Local News

Ashland City’s planning commission has approved plans for a subdivision to be built on top of an historic site that local residents are trying to preserve.  Under the proposal, more than 200 homes will be built on what’s known as the Braxton Lee Homestead.  It’s the oldest standing structure in Ashland City and was a meeting spot for pioneers in the 19th century.  A representative for the developer says they plan to protect the house and will work with the county to turn it into a museum.

Robertson County anglers will head out across the state this Saturday.  That’s when the state holds its annual Free Fishing Day — when anyone can fish for free without a license in any of Tennessee’ public waters.  Communities plan special events to support Free Fishing Day.  .

New data show that Tennessee is one of only six states that has vaccinated less than half of its adult population.  State health officials say vaccination rates in the Volunteer State began falling in April, a decline that has continued.  In Nashville, health officials say 48 percent of the city’s population has received its first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  Around the state, vaccination rates are lower than Nashville’s rate.

The latest Census figures s how more than 836-thousand Tennesseans do not have health insurance.  Governor Bill Lee is pushing to have a Medicaid block grant waiver program approved by the Biden Administration to help pay for insurance those residents.  The Trump Administration had approved the waiver but Lee is waiting to see whether Biden will apply new rules to the waiver.  Lee wants to receive the grant money in a lump sum — which would be the first time that has happened for the state.

A nationwide study of states and dangerous driving habits, shows Tennessee ranks in the top ten states with the least distracted motorists.  The report comes from two groups called WhistleOut and We Save Lives.  They say an average of 260 teenaged drivers are killed every year during the deadliest days of summer — between June and September.  Distracted driving is blamed for at least 60 percent of fatalities.  Tennessee is ranked eighth among all states for least distracted drivers.