Tennessee

Governor Lee honors fallen Tennesseans at Annual Memorial Day Ceremony – WBBJ TV

Published

2 years ago

May 25, 2024

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Governor Lee honors fallen Tennesseans at Annual Memorial Day Ceremony – WBBJ TV

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS SERVICES

CONTACT: Stephen Bell

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2024

Governor Lee honors fallen Tennesseans at Annual Memorial Day Ceremony

Nashville – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee Department of Veterans Services Commissioner Tommy Baker, and Tennessee Adjutant General, Major General Warner A. Ross II paid tribute to three service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the State’s Memorial Day service Thursday afternoon.

Gov Bill Lee Makes Statement As Special Session Ends 1

United States Army, PFC Mark P. Wilson, from Elizabethton, TN, served in Company A, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. On November 8, 1944, his unit was engaged with German forces during the Battle of the Hürtgen Forrest. PFC Wilson was killed when an artillery shell destroyed a house where he was taking shelter. He was reported missing in action on November 8, 1944. His body was unable to be recovered, and the Germans never reported him as a prisoner of war. He was declared killed in action after the war. In May 1945, a resident of the town discovered remains in the rubble of the house and buried them nearby.

U.S. personnel could not identify these remains, and they were interred as unknown in the Ardennes American Cemetery. The remains were disinterred in July 2021 and sent to the DPAA laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for identification. On September 12, 2022, PFC Wilson was officially accounted for.

Wilson was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on June 7, 2023, with full military honors.

Tennessee Army National Guard, CW3 Danny E. Randolph joined the Tennessee Army National Guard on April 21, 2009, as an Aviation Operations Specialist. Before becoming a Warrant Officer, he served as an Air Traffic Controller while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2011. He graduated from the Warrant Officer Candidate School on May 28, 2015. Upon graduating from flight school on August 21, 2014, he served as a UH-60 Blackhawk Pilot and Aviation Life Support Equipment Officer. Chief Randolph aspired to be a Maintenance Test Pilot, graduating from the Aviation Maintenance Officer Course on October 06, 2020. His dedication to duty and loyalty to his State was evident in his eagerness to volunteer for several national emergency missions, including hurricane relief, wildfire support, and COVID-19 support.

Chief Randolph tragically lost his life on February 15, 2023, in a UH-60 Blackhawk accident in Huntsville, AL. He was born to parents Chester and Patricia on July 23, 1982, in Hendersonville, TN. He married his wife Melissa on May 5, 2017. He was a father to 4 children and 3 stepchildren: Jackson, Laine, Kori, Skyler, Barrett, Avery, and Everett.

Tennessee Army National Guard, CW3 Daniel L. Wadham enlisted on May 14, 2007, as a Combat Engineer but was reclassified to Military Police shortly after completing Advanced Individual Training. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 252nd Military Police Company in 2007. He graduated the Warrant Officer Candidate School on June 06, 2013. Upon graduating from WOCS, he was assigned as a UH-60 Pilot and eventually an Aviation Safety Officer for his company. While serving as a UH-60 Pilot in A Company 1-230th AHB, he deployed again to Kosovo in 2018. His dedication to duty and loyalty to his state was evident in his eagerness to volunteer for national emergency missions, including multiple hurricane relief missions and COVID- 19 support.

Chief Wadham, of Joelton, TN, tragically lost his life on February 15, 2023, in a UH-60 Blackhawk accident in Huntsville, AL. He was born September 29, 1983, in Harris County, TX, to parents Timothy and Debby. He married his wife Rosetta on 10 August 2021. He was father to two daughters, Lillian and Scarlett.

“Today we honor the servicemembers who paid the ultimate price for our freedom,” said Gov. Lee. “Words cannot express the depth of our gratitude for the thousands of men and women who chose to put their lives on the line so we could live in the most exceptional nation in the world.

“May we never forget their courage and willingness to faithfully serve our country.”

“As we remember those we have lost, let us offer a ‘thank you’ for their sacrifice—a ‘thank you’ to their families for all they have sacrificed,” said Baker, “Their sacrifice does not go unnoticed by our state or nation or the people for whom our heroes take the oath to protect and defend.”

“Memorial Day is a day of great remembrance for those service members who sacrificed everything for us,” said Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s Adjutant General. “Out of respect, I challenge everyone to take time today and remember and honor those that gave so much. We need to ensure that their memories and sacrifice are never forgotten.”

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Tennessee

Memphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’

Published

5 hours ago

May 12, 2026

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Memphis voters file federal lawsuit against new congressional map, claiming discrimination: ‘White control over Tennessee politics’

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WSMV) – Three Memphis voters, through the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed a federal lawsuit against Tennessee leaders, claiming the state’s new congressional maps are discriminating against Black voters.

The ACLU announced the lawsuit on Monday, saying that three organizations — the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Equity Alliance, are also part of the lawsuit that was filed against Sec. of State Tre Hargett, Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins and several others.

“In May 2026, over the course of mere days, a White-dominated supermajority of the Tennessee General Assembly redrew Tennessee’s congressional map to crack the predominantly Black city of Memphis into three pieces and destroy the only district in which Black voters are able to elect representatives of their choice, shutting Black voters completely out of power in federal elections in Tennessee,” the filing states.

The ACLU and the other plaintiffs echo arguments made by Democrats while the maps were being debated during last week’s special session: “The cracking of Memphis unlawfully targeted Black voters.”

“The new plan carves through the center of Tennessee’s second largest city, dividing neighborhoods that have voted together for decades, splitting numerous counties and precincts, and cutting the Black population into thirds with suspect precision,” the lawsuit says. “The districts then run hundreds of miles east towards the Nashville suburbs, snaking through predominantly White and rural counties to dilute the voting power of now-divided Black Memphians.”

Gov. Bill Lee signed the new congressional map into law last week. The new map splits Shelby County, home of Memphis, into three districts.

Republicans have said the map modernizes the districting process and removes “racial data from the mapmaking process entirely.” Democrats, on the other hand, say that the move is meant to dismantle the Black-majority district.

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R) told WSMV that Republicans “have been very clear” on their intention to secure a ninth Republican seat in the state. He has said the map would help “ensure the state’s representation in Washington reflects its conservative values.”

The lawsuit draws significant attention to the racial makeup of Tennessee lawmakers, describing, “White control over Tennessee politics.” Plaintiffs allege that a white majority “faction” of state leaders “gave bizarre, robotic answers to the most basic questions about the map they were sponsoring.”

“None of the sponsors of the plan would admit who actually drew it, and the lead Senate sponsor—a White legislator with over a decade of service in the Tennessee General Assembly who had attended law school in Memphis — would not say whether Memphis was predominantly Black and claimed not to know that Congressional District 9 was a majority- Black district,” the filing says.

They seem to be referencing Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon), who was asked during the special session if he was aware that the majority of the residents in the ninth district are Black.

“I’m not aware,” he responded. “I know how the map is divided, but I don’t know the racial makeup of the map.”

Stevens got his juris doctorate from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

The three Memphis residents who took part in the lawsuit are Amber Sherman, a lifelong resident of Memphis and the lead Tennessee regional organizer for Black Voters Matter Fund, Rachael Spriggs, a Memphis resident for more than 20 years who is the director of Power Building for the Equity Alliance, and Kermit Moore, a nearly lifelong resident of Memphis who is the president of the Memphis A. Philip Randolph Institute.

The lawsuit claims intentional discrimination in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments, as well as retaliation for protected expression and association in violation of the First Amendment.

Plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the newly drawn map is unconstitutional and restore district lines before primary elections proceed.

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Tennessee

New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

Published

18 hours ago

May 11, 2026

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New Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet

Tennessee State Senators Michele Reneau of Signal Mountain and Bo Watson of Hixson spoke today about the new law supporting police K-9’s.

The act allows injured dogs to get stabilization services on-site and then be transported via ambulance or helicopter to a vet hospital.

“In the past, officers were basically putting the k9 in their car and transporting them in their in their own vehicle, they didn’t have an ambulance or an air ambulance,” said Senator Watson. “This allows for an air ambulance. It also allows for a educational program for those in EMS, who will be taught how to manage canines emergency medical condition, which is different than a human’s.”

In April, Erlanger flew a K9 officer from Clay County, to North Carolina.

It was the first time the program was used for a live transport after several training runs.

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Tennessee

What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2026

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What You Need to Know About Tennessee Softball’s Path to Another WCWS | Rocky Top Insider

Tennessee softball’s path back to the Women’s College World Series is set. On Sunday night, the Lady Vols were named the No. 7 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host the regional stage in Knoxville as it looks to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons.

The Lady Vols are matched up with Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the regionals. It would play Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro or Charleston in the super regionals.

Ahead of the tournament, here’s a look at each team in the Knoxville Regional and potential matchups for the ensuing best-of-three super regional if Tennessee advances.