Local News

Students have only been in school for a few months, and Tennessee has already seen hundreds of school threats, most of them hoaxes. Threats not only send parents into a panic but also cost valuable time and money. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security has investigated more than 320 school threats this year. The Department said that 125 threats occurred in just one week. So far this year, the cost of lost instructional hours due to threats in the United States has reached over $400 million. However, that amount of money doesn’t begin to compare to the amount of resources and money spent by law enforcement agencies to investigate each threat.

The Gallatin Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing woman. Police are on the lookout for Kayla McDonald “for a welfare check.” McDonald could be anywhere between Nashville and Memphis and was last known to be driving a silver 2005 Hyundai Elantra with an unknown license plate. If you see her or this vehicle, you are asked to contact the Gallatin police.

You’ll soon be able to order another batch of free COVID-19 tests when a federal program reopens this month. While the U.S. Health and Human Services agency overseeing the program hasn’t yet said when ordering can begin, the U.S. Postal Service page dedicated to it says ordering “will restart in late September.” Officials have confirmed households will be able to get four at-home COVID testing kits, and that the tests will detect current virus strains and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season. The USPS will again be responsible for delivering the tests directly to your mailbox. It’s unclear how long ordering will remain available, or whether another round of free tests will be available later this year.