Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1930, blues singer Bobby "Blue" Bland was born in Rosemark. Bland was known for incorporating gospel influences into his unique blend of blues storytelling.

FedEx is eyeing an even bigger footprint in Memphis, rolling out plans for a massive, high-tech sorting hub dubbed Hercules that would supercharge package processing at its World Hub. See details in the story below.

🎧The long-awaited great wealth transfer may fall short of expectations, economists say, as Baby Boomers begin turning 80 this year. The shift is raising questions about why trillions of dollars may never reach heirs. Host Ayla Brown unpacks it all on today's episode of The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here.

The Flyover family of newsletters passed 4 million total readers last week, a new milestone for us. That includes The Tennessee Flyover you're reading now, plus editions covering the news in eight other states—and our flagship newsletter, The Flyover, which covers national news. If you have friends or family who want to stay up to date on the news that matters, we encourage you to invite them to join The Flyover family.

Today's sponsor is Xtreme One Entertainment, the team behind XFC, MMA's first publicly traded developmental league. Right now you can tap into their limited-time offering and even secure up to a 20% bonus stock.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

State Battles Historic Ice Storm

Tennessee remains under a Level 3 State of Emergency as a historic winter storm Fern brought dangerous ice accumulation and extreme cold across the state.

President Trump's administration granted an emergency declaration to support storm response, while the Tennessee National Guard activated additional service members to assist stranded motorists and conduct welfare checks.

Power outages peaked at 230,000 customers Sunday, the most in Nashville Electric Service's history, with crews from Kentucky traveling south to help restoration efforts. TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan warned that continued icy conditions will hamper recovery efforts and potentially cause additional outages.

Schools across Middle Tennessee remained closed today as temperatures plunged below freezing with wind chills reaching minus 10 degrees. An Extreme Cold Warning remained in effect through this afternoon, with icy conditions expected to persist through the start of February despite sunshine returning.

Residents Seek Warmth, Help

Tennesseans without power are finding refuge in warming shelters as temperatures plunge and outages stretch into their third day.

Some residents face medical emergencies without electricity, including those dependent on oxygen equipment who've been forced to shelter in their cars. Others walked miles through dangerous conditions to reach buses, with some saying they'd never experienced anything like this storm.

Nashville Fire Department stations opened as warming locations alongside overflow shelters at schools, with the Nashville Rescue Mission providing warm beds, showers, and meals for families and their pets.

City officials activated a transportation task force after residents struggled to reach warming centers, with Mobility Solutions now providing rides at 615-844-3399. More than 100 shelters are available statewide, while emergency management teams conduct cold patrols to check on individuals experiencing homelessness and connect them with resources.

Dolly Shares Her Snow Cream Tips

Dolly Parton says yes, you can eat snow cream with some careful considerations.

In an interview with Southern Living, the East Tennessee native said she made a batch herself during this week's ice storm, echoing generations of Southerners who've turned fresh snow, milk, sugar, and vanilla into a wintry treat.

But the Queen of Country offered a few rules: skip the first snow, avoid chimney soot, and steer clear of anything yellow.

"We didn't want rocky road ice cream," Parton joked. See a recipe for the homemade dessert here.

Flying together with our sponsor

This Fast-Growing Sport Is Already More Popular Than the NFL

MMA has a larger global fanbase than American football by 200M+ fans.

Yet, even as UFC media rights surpass $7B, the next generation of fighters still lacks a true developmental platform.

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➤ Statewide: The Tennessee National Guard is deploying additional troops across the state to assist with storm recovery, rescue stranded motorists, and transport healthcare workers. (More)

➤ Memphis: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem praised local officials for cooperating with federal agents in reducing crime, contrasting it with current unrest in Minneapolis. (More)

➤ Nashville: A large interstate sign collapsed onto a semi-truck on I-65 North near Exit 79, prompting a major highway closure and detours. No injuries were reported. (See Photos)

➤ Rutherford County: Two people were rescued after their car became stranded in floodwaters. Authorities are warning drivers not to cross water-covered roads due to the high risk of drowning. (See Photos)

➤ Chattanooga: Firefighters safely rescued a dog trapped on a cliff at Greenway Farm Sunday morning after it fell and became stuck on rocks near the quarry. (See Dog)

➤ Benton County: Heavy snow and ice caused two docks at Birdsong Marina to collapse, submerging several boats and prompting urgent rescue efforts by boat owners and staff. (See Photo)

➤ Men's Basketball AP Poll: Vanderbilt dropped three spots to No. 18 in this week's rankings, while Tennessee missed out on the Top 25 entirely for the second straight week. (See Full Poll)

➤ Vanderbilt women's basketball suffered their first loss of the season to No. 2 South Carolina on Sunday, 103-74. (More)

➤ Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson was hired away by the New York Giants to fill their own defensive coordinator vacancy. (More)

➤ Tennessee's basketball matchup with Georgia was moved from today to tomorrow due to the winter storm. (More)

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➤ FedEx has submitted plans to expand its Memphis World Hub with a new five-story automated sorting facility called Hercules, which would connect to an existing facility via an elevated bridge. (See Details)

➤ Gov. Bill Lee visited the Bush's Baked Beans museum in Dandridge as part of Tennessee's America 250 tour, calling the iconic 118-year-old family business a state legacy. (More)

➤ AJ Capital Partners secured a $475 million loan to begin construction on Belle Meade Village, a luxury Nashville development featuring condos, retail, and a boutique hotel. (More)

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➤ A McMinn County Deputy is being hailed as a hero after risking his life to battle flames and rescue victims during a crash caused by a stolen truck pursuit. (See Deputy)

➤ The Zac Brown Band will bring their Love & Fear tour to Knoxville's Food City Center on Oct. 8, joined by Grace Potter. Tickets go on sale Friday. (More)

➤ The Adopt a River Mile program is expanding cleanup efforts on Chickamauga, Nickajack, and Watts Bar lakes near Chattanooga, asking volunteers to remove trash from stretches of river. (See Details)

Flying together with our sponsor

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