Close to 2019 level
A new Tennessee Department of Tourism report shows Hamilton County in 2021 nearly returned to the record $1.542 billion in visitor spending it saw in 2019. The 2021 mark was $1.510 billion.
The 2021 mark was fifth among the state’s 95 counties, behind Davidson, Shelby, Sevier and Knox counties. However, Hamilton County was closer to regaining its 2019 level than any of the other four counties.
Because of inflation, tourists spent the most ever in Hamilton County on food and beverages and lodging in 2021 but didn’t exceed the 2017 level in recreation or the 2016 level in retail spending. All the marks exceeded the spending in the pandemic-driven year of 2020, and the 2021 total was 40% more than in 2020.
On a daily basis, according to the report, visitor spending in Hamilton County was $4,138,306.
As a result of tourism activity, the report said, local residents pay $828 less per year in state and local taxes ($516 in state and $312 in local taxes).
State tops in election integrity
A Tennessee Democratic Party fundraising email from earlier this year stated that “the Tennessee GOP has been adding more and more barriers to voting for years.”
Is that correct?
A 50-state election integrity scorecard compiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation, which compares the election laws and regulations of each state and the District of Columbia that affect the security and integrity of the process to the organization’s best practices, says no.
In fact, it maintains Tennessee is the top state in the nation for election integrity. But it’s not a perfect score. Even the top state only scored 84 out of 100.
In the three weightiest categories, the state scored 25 out of 30 points on accuracy of voter registration lists, 16 of 21 in absentee ballot management and a perfect 20 of 20 on voter ID implementation. On less weighty categories, it scored four out of four in vote harvesting/trafficking restrictions and verification of citizenship; three out of three in access of election observers, vote counting practices, restriction of same-day registration and restriction of automatic registration; two out of three on identification for voter assistance; one out of three on restriction of private funding of election officials or government agencies; and zero out of three on election litigation procedures.
The scorecard ranks Hawaii worst in election integrity.
State is only 44th safest
Surveys every year rank the country’s 50 states on safety, but they often leave one wondering how they determined what they did.
After all, most people in most states don’t inherently feel danger in where they live, what they do and where they go.
A new survey by TOP Data on the country’s safest states at least breaks down their ranking using six categories, which covers 37 separate metrics.
Tennessee, alas, stands 44th. In the South, it is listed better than only Louisiana (47th) and Arkansas (46th).
Among the six categories, it is worst in personal safety (46th) and best (27th — still worse than half the states) in mental health.
Looking deeper among the metrics for rays of hope, the state is No. 1 in the country for its road conditions, second for (lack of) watch group participation and ninth for (lack of) substance abuse.
On the negative side, the state’s worst metrics are found in bankruptcies (49th), aggravated assaults (48th) and individuals who are fully vaccinated (46th).
With Gov. Bill Lee likely to win a second term in November, the list provides the beginning of a to-do list for his next four years.
New Hampshire, according to the survey, is the country’s safest state and Alaska the least safe.
Gun sales in state slowing
Tennessee is one of 47 states in which estimated gun sales per 1,000 people for the first seven months of 2022 have decreased compared to the first seven month of 2021, according to 24/7 Wall St.
Nevertheless, the state is ninth in the country in gun sales over the period with 71.4 purchase per 1,000 people. That number is one higher than last year when the state’s 87.2 purchases per 1,000 people placed it 10th.
Kentucky, Illinois, Utah, Indiana, Minnesota, Alabama, Idaho and Montana all rank ahead of Tennessee in purchases in 2022.
Tennessee also ranked 10th in firearm background checks over the same period in 2022, perhaps showing the state’s gun owners are more responsible than those in some states because several of the states ahead of the Volunteer State are much larger with many thousands more gun purchases.
The state also was 10th in background checks a year ago.
Kentucky and Illinois were the top two states for gun sales, respectively.