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Tennessee
Magnet fishers gather in Nashville to clean the Cumberland and raise money for Autism Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A unique YouTube community that aims to clean rivers with their hobby across the world is gathering in Nashville to raise money for Autism Tennessee with its Trash4Cash event.
They are called magnet fishers, and they use strong magnets to clean out all of the metal trash that is harming their local waters.
Saturday and Sunday they are doing double the good, cleaning the Cumberland River while raising money to help those with Autism.
John White is from Lawrence County Tennessee. He has more than 4,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, “Johnny’s Corner,”where he captures himself magnet fishing in his local waterways.
White said there are magnet fishing YouTubers like him from all over the world who have created a tight-knit community. Every year they try to get together like a family reunion to magnet fish and raise money for a good cause.
Last year it was St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and together they raised 65 hundred dollars while cleaning a river in Wisconsin.
This year White thought, why not invite the community to Tennessee?
They will be out on the Cumberland River at Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
People are welcome to come meet them, watch them work, join if you are also a magnet fisher, participate in a raffle for gifts, buy t-shirts, or simply donate and all of the money will go towards Autism Tennessee.
White said choosing the organization as their non-profit of choice this year means a lot to him because his eight-year-old daughter has Autism, and his family has become close friends with other magnet fishers in the community who also have children on the spectrum.
“It feels good to see my daughter know that someone is out there like them, they’re not alone. That’s the biggest, important thing…You got people out there crusading for you.”
He said his daughter helped him decide what they want the money raised to go towards.
“We just want it to go to people who are non-communicative, get them tablets so they can communicate with mom and dad, aunt and uncles, grandpas. Communication with family is key. Get people that are trying to live on their own bus fare so they can go to the grocery store and get food or clothing. Help with legislature to get more sidewalks in an area where Autistic people may need to walk,” said White.
He said so far the community has raised over $3,600 dollars. He said they have received donations from local businesses, the Tennessee Titans, the Nashville Sounds, and some country music artists like Blake Shelton. He hopes Music City will come out this weekend to continue to support.
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Corbin, Vandy Boys support Sullivan family
Small gestures can have such a big impact. This story is proof. Sports Anchor Steve Layman shows how Vanderbilt Head Baseball Coach Tim Corbin, and his entire team, provided a much needed distraction for a young man and his family — facing an unthinkable tragedy. Yes, it’s just baseball. But on this day, it was so much more for everyone involved. Kudos to the Commodores!
-Rhori Johnston
Tennessee
RTI Reaction: Tennessee Comes From Behind to Win Double Overtime Thriller Against Texas A&M | Rocky Top Insider

Tennessee Basketball fought from behind to earn an 87-82 win over Texas A&M in double overtime on Tuesday night in Knoxville. The Vols trailed for much of the game from the jump, but Tennessee pushed forward and found a way to win in front of its home fans in the Food City Center.
Tennessee spent more than 35 minutes trailing in that game, with much of that coming in consecutive minutes from the opening whistle. The Vols didn’t take the lead until the 5:29 mark in the second half, and still had to fight off a few Aggie runs in order to push the game into extra time. Tennessee and Texas A&M were tied at 71 at the end of regulation and tied at 75 after the first overtime, but the Vols outscored the Aggies by five in the final five minutes to pick up the win.
Tennessee had five double-digit scorers on Tuesday night, led by Nate Ament’s 23 points. The freshman forward also went 9-for-11 from the free-throw line with some clutch makes in the final stretch. Tennessee also outrebounded A&M 60 to 35 during the contest. It wasn’t always pretty, but it’s chalked up as a W in the record book.
After the game, RTI’s Ryan Schumpert and Ric Butler discussed their reactions to the Vols’ win on the RTI postgame show. The guys talked about Tennessee’s slow start, Ament’s big scoring night, impact players, and much more.
More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Tennessee Basketball Finds Away Against Texas A&M
Check out the RTI: Reaction show below:
RTI: Reaction
Tennessee
Authorities asking for help with crash investigation in Washington County, Tennessee
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WCYB) — Authorities in Washington County, Tennessee, are asking for the public’s help following a crash that happened last month.
The crash took place shortly before 8 a.m. on December 30 in the 200 block of Liberty Hill Road.
Authorities are encouraging anyone with security cameras along that road to view their footage from that morning and look for a spray painted, black 2001 Chevrolet Silverado.
Anyone with information is asked to call (423) 788-1414. Folks can also report information anonymously via Tip411 at wcso.net.
Tennessee
Tennessee bill rekindles debate over prayer in public schools
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Prayer in public schools has been debated for generations, not over whether students may pray, but over how far government should go in regulating religion in the classroom.
The longstanding question is resurfacing at the Tennessee State Capitol, where Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso has introduced legislation challenging the modern interpretation of the separation of church and state.
Bulso’s bill argues that the principle of separation has drifted from its original intent and now restricts religious expression rather than protecting it. Supporters of the proposal said the result is not neutrality, but discrimination, treating religion as something to be excluded from public life instead of being accommodated.
“It’s pushing the envelope,” said David Hudson, a constitutional law professor at Belmont University. “He’s going farther than that by suggesting the entire body of Supreme Court decisions after 1947 interpreting the Establishment Clause is wrong.”
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Courts have long interpreted that language as limiting government involvement in religion while still allowing individuals to freely practice faith.
Supporters of Bulso’s bill argue that recent applications of that principle have gone too far, creating an environment where religious expression is discouraged in public schools.
Opponents disagree, saying the Constitution requires government neutrality, particularly in a religiously diverse society.
“In a pluralistic country, you cannot have one-size-fits-all prayer,” Hudson said. “That’s part of why the separation exists.”
House Democrats echoed that argument, pointing to what they say is already happening in Tennessee schools. In a statement to News 2, Senate Democratic Caucus Press Secretary Brandon Puttbrese said:
Tennessee public school students are already free to pray and study the Bible. No one is stopping them. In fact, there are student-led Bible study clubs already happening in the district he represents.
Instead of chasing problems that don’t exist, a better use of the legislature’s precious time would be to address the K-12 school funding crisis. Tennessee ranks 47th in public school student spending. That’s a real problem.
⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com
Newer religion-in-education cases have worked their way through the courts. Hudson said the bill may be designed to test how far that shift could go.
“It may be trying to introduce something that, if passed, is challenged,” he said. “And that would force courts to deal with recent Supreme Court precedent that has lowered the church-state separation barrier.”
Lawmakers return to session on Tuesday. For the bill to become law, it must be referred to committee, pass hearings and votes in both the Tennessee House and Senate, and ultimately signed by the governor.
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