Thursday, January 1, 2026

Happy New Year! On this day in 1964, a record-breaking snowstorm suddenly slammed Middle Tennessee, leading one newspaper to quip, "The snow left weathermen embarrassed, as they were caught with their readings' down; it had not been in the forecast."

In this special New Year's edition, we're looking back at 2025 through two lenses. First, we've ranked what we see as the three biggest stories of the year in Tennessee. Then, we're sharing five editors' picks—stories that stood out to us for their impact, significance, or sheer interest.

Think we missed any major headlines? In today's poll, you can tell us which story you think was the biggest for Tennessee in 2025, and please reply to this email with your choice if you don't agree with ours.

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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.

Sept. 15: National Guard to Memphis

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee deployed the National Guard to patrol Memphis in September as part of the federally created Memphis Safe Task Force.

The deployment was challenged in court on multiple occasions, but the state filed an appeal, which led to the lifting of an injunction in November, allowing the guard to remain active.

Since its deployment, the task force has made over 4,000 arrests, seized nearly 700 illegal firearms, and issued thousands of traffic citations.

In 2025, Memphis recorded 182 homicides, the city's lowest total in over two decades.

Oct. 10: Plant Blast Kills 16

An Oct. 10 explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems, an explosives manufacturing plant in Hickman County, tragically killed 16 employees.

Authorities said the blast involved the detonation of approximately 24,000 to 28,000 pounds of material.

The explosion was powerful enough to register as a 1.6 magnitude earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and scattered debris across hundreds of acres.

Over $200,000 has been raised to support victims' families and cover costs for funerals and counseling services through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Dec. 2: GOP Election Win

Republican Matt Van Epps won a special election in Tennessee's 7th congressional district on Dec. 2, maintaining GOP control of the seat.

Van Epps defeated his Democratic opponent Aftyn Behn by 9 percentage points—notably narrower than President Trump's 22-point margin in the district during the 2024 presidential election.

The race drew more than $6.5 million in outside spending as both parties used it to test messaging ahead of the 2026 midterms.

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➤ April: Tennessee pastor Josh Sullivan was rescued unharmed after a weeklong kidnapping in South Africa. (More)

➤ June: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was indicted on human smuggling charges in Tennessee tied to a 2022 traffic stop, leading to ongoing legal battles. (More)

➤ June: Ed the pet zebra was safely recovered and airlifted by helicopter home to Rutherford County after evading capture for over a week and going viral online. (See Ed)

➤ July: Elon Musk's Boring Company announced plans to build the Music City Loop, an underground tunnel exclusively for electric vehicles that will connect downtown Nashville to the airport by 2026. (More)

➤ August: Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel faced national backlash and a $94 million stock drop after unveiling a new logo that removed its iconic "Old Country Store" branding. The restaurant later backtracked on its rebrand. (More)

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