missing man in Great Smoky Mountains National Park after his vehicle was found at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. (More)

➤ Brownsville: A new Born Reading Trail opened at a Haywood County park, posting storybook pages along a walking path so families can build literacy and get exercise together. (More)

Enjoy reading The Tennessee Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ The Tennessee Titans trimmed their roster down to 53 players yesterday to remain in compliance with the NFL’s roster regulations. (More)

➤ Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel was asked if he thought players who have signed with NFL teams should be eligible to come back to play college football in a recent interview, but Heupel deflected the question, saying, “I’m not in charge of those things.” (More)

➤ New Memphis head football coach Charles Huff opened his tenure with the team with a statement 27-21 road victory over UNLV. Memphis helped seal the victory with a huge fourth-down stop with UNLV in the red zone. (See Highlight)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | IndyCar | LLWS

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Do you know what the 4 Warning Signs that your vision is Declining… Nearly 93 million Americans are considered at high risk for serious vision loss. (More)

➤ Analysts say Cracker Barrel’s stock may be about 24% overvalued despite a 64% rally over 90 days, as the Lebanon-based chain rolls out new menu promotions but faces longer-term traffic challenges. (More)

➤ Today is the last day for Tennessee small business owners to apply for the free Edge program, which offers financial coaching, mentorship, and a chance to win part of a $10,000 prize pool. (See Details)

➤ Clarksville’s City Council is debating an ordinance to set distance limits to keep future smoke and vape shops away from schools, churches, and parks. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ The Blood Sugar Warning Sign Most People Ignore. Feeling tired after eating, battling sudden cravings, or crashing midday? Don’t ignore these signs. Researchers are investigating a surprisingly simple daily habit that may help support healthy blood sugar levels already within the normal range while promoting steadier energy throughout the day. See the simple blood sugar tip everyone is talking about >>

Flying together with our sponsor

It only takes one piece of your data to find you.

Your phone number can lead to your address, relatives, workplace, and more.

That information is often sold online by data brokers—making it easier for scammers, stalkers, or strangers to know far more about you than they should.

Incogni helps remove your personal information from these databases and keeps removing it automatically.

Get 55% off with code FLYOVER

➤ Dolly Parton’s music streams surged more than 1,500% worldwide after her death, briefly making her the most-streamed artist globally. Her memoirs also climbed bestseller lists. (More)

➤ The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga welcomed two Gentoo penguin chicks, hatched in June and July, now being prepared to join the colony. (See Photos)

➤ A black bear nicknamed Pursius delighted onlookers in a Pigeon Forge parking lot, standing on its hind legs to inspect several cars before ambling back to the woods. (See Video)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Surgeon Warns About “Drunken Gut” Phenomenon. Former surgeon and gut expert Dr. Steven Gundry is shedding light on “Drunken Gut,” a phenomenon where poor gut conditions may cause the body to produce alcohol internally. If you struggle with bloating, fatigue, weight gain, or trouble concentrating, Gundry says these could be warning signs worth knowing. Check for the signs now ==>

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ One simple change to your eating habits could lower your risk of depression and dementia. It has nothing to do with what’s on your plate. (Hear Why)

➤ Canada is hiring away dozens of American researchers with a $362 million fund. The move opens a new front in the trade war. (Hear Details)

➤ A survival expert was dropped alone in the Arctic Circle with 10 tools, a camera, and grizzly bears for neighbors. His training began with boiling sea snails as a boy. (Hear Adventure)