Tennessee Starts Sending $600 Federal Unemployment Benefit
The state of Tennessee has started paying approved unemployment claimants their first installment of the $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefit, in addition to their Tennessee Unemployment Compensation (TUC) benefit. On Tuesday, April 14, the state distributed benefit payments of close to $94 million to financial institutions for approximately 110,000 unemployed Tennesseans. Most claimants […]
School Board Introduces New Meal Distribution Plan, Extends School Closures
First, there will be no meal distribution tomorrow at Jefferson County School campuses. Meal distributions will resume on Friday, April 17 with the following changes. All school campuses, including Patriot Academy, will serve as distribution sites. The only exceptions will be the main campus of JCHS and Jefferson Academy. Meals will be provided daily from […]
‘Winters’ During Spring?
Anyone who has lived in East Tennessee for any amount of time knows that once spring arrives, winter isn’t necessarily finished playing its tricks. According to folklore and old wives tales, East Tennesseans receives a visit by five or six different cold snaps, or “winters” as the locals call them. The early arrival of spring […]
NASA Marks Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary with #EarthDayAtHome
As the world observes the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, NASA is highlighting the agency’s many contributions to sustaining and improving our home planet’s environment with a week of online events, stories, and resources. NASA’s investment in space – both the unique Earth science we conduct from orbit and the technology we’ve […]
Public Policies Push Schools to Prioritize Creating Better Test-Takers Over Better People
Personal growth and job skills have taken a backseat to an increased focus on standardized test scores in schools across the nation, according to new University at Buffalo-led research. The study, which analyzed the educational goals of principals at thousands of public, private and charter schools over two decades, found the shift in priorities is […]
‘I Saw You Were Online’: How Online Status Indicators Shape Our Behavior
Some apps highlight when a person is online — and then share that information with their followers. When a user logs in to a website or app that uses online status indicators, a little green (or orange or blue) dot pops up to alert their followers that they’re currently online. Researchers at the University of […]
School Board Issues Changes for Child Meal Distribution
Thursday, April 9, 2020 the Jefferson County Board of Education met in special called session and unanimously voted to continue the meal distribution for children during the school building closure associated with the Covid-19 outbreak in the State of Tennessee. This follows Governor Bill Lee’s Executive Order 22. Over the last three weeks, children ages […]
Jefferson County School Board Votes to Continue Employee Pay
The Jefferson County School Board met last week via remote location to address pending business before the Board. Following the approval of the consent agenda items, the Board approved multiple Board policies on the first reading ( removing policy # 4.700). After a language change to the removed policy was motioned, the motion was withdrawn […]
Tennessee Establishes Hotline for Applicants Applying for Emergency Cash Assistance
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) launched a special hotline this month to help make it easier for families with children to check on their application for emergency cash assistance. Applicants can call 833-496-0661 to learn the status of their application, including approval or denial and how much money the approved family can expect to receive. […]
Gov. Lee Announces $10 Million in Small and Rural Hospital Readiness Grants
Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced the State of Tennessee will allocate $10 million in Small and Rural Hospital Readiness Grants to support hospitals that are facing financial strain due to the ongoing response to COVID-19. “Small and rural hospitals are critical to fighting COVID-19 and these grants will help complement federal aid dollars to […]
Tennessee to Distribute $200 Million to County and City Governments Through Governor’s Local Support Grants
Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced $200 million in grants to be distributed to every county and city government across Tennessee for one-time, local expenses in fiscal year 2021. “Capital maintenance, public safety and road projects don’t pause for disasters like the March tornadoes and the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gov. Lee. “This grant fund will […]
Suicide Prevention Starts with YOU: Life is Precious, Powerful, and Purposeful
For your consideration, please see the following Op-ed Clark Flatt, President, The Jason Foundation; Misty Leitch, Interim Director, Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network; and Marie Williams, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services If you saw a relative, a friend, or even a stranger choking, you wouldn’t hesitate to try to help. There […]
Turkey Season to Start as Scheduled; Lakes and Rivers to Remain Open
Tennessee’s 2020 statewide spring turkey hunting season will be held as scheduled and the state’s lakes and rivers and access areas controlled by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will remain open. “Governor (Bill) Lee’s Executive Orders 22 and 23 identifies outdoor activity as an essential activity provided that individuals follow Health Guidelines,” said Kurt Holbert, […]
Governor Lee, Commissioner Rolfe Announce Nearly $20 Million in Broadband Accessibility Grants
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe today announced $19.7 million in broadband accessibility grants that will expand service to support 31,000 unserved Tennesseans in nearly 12,700 households and businesses. “One of my top priorities is ensuring the success of rural Tennessee. With the assistance of these grants, […]
Governor Lee Makes New Provisions on Executive Order
Governor Bill Lee signed Executive Order 24 which includes the following provisions: -Gives Commissioner of Health authority to allow post-degree, pre-licensed mental or behavioral health professionals to treat patients through telemedicine under the supervision of a licensed professional. -Extends payment due date for the professional privilege tax from June 1 to July 1. -Suspends until July 1 […]
Tennessee Receives Key Education and Nutrition Waivers
The Tennessee Department of Education has been granted several key waivers from federal agencies to allow significantly more flexibility at state and local levels during school building closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Here in Tennessee, we have moved swiftly to proactively request waivers for certain federal requirements in order to remove as many barriers […]
