A small town in Tennessee supported an ordinance this week to ban data centers, citing concerns about how they would affect its resources.
St. Joseph Board of Commissioners voted in favor of the ordinance on first reading. The action taken by board members comes as other data center projects are being discussed in Lawrence County, which has a population of nearly 50,000, according to the town’s press release.
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An East Tennessee bridge is being named after President Donald Trump.
On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Tennessee politicians will gather to unveil the “Donald J. Trump Bridge” in Jefferson County, which has an estimated population of 60,000 people.
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A federal court upheld a Tennessee law that bans cryptocurrency ATMs.
In April, Tennessee became the second state in America to ban cryptocurrency ATMs, with Gov. Bill Lee signing House Bill (HB) 2505 into law.
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Former State Senator Jim Tracy passed away last Friday at the age of 69 years old after battling cancer.
His funeral service will be held on Tuesday at North Boulevard Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, according to his obituary. Tracy, who was married for nearly 50 years, is survived by his wife, Trena, his three sons, and three grandchildren.
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Hamilton County is contemplating a one-year pause on new data centers.
Mayor Weston Wamp introduced a resolution this week proposing a one-year ban on new data centers in the county, which has nearly 400,000 residents.
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A new congressional bill proposal seeks to prevent pregnant women who are noncitizens from entering America.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision in Trump v. Barbara, struck down a President Donald Trump executive order that sought to outlaw birthright citizenship. With this ruling, noncitizens who give birth in America will continue to have their children become American citizens regardless of whether they have any ties to the country.
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A former University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK) assistant professor who was placed on administrative leave for comments she made after Charlie Kirk’s assassination received nearly $2 million to settle her wrongful termination lawsuit. The UTK Board of Trustees’ Audit & Compliance Committee approved a $1.9 million settlement on Monday for Tamar Shirinian, who taught anthropology at the school, according to The Daily Beacon. UTK suspended Shirinian (pictured above) following the comments she posted online after Kirk, a conservative activist, was killed at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. Two days after Kirk died on September 10th, 2025, Shirinian said the “world is better off” without him. “Even those who are claiming to be sad for his wife and kids,” wrote the professor, “his kids are better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath.” She then called Kirk’s widow a “sick f*** for marrying him.” On September 15th, UTK began termination proceedings against Shirinian. The associate professor then sued the school in October 2025, alleging the school had violated her First Amendment rights. Shirinian’s lawsuit said she made the comments as a private citizen on her personal time and on her personal device without any reference to…
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A new congressional bill wants to limit the influence of foreign adversaries on American technology.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Export Control Enforcement and Enhancement Act, which would prevent sensitive American technology from being sold to foreign adversaries.
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Only one county in Tennessee had an unemployment rate above 5 percent in May.
Perry County, which has an estimated population of 10,000, had a jobless rate of 5.3 percent, according to state government data. The rural county’s unemployment rate remained unchanged from April.
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Wilson County took a step toward implementing a moratorium on data centers.
On Monday, the Wilson County Planning and Zoning Committee advanced a resolution that would implement a six-month ban on new data center construction in the county.
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The Knox County Commission unanimously passed a resolution that bans data center construction for one year.
The resolution will allow the county to develop zoning regulations for data centers to “address current and emerging technologies not yet covered by existing zoning regulations.”
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Over 6,000 people have signed an online petition urging a rural Tennessee county to impose an 18-month moratorium on data centers.
The petition comes as Lawrence County may be getting a data center in Lawrenceburg. The city’s planning commission will hold a meeting on July 9th to discuss the data center’s site plan.
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Tennessee announced on Thursday that it received settlement money from a rent-pricing manipulation lawsuit.
The Volunteer State got $7 million from the settlement with LivCor, a Chicago-based real estate investing company, over allegations that the company used rent-pricing software, including RealPage products, and competitors’ confidential data to raise apartment rents.
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Wilson County may be the next county in Tennessee to establish zoning regulations for data centers.
On Monday, at its county commission meeting, Commissioner Lauren Breeze said that she was working on introducing an amendment to regulate data centers in Wilson County.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell signed an executive order allowing Metro departments to review the impact of large-scale data centers on the city.
“We don’t want the potential negative impacts of large-scale data centers in our neighborhoods, so in partnership with the Metro Council, we’re taking action to ensure we put proper regulations in place before any more of these things are proposed,” said O’Connell on Monday.
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The Metropolitan Planning Commission decided to put off a decision on regulating data centers in Davidson County.
The planning commission will consider a proposed ordinance on June 25th that will provide a “comprehensive regulatory framework for data centers.”
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The Coffee County Commission unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday imposing a one-year moratorium on data centers.
According to the resolution, the one-year ban will allow the county’s planning commission to propose zoning regulations regarding data centers.
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The Nashville Zoo is pushing back against a proposed data center planned for a site next to the zoo.
Nashville Zoo launched an online petition this week urging people to sign and resist the proposed data center.
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Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon sent a letter to the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Committee on Monday, saying she will introduce an ordinance seeking a one-year moratorium on large data centers in Knoxville.
Kincannon is pursuing “recommendations” about “guardrails for the site selection and operational requirements of data centers within the city.”
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A new U.S. congressional bill seeks to compel states to share their voter roll data with the federal government.
The Election Security Partnership Act would provide additional grant funding to states that submit their voter roll information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for use in checking for ineligible voters and non-citizens.
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A Tennessee nurse practitioner is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being found guilty of drug-related offenses.
A jury found Heather Marks, a 43-year-old, guilty of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances and eight counts of illegally distributing controlled substances. She will be sentenced on September 1st and faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of conviction.
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The coalition seeking to end state property taxes announced its leadership team for all 95 counties in Tennessee.
Ninety-five percent of these county leadership positions for the “Yes on 2” campaign, the ballot initiative seeking to amend the state Constitution to ban state property taxes, are held by elected officials.
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Tennessee will become the first state in America to establish regulations for nuclear fusion machines.
The Volunteer State will unveil the regulations on June 9th.
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Tennessee submitted an amicus brief opposing Colorado local governments that are attempting to use Colorado state law to control nationwide energy policy.
The Volunteer State filed the brief this week in the Supreme Court case Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County.
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Former Democratic Metro Council Member Jerry Maynard Jr. and other family members are being accused by Eli Lilly, a drug company, of attempting to steal more than $200 million.
Eli Lilly, which generated over $65 billion in profit last year, alleges that Jerry Maynard Jr., his father Jerry Maynard Sr., his sister Misha Maynard, and others allegedly tried to defraud the company by buying large quantities of a diabetes medication called Trulicity and fraudulently selling it.
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Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and other attorneys general have joined forces to oppose a U.S. House bill proposal seeking to protect kids from online harm.
Skrmetti and 43 other attorneys general, including 41 states, Washington, D.C., and the Northern Mariana Islands, sent a letter on Tuesday to congressional leadership expressing concern about the House’s Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act.
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Williamson County School District is facing backlash after holding high school graduation ceremonies in heavy rain.
Online videos surfaced last week showing Centennial High School and Franklin High School graduates sitting through heavy rainstorms and receiving their diplomas in the rain.
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The state’s jobless rate was 3.6 percent, unchanged since February. America’s average unemployment rate is 4.3 percent.
Tennessee is tied with Idaho for the 15th-lowest unemployment rate in America. The states with the lowest jobless rates in America are South Dakota, North Dakota, and Hawaii.
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A left-wing immigration group in Tennessee filed a lawsuit this week against the state highway patrol, accusing the law enforcement agency of conducting traffic stops to look for civil immigration violations.
Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) said in its lawsuit that the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) has been working “in tandem” with federal law enforcement “with the shared goal of detaining motorists to investigate their immigration status.”
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The Knox County Commission unanimously passed a resolution on Monday stating data centers will not be able to connect to the electric grid.
If data centers want to use on-site power generation sources such as solar, wind, fossil fuels, or nuclear power, they will need to obtain separate zoning approval.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell appointed the wife of a Democratic state legislator to be the city’s new director of the Department of Law.
Tyler Yarbro, the wife of State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville), is set to replace Wally Dietz, who is retiring in July.
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The sheriff of Tennessee’s second-biggest county by population is claiming that a new potential state immigration law does not apply to him.
Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall told Tennessee Outlook that the county does not need to follow House Bill (HB) 2219, which requires county sheriffs to enter into a 287(g) program agreement with the federal government, because he lacks the required certification.
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Defendants with alleged ties to Tren de Aragua (TdA) are facing serious time behind bars.
Maikel Jesus Albornoz-Jimenez, Eduard Jesus Velasquez-Matute, Faren Aldahir Marquez-Cruz, Jose Luis Baza-Rodriguez, and Luis Manuel Tovar-Virguz are being charged with numerous federal crimes ranging from drug trafficking to firearms trafficking.
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A new bipartisan congressional bill aims to speed up the timeline for the Veterans Affairs (VA) construction project.
The Faster VA Construction Act, introduced by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and her colleagues, would allow VA construction projects to use commercial building codes and standards whenever possible.
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A Tennessee state Democrat is calling for the City of Memphis to secede from Tennessee after the state passed a new congressional map.
The Tennessee General Assembly approved a new map that turns the state’s 9th Congressional District into a district where Republicans are now favored. Previously, the district had been the state’s only majority-black district and a Democratic stronghold.
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Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery won the Democratic primary for Shelby County Mayor.
According to unofficial election results, Lowery defeated seven other candidates in the primary, earning 32.03 percent of the vote. Memphis City Council Member JB Smiley, Jr. came in second with 23.80 percent of the vote.
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House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) introduced five bills on the first day of Tennessee’s special session to consider redrawing its congressional map.
Governor Bill Lee called a special session last week after the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, ruling the Voting Rights Act did not require states to create additional majority-minority congressional districts.
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State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) criticized Tennessee’s efforts to redraw its congressional map.
The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Louisiana v. Callais that the Voting Rights Act does not mandate states to create extra majority-minority congressional districts.
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Two manufacturing companies announcing expansion plans in Tennessee anticipate creating more than 500 jobs.
The companies, Stella-Jones and Light Electric Vehicles (LEV) Manufacturing, will invest more than $50 million to complete their expansion project.
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A new congressional bill seeks to help small business owners save taxes by lowering the small tax deduction rate.
Representative. David Kustoff (R-TN-08) introduced the Small Business Tax Cut Act, which would increase the small business deduction rate from 20 percent to 23 percent. The current deduction lets qualified businesses reduced 20% of their income from federal income taxes.
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A Democratic Super PAC will be spending a large sum of money to help unseat Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in November.
The House Majority PAC (HMP) announced last week that it will spend nearly $1.6 million in television and digital advertising for the Nashville market.
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The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the 2026 legislative session this week, concluding Governor Bill Lee’s final session.
“Over eight legislative sessions, we’ve passed strategic measures to invest in education, strengthen our workforce, improve infrastructure, and secure our state’s position as a leader in next-generation nuclear energy,” Lee said.
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A new report shows Oracle has not lived up to its promise to bring thousands of jobs to Tennessee.
According to LayoffHedge, Oracle has created a net gain of seven jobs from 2022 to January 2026.
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Starbucks will be investing $100 million in Tennessee as it opens a new corporate office in Nashville.
The coffee company said on Tuesday its expansion into the Volunteer State will create up to 2,000 jobs to support coffeehouse growth and customer demand, while working with its global headquarters in Seattle.
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Nashville Pride announced its gay pride festival will take place on June 27th.
The festival date comes after questions about whether Nashville Pride could put on another parade in 2026, following a budget shortfall last year.
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A congressional bill wants to increase penalties for assaulting a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officer.
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tom Cotton (R-AK) introduced the Safer Prisons Act, which will double the maximum term of imprisonment for assaulting one of these correctional officers.
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A bill proposal seeking to clarify Tennessee’s “intent to go armed” provision is dead this session.
The House Judiciary Committee did not take any action on House Bill (HB) 2064 on Tuesday, which attempted to rewrite Tennessee gun laws.
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A candidate for the Rutherford County School Board was arrested on a charge of theft of property under $1,000.
Charles Isbell, who is running against Tammy Sharp for School Board Zone 1, was arrested on Monday for allegedly removing campaign signs, according to Sharp.
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The Tennessee General Assembly is imposing limits on local governments’ ability to relocate homeless people.
The State House and State Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 1788 last week, which prevents local governments from relocating homeless people unless they have written consent from the receiving jurisdiction and the relocation is carried out through a formal reunification program.
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Data centers in Tennessee may soon need to pay for infrastructure costs they create.
This week, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 2128, which prevents data center companies from passing on the costs of facility and utility upgrades to customers.
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