2/18/25
Due to the cold temperatures expected this week there will be a warming center open at the FUMC McKnight Center on Tuesday, February 18th through Friday, February 21st. The hours of operation will be 6pm – 7am each night.
TENNESSEE STATE PARKS HAVE $1.9 BILLION IMPACT ON STATE ECONOMY
2/18/25
NASHVILLE – Tennessee State Parks have an economic impact of $1.9 billion dollars in the state and support employment of 13,587 people, according to an analysis by a leading economic consulting firm.
Based on figures from fiscal year 2024, the report by Impact DataSource says the parks created $550 million in annual household income for Tennessee families. Because of the strong performance, state parks generated $111.8 million in state taxes and $22.1 million in local tax revenue. Overall, Tennessee State Parks account for $1.1 billion of Tennessee’s gross domestic product.
“Tennessee continues to invest in a conservation strategy for our state’s future, and Tennessee State Parks are a cornerstone of our efforts,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “Tennessee’s natural beauty and rich resources drive tourism and our economy, particularly in rural areas, and we welcome Tennesseans and visitors alike to enjoy all that the Volunteer State’s great outdoors have to offer.”
“We are proud of the impact our state parks have on the Tennessee economy,” said David Salyers, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “We are grateful to Governor Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly for having such vision and commitment to conservation, and the figures show how that works for all Tennesseans.”
The governor’s conservation strategy, launched in 2023, includes the addition of more new parks than any administration. The plan balances the state’s economic growth, especially in rural areas, while protecting the state’s natural resources. Admission to each of the Tennessee State Parks is free.
The conservation strategy makes new investments in Tennessee State Parks lodges and maintains a focus on making Tennessee’s state parks the most accessible in the nation, identifying and eliminating barriers that may exist for parks visitors.
The analysis presents the impact of state park visitors’ spending in the local region and state, along with expenditures in operations, maintenance, capital, and grants.
Impact DataSource, is an Austin, Texas, economic consulting, research, and analysis firm founded in 1993. The firm has conducted over 2,500 economic impact analyses of firms, projects, and activities in most industry groups in Tennessee and in more than 35 other states.
Tennessee Tech is Top Producer of Teachers in the State
2/17/25
Tennessee Tech University is once again the top producer of teachers in the state of Tennessee, according to the Tennessee State Board of Education’s 2025 Educator Preparation Report Card.
State figures released Friday, February 14th show that Tech’s College of Education & Human Sciences totaled 780 teacher candidates in its three-year cohort, besting runner-ups University of Tennessee-Martin at 768, Middle Tennessee State University at 764 and University of Tennessee-Knoxville at 608.
Within Tech’s College of Education & Human Sciences, the Department of Curriculum & Instruction – the college’s largest department – is specifically dedicated to teacher education and is supported by nearly 40 faculty and staff.
The 2025 Educator Preparation Report Card points to Tech’s pivotal role in addressing state and national teacher shortages.
The National Center for Education Statistics announced that, as of last fall, the average public school reported having six teaching vacancies and “the majority of the country’s public K–12 schools experienced difficulty hiring fully certified teachers.”
For the 2025-2026 academic year, the state of Tennessee has specifically reported teacher shortages in the fields of mathematics, world languages, early childhood education, special education and English as a second language.
At Tech, teacher candidates are supported through the College of Education & Human Science’s dedicated student success center and testing center, the Office of Teacher Education and its Jeffers Learning Resource Center – a newly-remodeled space where students can do everything from use laser engravers, sewing machines and 3D printers to create materials for their classes, to even immersing themselves in classroom settings through virtual reality technology.
Learn more about Tech’s College of Education & Human Sciences at www.tntech.edu/education/.
SOBRIETY ROADSIDE SAFETY CHECKPOINTS WEEK OF MARCH 21, 2025
MEDIA NOTIFICATION PRESS RELEASE
2/15/25
The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting sobriety roadside safety checkpoints during the week of 3/21/25 on STATE ROUTE 50 at mile marker 0 in Marshall County starting at 10:00 P.M.
Impaired driving is a serious crime that kills more than 16,000 people and injures 305,000 people every year in the United States. Troopers will evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Troopers will target those who operate a vehicle while impaired and take corrective actions for other violations observed while ensuring the protection of all motorists.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol recognizes that sobriety checkpoints are highly visible and effective tools in the battle against impaired driving.
SOBRIETY ROADSIDE SAFETY CHECKPOINTS WEEK OF MARCH 14TH
MEDIA NOTIFICATION PRESS RELEASE
2/15/25
The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting sobriety roadside safety
checkpoints during the week of 3/14/25 on STATE ROUTE 99 at mile marker 7 in Marshall County starting at 10:00 P.M.
Impaired driving is a serious crime that kills more than 16,000 people and injures
305,000 people every year in the United States. Troopers will evaluate drivers for
signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Troopers will target those who operate a
vehicle while impaired and take corrective actions for other violations observed
while ensuring the protection of all motorists.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol recognizes that sobriety checkpoints are highly
visible and effective tools in the battle against impaired driving.
