Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1863, the Battle of Blountville raged in East Tennessee, as Union and Confederate cavalry fought for hours over the region’s vital railroad corridor, a clash that left the Sullivan County courthouse in flames.

After a brutal heat dome that had Tennessee sweating through mid-September, forecasters say a cold front is finally on the way. How would you love to spend the first real, cool day? Reply and tell us!

Have you picked your retirement date yet? A new study says that choice may shape how long you live, not just how much you save. What happens to your odds if you work one more year? And does it matter whether you leave the job healthy or already sick? Ayla walks through what the researchers found on today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!

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Final Missing Hurricane Helene Victim Found

Debris removal crews in Washington County discovered human remains on Sept. 12 that have now been identified as Nancy Tucker, the county’s last missing resident from Hurricane Helene.

Medical examiners at East Tennessee State University’s forensics center confirmed her identity on Sept. 14, nearly two years after the storm.

Tucker vanished on Sept. 27, 2024, when Nolichucky River flooding swept away the rural home she shared with her husband, Jimmy, whose body was recovered within days.

Her recovery closes one of the last open chapters of a storm that killed more than 250 people and caused nearly $80 billion in damage across six states.

Fall Relief Set to Follow Heat Dome

Tennessee is baking under a massive heat dome, but forecasters say real fall relief is on the way as September winds down.

A cold front is expected to knock temperatures back this week, though meteorologists caution the drop won’t feel like true autumn just yet. Average highs should ease into October, when Nashville’s typical temperature falls to the low 60s.

“Hopefully the heat will ease next week, but we do not see any ‘pumpkin spice’ weather on the way yet,” a National Weather Service meteorologist in Nashville said.

The prolonged heat and dry spell have left drought conditions that could fuel fire danger across parts of the state.

UT Breaks Ground on 865 Neyland District

The University of Tennessee broke ground Saturday on 865 Neyland, a mixed-use entertainment district rising next to Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

The development will feature a 24-story condo-hotel tower, along with dining, retail space, and year-round activities. Built through a public-private partnership, the project is scheduled to open in early 2028, with the hotel tower finished by 2029.

Officials pitched it as a way to turn the area around the stadium into a destination on non-game days, not just fall Saturdays.

The groundbreaking marks one of the largest developments yet in UT’s push to reshape the riverfront corridor along the Tennessee River.

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➤ Statewide: A new report found more than 2.4 million Tennessee voters, over one in three, were moved into new congressional districts under the state’s redrawn maps. (More)

➤ Hamilton County: The school board voted to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom across the district, in a prominent location for students to see. (More)

➤ Chattanooga: The TBI is investigating an officer-involved shooting, where police say an officer fired at a man on Saturday after negotiations escalated. (More)

➤ Nashville: A man who failed a police hiring process was arrested for allegedly impersonating an officer after being pulled over for driving over 100 mph and swerving across lanes. (More)

➤ Memphis: A Le Bonheur transport team navigated a severe storm, flooding, and a disabled ambulance to get a critically ill child from rural Arkansas. (See Details)

➤ Elizabethton: The Overmountain Muster returned to Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park this weekend, marking the 246th anniversary of the 1780 gathering ahead of the Battle of Kings Mountain. (More)

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➤ ESPN College GameDay returns to Knoxville for the 13th time this Saturday, broadcasting from the lawn of Ayres Hall as the No. 14 Vols host top-ranked Texas in their SEC opener at a sold-out, checkered Neyland Stadium. (More)

➤ Titans coach Robert Saleh is raving about second-year receiver Elic Ayomanor, praising the former Stanford standout as an emerging weapon for quarterback Cam Ward’s offense. (More)

➤ The Nashville Predators trimmed their training camp roster to 54 players as the NHL preseason rolls on ahead of the regular-season opener. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | WNBA | NHL | Soccer

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➤ Nissan plans to add a third production shift at its Tennessee plant to support the 2027 launch of its first U.S.-built hybrid Rogue, expanding operations in the state. (More)

➤ Good Jobs Nashville launched after eight years of planning, connecting small businesses, workers, and policymakers to promote living wages near $22.10 an hour. Forty certified businesses are already on board. (More)

➤ Gov. Bill Lee, Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt, and Rep. Johnny Shaw will receive the National FFA’s highest honor, the Honorary American FFA Degree, for their service to agriculture. (More)

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➤ An East Tennessee 12-year-old turned a homeschool entrepreneurship project into a lemonade business, generating nearly half a million dollars in sales and donating 20% of proceeds. (More)

➤ A Nashville elementary school unveiled a new turf field after its PTA raised about $70,000 over two years, replacing a rocky patch that had caused injuries. (More)

➤ The East Tennessee History Center is recruiting “citizen historians” for a new program that seeks to preserve local history and stories. (See Details)

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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.

➤ Researchers found the timing of your retirement may matter far more than just to your savings account. (Listen Now)

➤ Insiders at major AI companies are openly mocking viral warnings that the technology could wipe out humanity. (Hear Episode)

➤ The New York Times writer behind the 1619 Project now says her decade-long public school experiment may have cheated her own daughter. (Hear Details)