Thursday, March 5, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1963, country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Cowboy Copas were killed when a private plane crashed near Camden as they returned from a Kansas City benefit concert.

University of Tennessee experts urge residents to watch for spotted lanternfly eggs in the coming weeks and destroy them before they hatch. Learn more in the story below.

Later today, keep an eye on your inbox for a dedicated message from our partner Allegiance Gold on how institutions are positioning for 2026 and why gold is part of the shift.

These four Social Security changes could affect millions of retirees by shrinking what they can actually spend each month. On today's The Flyover Podcast, host Ayla Brown breaks down higher Medicare premiums and tax rules so you can see what may hit your next deposit before it even arrives. Tune in here!

Today's sponsor, FungaBeam, offers a simple, drug-free light-therapy device designed to target stubborn nail fungus at the source and help restore clearer, healthier nails from the comfort of home.

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.

Cities Contend for Musk Tunnel Prize

Knoxville, Gatlinburg, and Hendersonville are finalists in Elon Musk's The Boring Co. contest to build a free one-mile tunnel project in Tennessee.

The Boring Company requested tunnel proposals in January and narrowed submissions to 16 nationwide, selecting Knoxville's Vol Loop, Gatlinburg's Mountain Mile Loop, and Hendersonville's Hendersonville Tunnel as finalists.

The winning project will be announced on March 23, as the company also continues work on Nashville's planned 13-mile Music City Loop transit tunnel.

Blasting Resumes at AES Facility

Routine blasting has resumed at the Accurate Energetic Systems facility in Waverly, with advance warnings to residents, months after an October explosion that killed 16 people.

Federal investigators say they are still working to determine the cause of the explosion five months later, after nearly 30,000 pounds of explosive material detonated, leaving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and other agencies conducting a complex, slow-moving investigation.

Some nearby residents say the resumed explosions are reopening trauma from the deadly incident.

Coach Runs Across State For Daughter

Trevecca track and cross-country coach Austin Selby plans to run 566 miles across Tennessee in June to raise money for his teenage daughter's addiction treatment.

Selby will travel from Memphis to Bristol in 12 days, hoping to bring attention to mental health and the financial strain families face during recovery.

The run comes years after Selby himself recovered from severe injuries in a crash that doctors said would end his running career.

He says the challenge is meant to support his daughter Sadie and spark open conversations about addiction and hope. Follow his journey on social media here.

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➤ Statewide: Agriculture experts urge residents to destroy spotted lanternfly egg masses before they hatch later this month to slow the spread of the destructive invasive insect. (More)

➤ Jefferson City: Carson-Newman University said nine students, faculty, and chaperones stranded during escalating conflict between Israel and Iran have left Jerusalem and moved into Egypt as they work to arrange travel back to the U.S. (More)

➤ Nashville: The Metro Council voted to oppose The Boring Company's Music City Loop tunnel connecting downtown to the airport. The state has already approved the project, and construction will continue. (More)

➤ Also Nashville: A local elementary school has agreed to clear a teacher's record after he refused to read an LGBTQ-themed book to first-grade students and instead arranged for another teacher to read it. (More)

➤ Chattanooga: The police department celebrated the largest academy graduating class in more than a decade, bringing the department closer to full staffing. (See Photos)

➤ Tellico Plains: A prescribed burn covered more than 650 acres of Cherokee National Forest on Tuesday, reducing wildfire risk and improving forest health. (More)

➤ Vanderbilt women's basketball player Mikayla Blakes was named SEC Player of the Year after leading the Commodores to 27 regular wins—one of the best regular seasons in program history. (More)

➤ The Nashville Predators traded veteran forward Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild for a second-round pick. McCarron spent six seasons with Nashville, usually in a reserve role. (More)

➤ Lady Vols basketball player Kaiya Wynn announced she's leaving the program after not being named a starter in the senior day game, a moment she described as her "breaking point." (More)

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➤ Starbucks plans to open a corporate operations office in Davidson County in 2026 to support coffeehouse growth and customer demand, working alongside the company's global headquarters in Seattle. (More)

➤ Tennessee ranked No. 4 among the nation's most tax-friendly states, earning recognition for having no state income tax and relatively low property taxes. (More)

➤ PMC Biogenix will permanently close its North Memphis chemical plant on April 26, affecting 172 employees, according to a WARN notice filed with the state. (More)

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➤ Gov. Bill Lee proclaimed this week as David Crockett Week in Tennessee, proposing $22.7 million to rebuild David Crockett Birthplace State Park after Hurricane Helene damage. (More)

➤ Gatlinburg will host the Smokies BearWise Open House on March 18, with agencies across Sevier County teaching residents how to prevent conflicts and safely respond to black bears. (See Details)

➤ Tennessee Brew Works’ annual crawfish boil returns this weekend with live music and more than 2,000 pounds of crawfish, sausage, corn, and potatoes at its Ewing Avenue taproom. (More)

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