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Article Icon 1Race Opens For McNally Senate Seat

 
Three candidates entered the race to succeed retiring Lt. Gov. Randy McNally in Tennessee Senate District 5, including former Rep. Jimmy Matlock, former Sen. Stacey Campfield, and school board member David Miller.
 
Matlock and Campfield have picked up qualifying papers for the Aug. 6 Republican primary, while Miller is running as a Democrat.

McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican representing Anderson, Knox, and Loudon counties, recently announced he will not seek re-election, ending a nearly 50-year political career that began in 1978.

Tennessee voters will choose their party nominees for lieutenant governor in the Aug. 6 primary, with the general election scheduled for Nov. 3.

Article Icon 1Lottery Drop Threatens TN Scholarships

Tennessee lawmakers are considering new funding options after lottery revenue for college scholarships declined sharply as program costs continue to rise.

State officials say lottery revenue dropped by 18%, or nearly $90 million, in fiscal year 2024-25, while scholarship spending increased by 7%, creating an estimated $80 million gap. 

Economists say fewer people are buying lottery tickets, partly because legalized sports betting and emerging prediction markets are pulling gamblers elsewhere.

Lawmakers have temporarily used sports wagering revenue to cover the shortfall, but officials warn that that funding source may also become less reliable.

Article Icon 1Bee Whisperer Covered by 30K Bees

A Bartlett beekeeper known as the Bee Whisperer calmly handled a swarm of roughly 30,000 honeybees that poured out of an excavator on Friday at Thompson Machinery in Memphis. 

David Glover spotted the queen on the ground, placed her in a cage, and stood still as thousands of bees covered his head, shoulders, and arms, hoping the bees would follow her into a hive box.

The strategy worked: most of the bees moved into the box once the queen was secured. See a video here.

Despite having no protective gear, Glover was stung just once and later donated the rescued colony to a local honey producer after a tough year for beekeepers.

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Around Tennessee

➤ Gallatin: Police and community members honored U.S. Navy veteran Lonnie Dee Wayman at a Nashville funeral Tuesday, ensuring the unclaimed veteran received full military honors. (More)

➤ Nashville: Walden’s Puddle, a wildlife care facility, released a rehabilitated bald eagle over the Cumberland River after months of treatment that helped the bird recover from a fractured wing. (See Eagle)

Lakesite: A mother and daughter escaped injury Tuesday morning when a large tree crashed onto their SUV as they drove to school, heavily damaging the vehicle. (See Photos)

➤ Memphis: A former Memphis Grizzlies security director has filed a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination, claiming the team replaced an all-black security staff with mostly white officers. (More)

➤ Townsend: Appalachian Bear Rescue could begin receiving orphaned black bear cubs within weeks if it meets new state requirements, including habitat upgrades and soil testing. (More)

➤ Knoxville: Zoo Knoxville announced that Smoky Night Lights will return on March 20 after crews repaired storm damage that forced the popular after-dark light display to close just before Christmas. (More)

Tennessee Carolina Sports

 The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame will induct Bristol Motor Speedway President Jerry Caldwell and three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip, a 12-time BMS Cup Series winner, as part of its 2026 class. (More)

Tennessee men’s basketball will tip off in the SEC Tournament this afternoon at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. (See Full Bracket)

The No. 19-ranked Vols baseball team hit five home runs in their 20-2 victory over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols’ next test comes tomorrow night against No. 8 Georgia in Athens. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer | World Baseball Classic

Tennessee Business

➤ NOVONIX, a battery materials company, plans to expand beside its Chattanooga riverfront plant at The Bend, abandoning an Enterprise South proposal while keeping a $1 billion investment and 500 promised jobs. (More)

➤ Beloved Franklin hardware store Harpeth True Value will close on April 1, after more than 50 years in business, with the owner citing slowing sales as longtime employees and customers mark the end of a community fixture. (More)

➤ Construction on the Tennessee Titans’ new Nissan Stadium continues with up to 2,000 workers on site daily, as roofing has reached 85% completion, and exterior glass installation is nearing completion ahead of its 2027 opening. (See Details)

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Et Cetera

A Nashville trauma surgeon skydived to support addiction recovery and suicide prevention after a former patient who survived fentanyl addiction and severe burns inspired the jump. (See Video)

➤ The Knoxville Smokies are inviting singers to audition to perform the National Anthem during the team’s 2026 season, asking interested performers to submit audition videos online. (See Details)

➤ An Austin Peay State University graduate earned a 2025–26 Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to study interwar Polish and Soviet multicultural policies in Lithuania as a Notre Dame history doctoral candidate. (More)

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Would you ever go skydiving?

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