Monday, July 20, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1942, Carl Dean was born in Nashville. Dean was the quietly devoted husband of Dolly Parton, whom he met outside a laundromat on her very first day in Music City in 1964.

The Spring Hill Police Department has a new narcotics K-9 on the streets, and her name is Mia, in honor of a resilient little girl born with Down syndrome. Have you ever met a dog whose name came with a great story?

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TN Takes Instagram Addiction Lawsuit to Trial

Tennessee’s lawsuit against Meta, accusing the company of designing Instagram as an addiction machine that harms children and teens, begins jury selection today in Nashville’s Davidson County Chancery Court.

The state, one of 42 suing Meta, alleges the company knew Instagram caused depression, anxiety, and sleep problems in young users but withheld that information and continued targeting minors to capture their time and data for profit.

Meta argues it has spent a decade building age-appropriate safety features, but the state points to internal company research it says showed more than a quarter of all users witnessed bullying within a week, far higher than what the company publicly portrayed.

Earlier trials this year resulted in a $375 million verdict against Meta in New Mexico and a $3 million verdict in California. Tennessee’s trial is expected to last roughly seven weeks.

Ag Head Accused of Campaign Meddling

Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt is facing accusations in a new lawsuit that he used his official position to pressure the Tennessee Farm Bureau to endorse Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn ahead of the Aug. 6 primary.

The lawsuit was filed in Weakley County Circuit Court by former Farm Bureau insurance agent Bryant Rhodes.

The case alleges Holt was already serving as a Blackburn campaign spokesperson and used a dispute at an April property auction to fabricate a story and pressure Farm Bureau to fire Rhodes.

Rhodes claims Farm Bureau yielded to Holt’s pressure in part because the organization was already worried about upsetting the commissioner after declining to publicly endorse Blackburn. He is suing for defamation and lost wages.

Titans Rally Around Chris Johnson amid ALS

Former Tennessee Titans players and NFL figures have joined an ALS ice bucket challenge in support of Chris Johnson, a former Titans running back who revealed his ALS diagnosis on June 29 in an interview with Michael Strahan on ABC.

The Titans posted a video featuring former players like Keith Willis, Adrian Peterson, and Charles Woodson completing the challenge, which involves dumping a bucket of ice water over one’s head.

Nashville rapper Young Buck also participated last week and challenged Mayor Freddie O’Connell to make his own video. O’Connell, in turn, challenged the president of the Nashville Predators, Bishop Joseph Walker of Mt. Zion, and the entire Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball team to participate next.

Johnson, who spent six seasons with the Titans and set the NFL single-season rushing record in 2009 with 2,509 yards, has been receiving an outpouring of support from the Nashville community since his diagnosis.

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➤ Memphis: State Rep. Justin Pearson and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke Friday near the xAI data center, where neighbors say gas-fired turbines are causing pollution and breathing problems. (More)

➤ Also Memphis: Local officials are warning of potentially unhealthy air quality through Saturday as smoke from Canadian wildfires moves into the region. (See Details)

➤ Chattanooga: The city’s state-appointed airport board voted to withdraw from a lawsuit against the state takeover of airport operations, saying continued litigation would cost the airport unnecessary money. (More)

➤ Nashville: A vehicle struck a fire hydrant on James Robertson Parkway on Friday, sending water gushing into the air before Metro Water shut it off. (See Video)

➤ Cumberland County: School officials are warning parents after a local business collected deposits for an unapproved after-school care program. Anyone who paid is urged to contact law enforcement immediately. (More)

➤ Mt. Juliet: Three-time WNBA champion Alysha Clark has released a children’s book called Paw Paw’s Playlist, honoring her late father and offering young readers tools for navigating grief. (See Video)

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➤ The Memphis Grizzlies took on the Golden State Warriors late last night in the NBA Summer League championship game. The Grizzlies won the Summer League in 2019 and had previously reached the title game last season. (See Results)

➤ The SEC media days kick off today in Tampa, Florida, featuring interviews with players and coaches from Vanderbilt and Tennessee. (More)

➤ Tennessee men’s basketball has announced a home-and-home series against Michigan State for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, giving the Vols a top-tier out-of-conference opponent. (More)

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➤ DC Blox has purchased the 23-acre property next to the Nashville Zoo, but a Metro Council vote tomorrow on data center restrictions and unresolved permit questions could still block construction. (More)

➤ A developer is proposing a 7-story, 245-unit apartment complex near Knoxville’s stadium district. It would include ground-floor retail, mountain views, and a 10% workforce housing commitment. (More)

➤ European American Armory has acquired a manufacturing facility in Mountain City and is seeking firearms industry partners to lease space as it establishes domestic production operations in Johnson County. (More)

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➤ Spring Hill’s police chief named the department’s new narcotics K-9 Mia after his four-year-old grand-niece, who was born with Down syndrome and has inspired the family with her resilience. (See Photos)

➤ Chattanooga’s Nehemiah Project R3 surpassed its goal of 12,000 backpacks packed with school supplies for students in need on Saturday, continuing 26 years of back-to-school support for local families. (More)

➤ Memphis filmmaker Princeton James celebrated ten years of building the city’s creative scene this weekend with actor Jimmy Smits in attendance. James’ Kooler Kids program has trained more than 20,000 children in the arts. (More)

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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:

➤ Scientists are closing in on regrowing human teeth, and the first breakthroughs could make implants and dentures a thing of the past. (Hear Breakthrough)

➤ Wildfire smoke doesn’t stay outside. A few simple steps can keep the air inside your home clean when the haze rolls in. (Hear How)

➤ Wall Street firms were pitched a $100,000-a-month subscription for one product: faster access to President Trump’s social media posts. (Hear Details)