Local News
A bill prohibiting vaccines on food has passed the Senate and will be sent to Governor Bill Lee for his signature. On Thursday, the Tennessee Senate cast the final vote on HB1894, which would also define drugs as “food that contains a vaccine or vaccine material.” The bill was passed in response to concerns about scientists putting vaccines in the produce purchased at grocery stores.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday narrowly blocked a bill that would have penalized gun owners for leaving a firearm loaded and accessible to a child. Under Senate Bill also known as “MaKayla’s Law,” gun owners would have potentially faced a Class C felony of reckless endangerment if a child under 13 found a gun, discharged it, and killed either themselves or another person.
A dangerous fugitive from Indiana, who has spent the last 20 years in and out of prison, is being held in a Middle Tennessee jail while awaiting extradition back to the Hoosier State. Police in Lebanon say a tip from a neighboring law enforcement agency and a network of license plate recognition (LPR) cameras covering most thoroughfares around the city led an alert officer to the ex-con’s location. 44-year-old Louie Allen Lawson’s reason for being in Lebanon is currently unknown. However, authorities said he was with a woman who was cooperating and was not charged. Lawson is currently being held in the Wilson County Jail, charged with alteration of serial numbers, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of drug paraphernalia, and being a fugitive from justice. There is a hold on him for Indiana law enforcement.
Fort Campbell revealed its monument Thursday for nine fallen service members who died in a helicopter crash last year. The 101st Airborne Division dedicated the monument at a ceremony attended by family, friends, and fellow soldiers. The nine “Screaming Eagles” were killed during a nighttime training mission on March 29, 2023, when their helicopters collided over Trigg County. The granite monument, which shows each soldier’s face and name, stands at Memorial Row. A bronze flight helmet sits on a pedestal just in front of it.
