State Fire Marshal Encourages Tennesseans to Leave Fireworks to the Experts
The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office reminds Tennesseans of a simple, yet significant tip for safer Fourth of July celebrations: Let the pros handle the fireworks. With a multitude of professional displays scheduled for the Fourth, including one of the nation’s largest in Nashville, there’s no shortage of festive and colorful fireworks to enjoy in Tennessee. […]
FSIS Provides PRO Grilling Tips for Summer Barbecues
From Fourth of July cookouts to entertaining visiting relatives, summertime is a season that brings together loved ones and lots of food. This summer, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is providing tips on how to “Grill Like a PRO” during your outdoor festivities. Keeping your family and loved ones safe from foodborne illness […]
Budget Passes As Recommended With No Property Tax Increase
Fiscal year 2016/17 will close on July 1st and the new fiscal year will begin, thanks to the passage of the 2017/18 budget that came as a recommendation from the Jefferson County Budget Committee to the full Commission body at Thursday evening’s County Commission voting meeting. Despite a budget season that contained what began as […]
FDA Tackles Drug Competition to Improve Patient Access
Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking two new, important steps to increase competition in the market for prescription drugs and facilitate entry of lower-cost alternatives. The agency published a list of off-patent, off-exclusivity branded drugs without approved generics, and also implemented, for the first time, a new policy to expedite the review of generic […]
40th Annual Report on the Health of the Nation
CDC today released Health, United States, 2016, the 40th annual report on the health of the nation from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the President and Congress. This year’s report features a Chartbook on Long-Term Trends in health and health care delivery over the past 40 years. From declines in cigarette smoking […]
School Board Moves Forward with Appeal and Funding for JCHS Baseball Stadium
Despite an unfavorable ruling regarding an ongoing lawsuit concerning the collapse of the roof at Jefferson County High School’s Building 8 and the associated costs to upgrade construction standards to meet current guidelines, the Jefferson County School Board unanimously decided to appeal the court’s decision. While a “ordinance of law of coverage” assertion has been […]
TWRA Operation Dry Water to Take Place This Weekend
The TWRA is reminding people that their ninth annual Operation Dry Water will be taking place the weekend of June 30 through July 2. Operation Dry Water is a national event that takes place yearly, with saturation of high traffic areas, which include Douglas and Cherokee lakes in Jefferson County. It is meant to deter […]
Tennessee Department Of Transportation Releases Updated Three-Year Bridge Funding List
Today in Nashville, State Representative Andrew Farmer (R–Sevierville) joined with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in announcing TDOT’s updated three-year bridge project list. The list was officially updated following passage in late April of Governor Haslam’s “Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads, and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy” (IMPROVE) Act, a comprehensive infrastructure funding plan passed by the General Assembly […]
Tennessee Idol Comes to Jefferson County
America’s favorite singing competition came to Jefferson County over the weekend with Tennessee Idol. The annual event covering the state of Tennessee came to Dandridge’s Field of Dreams Activity Center for the Lakeway Area section of competition. The Lakeway section featured contestants from Jefferson, Cocke and Grainger counties. The Lakeway section of Tennessee Idol began […]
Tennessee Sees Significant Decreases in County Jobless Rates
Following the lowest state unemployment rate in nearly 20 years, Tennessee’s county unemployment rates for May 2017 have decreased in 94 counties and remained the same in 1, according to data released today by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Davidson County has the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate at 2.1 percent, […]
County Commission Works Toward End of Fiscal Year
Jefferson County Commissioners will meet later this week to deal with end of year housekeeping and address the fiscal year 2017/18 budget proposal. Last week they met in a work session that followed three public hearings. Of the three hearings, only one had any public input, which was a rezoning request from A-1 to C-2 […]
Census: Tennessee’s Median Age Continues to Grow
Since the 2010 census, Tennessee’s population has continued to age and 2016 was no exception, according to the data released today by the US Census Bureau and disseminated by the Tennessee State Data Center. The center is housed within the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research in UT’s Haslam College of Business. Tennessee’s 2016 median age was […]
‘Tis The Season: Wildlife Should Remain Wild
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) officials are experiencing an increase in the illegal removal of wildlife and wishes to remind people that not only is taking wildlife from nature unlawful, it can have harmful effects on humans, pets, and wildlife populations. Animals most often taken include fawns, turtles, squirrels and baby raccoons. Sometimes the intent is […]
Patient Race and Gender Are Important In Predicting Heart Attacks in ER
Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) found that certain symptoms are more and less predictive of patients’ risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes heart attack, in patients of different gender and race. “When people come to the emergency department with chest pain or shortness of breath, emergency physicians must diagnose the cause. […]
The Summer Solstice is Here!
If this Wednesday feels especially long, it’s not just you. Today, June 21, 2017, is actually the longest day of the year, the first day of summer, and the day of the summer solstice. That seems like a lot to take place on just one day! The date of the summer solstice is based on […]
State 2017 IMPROVE Act Increases Vehicle Registration Fees To Fund Road And Bridge Projects
The 2017 IMPROVE Act was signed into law funding 1,000 road and bridge projects across Tennessee’s 95 counties. In order to fund the improvements one portion of the plan calls for an increase in certain vehicle registration fees. 100% of the increase goes to the state highway fund. The IMPROVE Act also reduced various taxes in other areas of […]