Tennessee - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Starbucks plans to have up to 2,000 workers in Nashville

Starbucks expects to have up to 2,000 workers in its new office in Nashville, Tennessee, over the next five years, the Seattle-based coffee company told employees Tuesday morning.

By Paul Roberts / The Seattle Times (TNS) April 21, 2026

Starbucks Headquarters flies the Progress Pride flag, Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Seattle. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS)

Report: Utility was not prepared for winter storm that left Nashville in the dark

This story was originally published by the Nashville Banner. Sign up for their newsletter at nashvillebanner.com/newsletters.

By Steven Hale April 21, 2026

Five days after the Jan. 24, 2026, winter storm in Nashville, areas that were still without power were easy to see from above the city. (Martin B. Cherry/Nashville Banner file)

Memphis schools takeover push could target other Tennessee districts

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

By Melissa Brown / Chalkbeat Tennessee April 21, 2026

Sen. Brent Taylor, a Memphis Republican, chaired a conference committee on Monday that drafted legislation to effectively take over Memphis-Shelby County schools. (Larry McCormack for Chalkbeat)

Democrats eye a broader battlefield to capture Congress in November

As the mule-drawn floats and carts lined up for the annual Mule Day parade in Columbia, Tennessee, Mayor Chaz Molder, a Democratic donkey in conservative country, was bantering with Republican officials when one official called out, “With as much money as you raised, you should have two more donkeys.”

By Emily Cochrane and Reid J. Epstein / New York Times News Service April 20, 2026

Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia and a Democratic House candidate, rides on a wagon during the town’s annual Mule Day parade in Columbia, Tenn., April 11, 2026. “We need to be a little nicer,” said Molder, the mayor of Columbia, Tenn., who hopes to show that Democrats can break through with rural voters. (Brad J. Vest/The New York Times)

Tennessee lawmakers restore funding for child summer food program rejected by governor

Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday adopted a budget that will allow the state to resume participation in a federal program that helped feed 700,000 low-income kids during the summer months before Gov. Bill Lee opted out in 2024.

By Anita Wadhwani / Tennessee Lookout April 17, 2026

Staff file photo / Different meats are seen in a freezer at Chattanooga Area Food Bank's Foxwood Food Center. The Tennessee legislature approved a budget with $7 million to ensure the state's participation in a summer food program for kids that Gov. Bill Lee rejected.

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Chattanooga Tourism Co. seeks $14M from city, county in budget request

An agency in charge of marketing the region to visitors is seeking almost $14 million from Hamilton County and Chattanooga in its upcoming budget.

By David Floyd April 16, 2026

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Project manager James Caron, left, and Brian Smith, interim administrator of the Department of Parks & Outdoors, talk about work being done on the Walnut Street Bridge amid renovations. The project has been funded by Chattanooga's hotel-motel tax revenue, some of which also goes to the Chattanooga Tourism Co.

Tennessee budget approved with $45M for state park on McDonald Farm acreage

Hundreds of acres at McDonald Farm in Sale Creek are one step closer to becoming a state park, following the Tennessee General Assembly's passage of the state's 2026-27 budget Thursday.

By Sam Still April 16, 2026

Staff file photo by Seth Carpenter / McDonald Farm is pictured in Sale Creek. With the passage of its $58 billion budget, the state of Tennessee has designated $45 million for the establishment of a state park on hundreds of acres of the farm.

Tennessee Senate passes expansion of private school tuition program despite budget concerns

The Tennessee Senate approved a private school tuition grant bill Thursday, expanding the program to 35,000 students, despite concerns it could drain the state budget and force school districts to collect students’ Social Security numbers.

By Sam Stockard / Tennessee Lookout April 16, 2026

“We ought to stick with what we promised people,” said Sen. Joey Hensley, a Hohenwald Republican who voted against an expansion of private school tuition grants. (John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Early voting in Hamilton County primaries begins

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By Ruby Rayner April 15, 2026

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Flags adorn the voting location in Chestnut Hall at the Commons in Collegedale on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

Bills requiring Tennessee sheriffs to cooperate with ICE advance

Tennessee Republicans have advanced a pair of bills requiring county sheriffs to more closely cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

By Anita Wadhwani / Tennessee Lookout April 15, 2026

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