Local News
You might want to remember where you put your long johns. Extreme cold is on its way to Tennessee. Forecasts suggest Tennesseans will feel arctic-level temperatures later this week just before Christmas. Temperatures close to zero degrees are expected across the Volunteer State with high winds and snowfall also forecast in some areas. Officials urge people to be prepared for the ice-cold conditions.
Tennessee is still experiencing high levels of the flu. That’s according to the CDC which has categorized the Volunteer State as one of eight states across the country with the highest level of flu activity. Officials are urging Tennesseans to get their flu shots to protect themselves and their loved ones this holiday season. Health experts also encourage basic hygiene practices like hand washing and social distancing to help reduce the flu’s spread, where possible.
Officials are investigating after a bizarre discovery in Humphreys County. A worker with the Tennessee Department of Transportation found a human heart in a salt pile at the TDOT facility in McEwen last Thursday. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the heart was sitting in the salt for some time. Officials are continuing to investigate.
Local veterans are among those who were honored over the weekend during National Wreaths Across America Day. Around five-thousand Nashville National Cemetery gravesites were adorned with wreaths for the ceremony on Saturday. Organizers recognize those who have served in the U.S. military each December, at Arlington National Cemetery and at more than 34-hundred other locations in each of nation’s 50 states.
The Cedar Hill board of commissioners recently elected John Edwards as the town’s new mayor. The seat became vacant when former Mayor Tom Richards retired. Edwards has two years remaining on his term before he can seek re-election in 2024.
There’s a norovirus outbreak linked to raw oysters and it’s impacting Tennessee. The CDC says restaurants and retailers should stop selling raw oysters that are coming from Galveston Bay in Texas and harvested in late November or early December. There have been 200 illnesses in connection with the oysters in eight southern states including Tennessee.
TDOT is suspending construction projects on state roads for the holiday season. The department says from Friday, December 23 at 6:00a.m. to Monday, January 2 at 6:00a.m., there will be no lane closures. There will be a handful of long-term closures already in effect that will remain. TDOT says this will help traffic across the state move smoothly, with Triple-A saying more than two-point-six-million Tennesseans will be hitting the road.
And if you’re flying out of town consider this: TSA officials at Nashville International are reporting a recording number of firearms found at security checkpoints this year. Authorities say a total for two-hundred-six guns have been discovered on Nashville travelers, significantly higher than the one-hundred-63 recovered in 2021. BNA now ranks fourth in the nation for guns found by security agents. TSA is reporting weapons at checkpoints up overall, with a record 63-hundred found at U.S. airports in 2022.