Gov. Lee Pays Backs Expenses

Gov. Bill Lee has reimbursed travel expenses for a trip to Florida after an Ethics Commission investigation determined the nonprofit-funded trip was an illegal gift under state law.

In July, Lee traveled to Marco Island, Florida, to speak at the annual conference of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian legal advocacy nonprofit. ADF initially covered his travel costs.

The Tennessean first reported potential ethical concerns in September, noting that ADF employs lobbyists affiliated with its 501(c)(4) arm, ADF Action.

Since the two organizations share leadership, the reimbursement of the governor’s travel expenses may have violated Tennessee ethics laws, which prohibit groups employing lobbyists from providing gifts or paying travel costs for elected officials.

School Voucher Bill Introduced

New legislation introducing a school voucher program has been submitted to the state Senate.

Gov. Bill Lee has advocated for school vouchers, but an attempt to establish a similar program fell through when the House and Senate could not agree on key details.

Families dissatisfied with public school education could apply for a voucher, allowing their tax dollars that would have gone to the public school system to be used for private school tuition.

If enacted, the bill would authorize up to 20,000 scholarships for the 2025-26 school year. Half of these scholarships would be reserved for students from households meeting specific income criteria.

Nurses Collect Donations for Helene Victims

A group of nurses in Middle Tennessee is collecting donations for Hurricane Helene victims to help those rebuilding their lives weeks after deadly storms impacted parts of the state and neighboring North Carolina.

The group has set up an Amazon Wishlist for the requested gifts and a GoFundMe page for cash donations.

“We have generators on the list. We have a lot of warm clothes like coats, socks, hats – anything to keep people warm for the winter,” said one of the nurses.

The group is accepting donations through Dec. 10 and is scheduled to head to North Carolina on December 13.

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ East Tennessee: A grant program will provide $6.1 million to support projects that renovate and preserve historic buildings across the state. (More)

➤ Statewide: The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has begun its 2024-2025 winter rainbow trout stocking program, providing fishing opportunities at 40 locations across the state. (See Pictures)

➤ Nashville: The Metro Council voted to deny the FUSUS surveillance program that would have given police access to public and some private surveillance cameras. (More)

➤ Athens: A large fire damaged a UPS facility early Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported. (Watch Video)

➤ Blount County: A school bus was involved in a crash with a dump truck on Monday, though no one was injured, according to police. (More)

➤ Memphis: Utility company MLGW promised upgrades after about 21,000 homes and businesses lost power during recent cold weather. (More)

➤ The University of Tennessee football team ranked #7 in the new College Football Playoff rankings. They’ll find out after this weekend’s conference championships whether they will secure a spot in the post-season. (More)

➤ Nashville is bidding to host the FCS National Championship Game in 2026 and 2027, which would be held in the newly renovated Vanderbilt Stadium. (More)

➤ The Memphis Grizzlies advanced to the NBA Cup quarterfinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder after a win over the Dallas Mavericks late Tuesday. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Kailo’s Flex™ is an all-natural pain patch, designed to quickly relieve pain anywhere on your body. It is the most flexible, comfortable and affordable Pain Patch device we have ever made! (See it here)

➤ The city of Memphis is considering lawsuits against Hyundai and Kia over the costs of vehicle thefts. (More)

➤ A Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) partnership is awarding over $1 million to several schools in the Tennessee Valley. (Watch Video Report)

➤ FedEx and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals are partnering to help 100 students in Shelby County learn about the aerospace industry. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Final Day: Former Zillow execs now targeting $1.3T market. Spencer Rascoff co-founded Zillow. Austin Allison sold his company to Zillow for $125M. Now they’re transforming the $1.3T vacation home market with Pacaso. By bringing co-ownership to luxury properties, Pacaso’s already earned $100M+ in gross profit. Invest before Pacaso’s share price changes tonight.

This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com.

Flying together with our sponsor

If you have $50,000 or more saved for retirement, it could be at risk! Discover the 2024 IRS Loophole that thousands of Americans are using to protect their retirement savings with gold and silver! 100% Tax & Penalty FREE!

Get Your FREE INFO KIT NOW!

➤ Memphis resident Jeremy Beloate advanced to “The Voice” finale. Check out his performance. (Watch Video)

➤ The Tennessean reported on the top counties where your take-home pay goes the farthest, with Williamson County topping the list. (See List)

➤ Did you know there is a farm in Clarksville where you can cuddle with cows? (Watch Video)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Give the gift of preserving all of your photos this holiday season. The PhotoStick® OMNI automatically finds, sorts, and saves up to 60,000 photos and videos across all your devices with just ONE click.  Over 1.5 Million People Use ThePhotoStick® OMNI!

Have you ever voted for a contestant on a reality television show? 

1. Yes
2. No

Tuesday’s Results:

Have you ever walked on the Appalachian Trail?

1. Yes: 36%
2. No: 64%

Which city in the state has an aquarium with a 24-hour penguin camera?

Show me the answer