Local News

Students at Austin Peay are getting a reprieve from final exams.  All of today’s scheduled exams are being canceled due to an ongoing ransomware attack.  Instead, grades will be based on coursework up to this point.  A ransomware attack is malware that demands payment to avoid releasing a user’s private information to the public.  Email and Internet are still available, but personal devices must be used.

So far, three commencement ceremonies to honor the University’s Spring 2022 graduates are still on the schedule for May 6^th.  At 9 a.m. in the Dunn Center, Austin Peay will celebrate the undergraduate degree candidates from the College of Business and the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.   At 1 p.m. in the Dunn Center undergraduate degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters, the College of STEM, and the Eriksson College of Education, as well as anyone earning a Bachelor of Science in General Studies or an Associate of Science in Liberal Arts will graduate.  Then, at 4 PM the University will celebrate all graduate students, earning a master’s degree or above.

Governor Bill Lee is celebrating the approval of his education funding plan.  The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act was passed by both the state House and Senate yesterday.  The new formula would provide a base allocation of nearly seven thousand dollars per student but additional funding for students with additional needs.  Governor Lee calls it the most substantive reform to education funding in more than 30 years, giving Tennessee schools 750-million-dollars more annually starting with the 2023-2024 school year.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will collect household hazardous waste in two Mid-State counties on Saturday.  In Franklin County, the drop-off will be at the Joyce Lane Recycle Center from 8 o’clock in the morning until 1 in the afternoon.  At the same time, the drop-off in Williamson County will be held at the County Administrative Complex.  Alkaline batteries, paint, oil, antifreeze and electronics won’t be accepted.