Friday, July 3, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1943, the first residents arrived at the then-secret town of Oak Ridge, which housed Manhattan Project staff while they built an atomic bomb.

Today, the Claiborne High School band marches in Philadelphia as part of the largest America 250 parade in the nation, representing Tennessee in front of millions. Were you in the marching band in high school? Write in to tell us about your band experience!

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Judge Halts Takeover of Memphis Schools

A federal judge granted Shelby County a temporary restraining order Wednesday, blocking the state’s oversight board from taking control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

The order came just hours before the board’s first official meeting was set to begin, forcing the cancellation of that session and preserving the elected school board’s authority for now.

The county’s lawsuit argues the state’s takeover law is unconstitutional and that allowing the nine-member appointed board to override elected officials would violate the district’s constitutional rights. The order keeps the current MSCS leadership and contracts in place while the case moves forward.

State Rep. Mark White, who sponsored the oversight legislation, called the order a waste of time, while school board member Towanna Murphy called it a victory. The state plans to release a full MSCS audit on July 8.

Burchett Speaks Out at MKUltra Hearing

Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett made headlines after he questioned a witness at a House hearing on the CIA’s MKUltra mind control program about whether similar human experimentation research could still be operating today. See video here.

Burchett’s question drew cheers from the room. The witness acknowledged that any comparable program would likely operate under “deep secrecy.”

The hearing, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, was billed as an effort to examine the history of MKUltra, the CIA program that secretly experimented on human subjects with LSD and other methods from 1953 until it was shut down in the early 1970s. Much of its documentation was destroyed on orders from the CIA director following Watergate.

Burchett also asked whether mind control may have played a role in assassination attempts against President Trump. A former CIA officer has said she doesn’t believe the underlying research ever truly stopped.

Band Heads to Philly for America 250

The Claiborne High School band is marching in Philadelphia this weekend as part of the Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade. The event has been billed as the largest professionally produced America 250 parade in the nation, featuring 250 bands representing all 50 states and U.S. territories.

The East Tennessee band, which paid nothing out of pocket thanks to community fundraising, will march in two parades, performing in front of what organizers expect to be millions of spectators during America’s 250th birthday celebration.

“It means so, so much to be able to represent our great state of Tennessee in the 250 national parade,” said drum major Whitney.

Assistant Band Director Michael Bloomer added, “To be here doing this on the 250th, while the World Cup is going on, we get to present ourselves in front of multiple nations. It’s truly an awesome experience.”

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➤ Statewide: Tennessee’s emergency management department got a new name and a promotion. TEMA now stands for Tennessee Emergency Management Authority and has been elevated to a standalone cabinet-level department. (More)

➤ Smith County: Rescue crews dove 12 feet into the Caney Fork River on Wednesday to recover a prosthetic leg lost when a canoe overturned. The group then continued their trip downriver. (More)

➤ Davidson County: West Nile Virus has been detected in a local mosquito pool for the first time this year, health officials announced Wednesday. (More)

➤ Chattanooga: National Geographic spotlighted the city’s remarkable turnaround from having the worst air quality in the country 50 years ago to now being a popular tourist destination. (See Details)

➤ Knox County: The school district faces a $7.8 million budget shortfall after the county redirected property tax revenue away from the district, and the state cut projected funding. (More)

➤ Rutherford County: A new Storybook Trail opened at the Patterson Park Community Center, the second such interactive outdoor reading path for children in the county. (See Video)

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➤ Tennessee athletics officially switched from Nike to Adidas this week, the beginning of a 10-year apparel deal. New uniform designs will roll out across multiple sports from July 6 through July 9, with Adidas merchandise hitting stores on July 10. (More)

➤ The Nashville Predators have been among the busiest teams in the NHL this offseason, acquiring forward Mavrik Bourque from Dallas, center Ross Colton from Colorado, and winger Nils Hoglander from Vancouver through trades. They also re-signed center Jack Drury and added free agent forward Alex Kerfoot. (See Deals)

➤ The Memphis Grizzlies traded forward Santi Aldama to the Dallas Mavericks for guard AJ Johnson and three draft picks. Aldama averaged a career-high 14 points for the team last season before knee surgery ended his year in March. (More)

➤ This November’s Battle 4 Atlantis college basketball tournament in the Bahamas will feature the Memphis Tigers in a four-team pod with Mississippi State, Wake Forest, and Penn State. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | Wimbledon | MLB | WNBA | Golf

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➤ Memphis-based FedEx is selling its supply chain division to French logistics giant CMA CGM for $1.4 billion, offloading about 10,000 employees to sharpen its focus on healthcare and data centers. (More)

➤ A Johnson City smoke shop owner is turning his Tipton Street location into a late-night pizza place called Za Lab after Tennessee’s new THCA ban wiped out about 75% of his retail sales. (More)

➤ Ugly Bagel opened a new location in Mt. Juliet, marking the Middle Tennessee bagel brand’s third store in just 18 months since launching in The Arcade Nashville. (More)

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➤ Two newborns at Williamson Medical Center are celebrating America’s 250th in style, dressed in hand-crocheted Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross outfits made by an EMS team member. (See Photos)

➤ The Tennessee Titans will sell seats, signage, turf, and memorabilia from the current Nissan Stadium online this summer. Proceeds will go to the Titans Foundation ahead of the new venue opening in February 2027. (More)

➤ Zoo Knoxville welcomed two baby red pandas in June, marking mom Sisu’s second litter. Keepers expect the cubs to go on exhibit around the three-month mark if all goes well. (See Cubs)

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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:

➤ Trump Accounts launch on the Fourth of July with a $1,000 federal deposit, though most eligible families have yet to enroll. (Hear Details)

➤ Wisconsin school officials barred a graduating senior from including a Bible verse in the ceremony slideshow. (Hear Episode)

➤ Brooklyn bodegas are openly selling an experimental weight-loss drug over the counter, despite a federal ban on its commercial sale. (Listen Now)