Local News
Tennessee is being sued by the Federal Government. The lawsuit claims the Volunteer State’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. Governor Bill Lee signed the bill into law last month. The Department of Justice believes the law violates the 14th Amendment because it stops transgender minors getting “medically necessary” care, while others are allowed to receive the same treatments.
Road Trip Alert: Dollywood is opening its biggest roller coaster yet. An announcement has been made for the coaster called Big Bear Mountain, the grand opening of which will take place on Friday, May 12th, where Dolly herself will be in attendance. It is the biggest single-attraction investment in the history of the park and is nearly four-thousand feet long. It has cost Dollywood 25 million dollars..
Police said speed and alcohol were a factor in a crash in Portland yesterday. 26-year-old William S. Swafford of Portland will face multiple charges after the accident at the intersection of Highway 109 and Longview Road where police say Swafford failed to stop for a traffic light. He was traveling northbound when his Chevrolet Impala struck a Nissan Altima on the driver’s side, pushing it into a Sumner EMS ambulance that was stopped in the southbound lanes for the traffic signal. The driver of the Altima was taken to Skyline Medical Center in very critical condition. Swafford faces a laundry list of charges.
For the first time in over four weeks, the state gas price average is trending lower. Gas prices across Tennessee fell seven cents, on average, over last week. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $3.31 which is 17 cents more expensive than one month ago but 54 cents less than one year ago.
Americans who feel discriminated against at work have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study. People participating in the study published this week told researchers they did not have high blood pressure at the start of the eight-year study