Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1862, Union General Ulysses S. Grant issued an order expelling all Jewish people from his military district, which encompassed portions of Tennessee, due to his belief that they led the cotton black market. President Lincoln ordered him to rescind the move soon after.

What special Christmas traditions are your family enjoying in these last weeks before the holiday? We want to hear about them! Reply to this email describing your favorite Christmas tradition, along with your name and city, for a chance to be featured in the Christmas Day edition of The Tennessee Flyover.

Later today: watch for a partner message from Elf Labs on why Disney’s $1 billion AI deal matters, and what it could mean for you as an investor.

If you’re watching how AI is reshaping entertainment and wondering where everyday investors fit in, today’s sponsor, Elf Labs, shows how the game may be opening up beyond Hollywood’s inner circle.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Pentagon Backs $7.4B Zinc Plant in Clarksville

The Pentagon is taking a 40% stake in a $7.4 billion mineral smelter planned for Tennessee, part of a deal with Korea Zinc to ramp up domestic production of critical minerals.

The Clarksville facility could process 540,000 tons of materials per year, addressing America’s reliance on China for essential metals used in defense, tech, and manufacturing.

The U.S. and unnamed investors will also acquire 10% of Korea Zinc through a $1.9 billion share sale.

It’s the largest U.S. zinc smelter project in decades and a major piece of the Trump administration’s effort to rebuild industrial capacity.

Data Breach Hits Tennessee BlueCross

Thousands of Tennesseans insured through BlueCross BlueShield may have had their personal data exposed in a major breach tied to Conduent, a third-party service provider.

Hackers accessed Conduent’s systems between Oct. 2024 and Jan. 2025, compromising names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers.

The breach affected over 10 million people nationwide and has already sparked at least nine class action lawsuits.

Conduent is offering two years of credit monitoring, but attorneys involved in the lawsuits say it took more than a year for the breach to be reported publicly—a delay they call unusual.

Church Continues to Worship After Fire

The Scott Avenue Church of Christ in East Nashville continued to host a Sunday service even after its building was completely destroyed by a fire on Thursday.

The Scott Avenue Church of Christ will hold its Sunday service at 1 p.m. at the Ramsey Church of Christ, located less than 10 minutes away from their destroyed building.

The 65-year-old congregation, which rallied to continue worship despite the loss, is now weighing next steps, including grief counseling. Minister Raymond Bass said the blaze devastated a tight-knit church family, many of whom were baptized or married there.

Investigators are still determining the cause as the community supports the displaced congregation.

Flying together with our sponsor

What Disney’s $1 Billion AI Deal Means for Investors

Disney just signed a $1 billion deal with OpenAI. The three-year licensing agreement will enable users to generate characters from Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar using AI.

But the real story today is the future of AI and IP, and how much legacy studios will pay to get in.

For as long as the $2 trillion entertainment industry can remember, IP deals like this one have been a walled garden for a handful of billion-dollar studios. Disney buys Marvel for $4 billion. Universal buys DreamWorks for $1 billion. Now Disney invests $1 billion into OpenAI. It’s like a poker game where the minimum buy-in is the GDP of a small island nation.

But the game is now changing.

While Hollywood giants scramble for their place in the AI future, one $6 billion IP powerhouse team already owns over 500 trademarks and copyrights, including iconic characters such as Cinderella, Snow White, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Rapunzel, and many more.

Their use of AI and other next-gen patented tech is on another level. They’re bringing their characters off the screen and into your living room with 3D holograms, headset-free VR, and AI-powered talking toys. And they’re giving everyday investors access as they do it.

Note: This company is not affiliated with Disney.

They spent a decade building this portfolio. Now they have a team that has executed $6 billion in merchandising deals in their careers, and they have already earned $15 million in royalties for Elf.

Their proprietary interactive content, built on 12 cutting-edge tech patents, has just secured a $200 million TV distribution deal.

As giants like Disney reveal their cards, everyday investors finally have a seat at the table.

Invest in Elf Labs by tonight at 11:59 p.m. PST and get up to 25% bonus shares.

➤ Statewide: East Tennessee parents and organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s Education Freedom Scholarship program, claiming it discriminates against students with disabilities. (More)

➤ Nashville: A new bill proposes allowing some pregnant women to use temporary disabled parking permits, which would make Tennessee only the third state to offer such accommodations. (More)

➤ Rutherford County: A debate over granting teachers mental health days led to an emotional school board meeting amid disagreements on the definition of a valid sick day. (More)

➤ Knoxville: The historic Gay Street Bridge has reopened to pedestrians and cyclists after 18 months of repairs. The updates include a narrowed entrance with bike lanes and landscaping. (See Bridge)

➤ Hamilton County: Soddy-Daisy Middle School will get a $34 million renovation to expand capacity and modernize facilities by 2029, replacing earlier plans for a new building after community feedback. (See Renderings)

➤ Memphis: Police helped safely return a loose horse running through traffic in the Douglass neighborhood to its owner with assistance from the department’s Mounted Patrol Unit. (See Horse)

➤ Women’s Basketball AP Poll: Vanderbilt and Tennessee both moved up one spot this week, settling in at No. 13 and No. 17, respectively. (See Full Poll)

➤ Memphis men’s basketball plays No. 13 Vanderbilt tonight at the FedEx Forum. It’s just the third matchup in the last 21 years between the teams, and the all-time series record is tied at 8-8. (More)

➤ The University of Tennessee brought home the Men’s Division I-AA Rugby national championship this weekend with a 21-15 win over Bowling Green State. It’s their second title in the last four years. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

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➤ Ford has announced it will now produce gas-powered trucks—not electric vehicles—at its BlueOval City plant in Haywood County starting in 2029. (More)

➤ CDF Distributors will invest $26 million to expand its Gallatin facility, creating 85 new jobs and relocating operations to a former Simpson Strong-Tie site by early 2026. (More)

➤ The Boring Company released an environmental impact assessment for the proposed Music City Loop in Nashville, finding no significant negative effects. (More)

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Flying together with our sponsor

The $4B Deal Everyday Investors Missed

In 2012, Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4 billion—one of the most profitable entertainment deals ever made.

But everyday investors never had the chance to participate, missing the upside.

Elf Labs spent a decade securing over 500 trademarks and copyrights featuring Cinderella, Snow White, and other iconic characters to ensure that these dynamic changes.

The company is building a tech-powered character universe, using AI, immersive technology, and 12 patents to activate these globally recognized characters across entertainment, gaming, and consumer products—a market estimated to be worth over $2 trillion.

Analyst interest increased even before any national rollout, following multiple unsolicited offers exceeding $70 million.

And unlike the Lucasfilm deal, investors can get in while the company is still private.

Timing matters here—a limited allocation remains, and up to 25% bonus shares expire tonight.

Invest Now

Invest in Elf Labs by tonight at 11:59 p.m. PST and get 5% bonus shares.

This is a paid advertisement for Elf Lab’s Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://www.elflabs.com/

➤ Memphis third graders designed a custom wedding dress for Taylor Swift as part of a STEM-based sewing project after her engagement to Travis Kelce. (See Dress)

➤ A Knoxville man was shocked to find a large, dead python coiled in his SUV’s engine after noticing a strange smell, likely the result of the escaped animal seeking warmth. (See Python)

➤ Lexington High School hosted a festive cookie-eating fundraiser where participants had three minutes to eat as many cookies as possible, raising money for the First United Methodist Church food pantry. (See Contest)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ This breakthrough discovery has shocked skincare experts everywhere…The tests done on 2,335 women who struggled to clear their “freckles” and get rid of wrinkles showed they had this ONE thing in common: The shape of their dark spots. Check the chart here to see if your dark spots are reversible or not.

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Have you ever seen a Tennessee bear in person?

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Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Pentagon Backs $7.4B Zinc Plant in Clarksville

Data Breach Hits Tennessee BlueCross

Church Continues to Worship After Fire

One Email. All The Tennessee News.

Get Informed About The Volunteer State In 5 Minutes.

One Email. All The Tennessee News.

Get Informed About The Volunteer State In 5 Minutes.