Department of Safety and Homeland Security Will Issue REAL ID Driver License Beginning July 1
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOSHS) Driver Services Division has begun issuing REAL ID driver license and identification cards effective July 1, 2019. All driver services centers are equipped and ready to issue the credentials to Tennesseans who decide to obtain the REAL ID. The REAL ID Act of 2005 establishes minimum security standards […]
SFMO: Leave Fireworks to the Experts this Fourth of July
Ahead of Fourth of July festivities, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is reminding residents of the Volunteer State about the dangers associated with consumer fireworks. The SFMO urges Tennesseans to leave the fireworks to the experts this Independence Day. “Watching a fireworks display is a fun Fourth of July tradition for many Tennesseans,” […]
Gov. Bill lee and Tenn. General Assembly expand Behavioral Health Safety Net Eligibility
More Tennesseans are now eligible for free mental health services through the state’s Behavioral Health Safety Net program. New, broader eligibility criteria take effect today (July 1, 2019) increasing the number of uninsured, underinsured, and indigent people who can receive services through the program. Governor Bill Lee proposed and the Tennessee General Assembly approved $5 […]
New Crackdown on Robocalls Announced by FTC
Nashville, TN- The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office is participating in today’s “Operation Call it Quits,” a nationwide effort by the Federal Trade Commission and its law enforcement partners to stem the tide of universally loathed illegal robocalls. “Operation Call it Quits” includes four new cases and three new settlements from the FTC alone. Collectively, the […]
Child Struck By Boat Propeller On Douglas Lake
DANDRIDGE, TENN.—A four-year-old child has been seriously injured after being struck by a boat propeller during a boating incident on Douglas lake this afternoon. TWRA Boating Enforcement Officer Chase Rich reports that around 3 p.m., Bill Thomas Wardlow Jr., 44, of Sevierville, was swimming with three children under the age of eight years old near […]
Morristown Police Investigating Death of Three Year Old Child
The Morristown Police Department released a statement this afternoon concerning a three year old child who was found deceased in a minivan in North Morristown. “We are investigating the death of a three year old child in north Morristown. The child was reported missing a little after 10:00p.m. last night when it was discovered the […]
Operation Dry Water to be Held July 5-7
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will be participating in Operation Dry Water, July 5-7. Operation Dry Water is a national weekend of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) awareness and enforcement campaign directed toward reducing alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities. Operation Dry Water is held annually near the Fourth of July holiday to give BUI […]
Statement from Gov. Bill Lee on Special Session
Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee released the following statement regarding his signing of a Proclamation calling the Tennessee General Assembly into a special session on August 23: “It is in the best interest of our State to select a new Speaker of the House, and so I am calling a special session of the General […]
Majority of Tennessee Counties Continue To Have Low Unemployment
Newly released unemployment data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) for May 2019 shows unemployment rates for nearly every county in the state are below 5 percent for the month. Ninety-one counties have unemployment rates lower than 5 percent and four counties have a rate of 5 percent or higher in […]
Disaster Loans Now Available to Help Flood Impacted Businesses, Residents in 19 Counties
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced today the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will make its disaster loan program available in five counties recovering from the severe storms and flooding from Feb. 6 through Feb. 24, 2019. “We are committed to pursuing every assistance option available to help Tennesseans put their lives and businesses back together […]
TDCI Provides Recovery Tips Following Weekend Storms
The first day of summer (June 21, 2019) brought widespread severe weather across Tennessee, including heavy rain, damaging winds, and power outages. With severe weather again forecasted for the Volunteer State this week, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) is providing tips to aid consumers when filing their insurance claims, selecting contractors, and […]
Hands Free Tennessee Begins In One Week
On July 1st, motorists will no longer be allowed to hold and use a cell phone while driving on any street in Tennessee. According to a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study for 2017, over 3,100 individuals died nationwide as a direct result of distracted driving with almost 600 being individuals that were not […]
Attorney General Slatery Announces over $6 Million in Debt Relief for Former Tennessee ITT Tech Students
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III announced today an agreement to obtain over $6 million in debt relief for 699 former ITT Tech students in Tennessee. Nationally, the settlement involving 42 states and the District of Columbia will result in debt relief of more than $168 million for more than 18,000 former ITT students. The […]
Welcome Summer 2019!
Don’t let the temperatures fool you, today marks the summer solstice which ushers in the season for fun in the sun! The June solstice occurred at 11:54 a.m. EDT, as the sun reached the point at which it is farthest north of the celestial equator. The event makes today the longest day and the shortest […]
Tennessee Unemployment Remains Near Historic Low In May
Tennessee’s statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2019 inched up slightly to 3.3 percent after remaining at an all-time historic low for three consecutive months, according to data released by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). May’s preliminary rate of 3.3 percent is 0.1 of a percentage point higher than the […]
Tennessee Department of Finance Releases May Revenues
Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Stuart McWhorter today announced that overall May revenues were $1.2 billion, which is $46.3 million more than the state budgeted. “Total reported revenues in May were more than estimated and demonstrated sound growth over this same time period last year,” McWhorter said. “Both sales tax and corporate tax revenues […]
