Tennessee

Attorneys for Tennessee inmate worry state could use expired drugs for lethal injection

Published

1 hour ago

May 20, 2026

Attorneys for Tennessee inmate worry state could use expired drugs for lethal injection

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys for a Tennessee death row inmate say they are concerned the state may be planning to use expired lethal injection drugs at his execution on Thursday, a growing concern across the country as states work to keep most information about their drugs secret.

Tony Carruthers’ attorneys twice asked the Tennessee Department of Correction last month whether it had secured the appropriate drugs for his execution date and for assurance the drugs had not expired.

Assistant Attorney General John W. Ayers’ response did not directly answer but said the department will comply with its lethal injection protocol — which includes regular inventory of the drugs to monitor expiration dates.

Carruthers, 57, was sentenced to death after being found guilty of the 1994 kidnappings and murders of Marcellos Anderson, his mother Delois Anderson, and Frederick Tucker.

The Tennessee Department of Correction declined to answer on Wednesday when asked by The Associated Press whether the drugs they plan to use to kill Carruthers are expired. Gov. Bill Lee’s office did not immediately respond to a similar inquiry.

Federal Public Defender Amy Harwell said in an email that expiration dates reflect when a drug can no longer be safely relied upon to obtain the desired result.

“In the execution context, this may mean a slow, lingering death without a reliable loss of consciousness, as the body painfully and fitfully shuts down,” Harwell wrote.

Public opposition to executions has made it difficult for prisons to obtain execution drugs, among the lingering issues for those who use lethal injection. Some states have been forced to speed up executions or stop them entirely due to expiration dates on drugs.

In South Carolina, executions were on hold for 12 years while the state struggled to obtain drugs. They were eventually able to get them only after the state passed a shield law that would keep the identity of the supplier secret.

Tennessee has argued in court that its shield extends to revealing expiration dates. Just before the December execution of Harold Nichols, Tennessee Deputy Attorney General Cody Brandon offered instead to provide a declaration “attesting that the chemicals to be used in Mr. Nichols’ execution will not expire before his execution and have not expired,” according to a transcript of the proceedings.

“The fact that TDOC was willing to provide such assurances to Mr. Nichols, but not Mr. Carruthers, raises serious concerns that TDOC is, in fact, intending to use expired drugs,” Harwell wrote in a May 18 follow-up to Ayers’ letter.

Arkansas, Idaho have faced challenges

In 2017, Arkansas’ then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson issued death warrants for eight prisoners on the state’s death row in an effort to beat the clock on a batch of lethal injection drugs that were set to expire. The state executed four of the men, but four others were granted stays.

Arkansas has not had any executions since then, in part because of the difficulty in obtaining drugs.

A group of Texas inmates in 2023 unsuccessfully tried to stop the state from using drugs they alleged were expired and unsafe. Prison officials denied their claims and said the state’s drug supply was safe.

Attorneys for Idaho’s death row inmates raised similar concerns in 2024, when the state planned to take a second try at executing Thomas Creech after the first attempt was botched.

The Federal Defender Services of Idaho told a federal judge that prison officials apparently failed to even check the expiration date of the execution drugs before obtaining a death warrant for Creech in October 2024. Nine days later, the drugs were returned to the supplier because they were expired, according to court documents. A new Idaho law has changed the state’s primary execution to firing squad in part because of the difficulty of getting lethal injection drugs.

Tennessee has had problems with execution drugs

Tennessee has a history of problems with its execution drugs. In 2022, Oscar Smith came within minutes of being executed before Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a surprise reprieve that revealed the state’s lethal injection drugs were not being properly tested for purity and potency. Executions were on hold for two years to allow for an independent investigation into the problems.

The state attorney general’s office was also forced to concede in court that two of the people most responsible for overseeing Tennessee’s lethal injection drugs at the time “ incorrectly testified ” under oath that officials were testing the chemicals as required.

Tennessee released a new lethal injection process in December 2024, and restarted executions in 2025. Several death row inmates have sued over the new protocols, arguing that the Correction Department did not follow the recommendations from the investigation.

Meanwhile, the new process has not been completely smooth. When Byron Black was executed by lethal injection in August, he said he was “ hurting so bad.” Prison officials have offered no explanation for what might have caused the pain.

101st Airborne veterans get Purple Hearts years after an insider attack

As we honor those who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice, it is also heartening to see the military right a wrong. Chris Davis brings us the moving story of a Purple Heart ceremony two decades in the making. It’s worth a watch.

A heartfelt thanks to all who bravely serve.

– Carrie Sharp

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Tennessee

Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta fires back at graduates booing ‘AI speech’ during Middle Tennessee State University ceremony

Published

13 hours ago

May 20, 2026

Press Room

Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta fires back at graduates booing ‘AI speech’ during Middle Tennessee State University ceremony

Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta fired back at college graduates who booed him for discussing the ongoing artificial intelligence revolution during his commencement speech.

Borchetta, the 63-year-old music mogul who is credited for discovering Taylor Swift, shrugged off the graduates’ disapproval, saying they would regret not listening to him at Middle Tennessee State University’s ceremony on May 10.

“We are the agents of change and the agents of next, and this industry will change on you in a heartbeat. It has already changed more in the last 10 years than in the 50 years prior,” Borchetta told the crowd inside the Murphy Athletic Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. “Streaming rewrote the economics. Social media rewrote the discovery model.

“AI is rewriting production as we sit here,” Borchetta said as he was met with a chorus of boos inside the university’s 10,000-seat arena.

“Hey, like I said, you can hear me now or pay me later,” he said. “Then do something about it. It’s a tool, make it work for you.”

The crowd consisted of graduating students from MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, named after the Nashville record label founder, along with the College of Education and the College of Business.

“Here’s a warning: invest in the skill and art of creation and not the platform or the system. Platforms and systems come and go. What is still the most valuable commodity is great content, great storytelling,” he said.

“AI is not going to change that. No matter the platform, content is king. Give it great ideas,” he added. As you step into your next season, know that people who thrive are the people who invested in and trusted their judgment and vision in their own taste, their own instinct. Your judgment cannot be disrupted.”

Borchetta diverted his speech from AI to his own career, recalling his successes in the music industry and invoking his beliefs in unknown artists.

The music exec had discovered Swift, who at the time was a rising teen sensation, and oversaw the release of her first six studio albums.

Swift called Borchetta a fraud after he sold Big Machine Records to Scooter Braun’s control for $330 million, with it the “masters” to the singer’s first albums.

The 36-year-old superstar wasn’t mentioned during introductions for Borchetta, whose label represented multiple country stars, including Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Florida Georgia Line.

“Careers are built on someone at some critical moment, looking at something unproven and says, yes, I believe in you,” Borchetta told the graduates.

“It’s the artist that no one has heard of yet. It’s the producer and songwriter fighting for a chance,” he said. “That is the job, that is my job, still. I always say we really work hard to make it look really easy.”

Borchetta invoked country star Riley Green as his latest success, stating the “Worst Way” singer was an eight-year project through the label, which is currently under the Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment umbrella.

“Many of you graduate today with my name on your degree and that is truly my honor. Be the next generation. We’re counting on you.” Borchetta said to a resounding applause.

University of Central Florida graduates booed Florida real estate executive Gloria Caulfield when she proclaimed that “artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution” during her commencement speech on May 8.

“The rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution,” Caulfield said as a loud chorus of boos rained down on her.

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Tennessee Baseball vs. South Carolina Score, Updates SEC Tournament | Rocky Top Insider

Published

1 day ago

May 19, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee Baseball vs. South Carolina Score, Updates SEC Tournament | Rocky Top Insider

SCORE: Tennessee 0, South Carolina 0 | PREGAME

SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE AT-BAT BY AT-BAT FEED

No. 23 Tennessee baseball (37-19, 15-15 SEC) is set to battle the South Carolina Gamecocks (22-34, 7-23 SEC) Tuesday in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The game serves as the third game in Hoover overall.

First pitch at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium is at 5:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Vanderbilt-Kentucky 12-13 game is running long. The Tennessee game will start afterward. Official start time TBD.

Tennessee enters the SEC Tournament playing its best baseball of the season. The Vols are coming off back-to-back series wins over (then) Top-5 Texas and Oklahoma on the road.

Read recaps of all three games in Oklahoma City this past weekend below.

GAME ONE RECAP: Tennessee Baseball Wins Back-And-Forth Series Opener At Oklahoma

GAME TWO RECAP: Tennessee Baseball Outlasts Oklahoma To Claim Weekend Series

GAME THREE RECAP: Tennessee Baseball’s Comeback Bid Falls Short in Game Three Loss to Oklahoma

Since the Mississippi State series opener, Tennessee’s offense has been good to great, with only four bad performances across the 18 contests.

While hosting a regional is a long shot, Tennessee could position itself to enter the conversation with an SEC Tournament Finals appearance. As the 10-seed in the tournament, the Vols would need to win four games to make it to Sunday.

BRACKETOLOGY: Where Tennessee Baseball Is Projected In Field of 64 Brackets Ahead Of SEC Tournament

While Tennessee is playing its best ball of the season, the injury bug has begun to hit the Vols over the last couple of weeks.

Starting pitcher Landon Mack has been dealing with arm soreness and missed the last two series. His status is ‘day-to-day’ in the SEC Tournament and he is on the travel roster, but it remains to be seen when or if Mack will return this season.

Monday, star senior outfielder Reese Chapman took a line drive off the face and is out Tuesday against South Carolina. His Hoover status is in question, and the Vols hope to at least have one of their best bats back for the start of the NCAA Tournament.

INJURY: Tennessee Baseball OF Reese Chapman Suffers Injury Ahead Of SEC Tournament

If Tennessee beats South Carolina, the Vols will advance to play 7-seed Arkansas Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ET. If Tennessee makes it through Wednesday, UT advances to Friday to battle Texas at 4 p.m. ET.

Take a look at the full bracket for the 2026 SEC Tournament below.

HOOVER: Full SEC Baseball Tournament Bracket, Action Begins on Tuesday

Opponent Scout

South Carolina is the 15-seed in the tournament. The two sides haven’t played this season.

The Gamecocks just got swept by Vanderbilt. After firing head coach Paul Manieri a little before the halfway point of SEC play, South Carolina gained some momentum but that is not the case entering what will likely be its final game in 2026. The Gamecocks have lost 10 straight SEC games and been swept in each of the past three series.

SC owns a series sweep over Missouri and has been swept six times.

Info courtesy UT Athletics in italics

Prediction:

Tennessee beats one of the worst teams in the league and advances to Wednesday to battle Arkansas.

Offense continues to roll and Appenzeller isn’t amazing but builds off a positive relief outing last Thursday in Oklahoma.

POLLS:

D1 Baseball: No. 23 (NR)
USA Today Coaches Poll: No. 25 (NR)
Baseball America: No. 20 (up four)
Perfect Game: No. 25 (NR)
NCBWA: No. 24 (NR)

Injury/Availability Notes

VolQuest’s Eric Cain reported freshman INF Evan Hankins is OUT for the season with a knee injury he suffered in warm-ups ahead of game two at Vanderbilt.
RHP Landon Mack is day-to-day in the SEC Tournament and is in Hoover with the team. TBD if he will pitch or not. In all likelihood, he wouldn’t pitch until the weekend anyway.
Reese Chapman is OUT for Tennessee’s game against South Carolina after taking a line drive to the face in practice Monday. His availability for the remainder of the week is TBD.

TRANSCRIPT: Everything Tennessee HC Josh Elander Said Previewing The SEC Tournament

For all of RTI’s baseball coverage so far this season, click here.

For the latest RTI Diamond Pass podcast discussing the Oklahoma series win and previewing the SEC Tournament, click HERE.

WATCH: Josh Elander Previews Tennessee’s SEC Tournament Week

Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below, followed by the LIVE at-bat by at-bat game thread.

TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:

CF Garrett Wright (R)

1B Blake Grimmer (L)

3B Henry Ford (R)

DH Trent Grindlinger (R)

C Levi Clark (R)

LF Blaine Brown (L)

SS Manny Marin (R)

RF Nate Eisfelder (R)

2B Jay Abernathy (L)

Lineup Notes:

NO Reese Chapman as he manages an injury after taking a line drive to the face in practice Monday.
Clark behind the plate to open the SEC Tournament. NO Stone Lawless.
Jay Abernathy gets the second base nod with Grimmer sliding over to first.
Nate Eisfelder gets the opportunity in right field with Chapman out. He’s been solid in limited appearances.

SOUTH CAROLINA STARTING NINE:

2B Patrick Evans

SS KJ Scobey

C Talmadge LeCroy

DH Jake Randolph

1B Will Craddock

LF Ethan Lizama

RF Luke Yuhasz

3B Dawson Harman

CF Tyler Bak

Pitching Matchup:

Vols Fr. LHP Cam Appenzeller (5-1, 4.84 ERA, 17 app., 1 start, 1 SV, 48.1 IP, 42 H, 26 R, 26 ER, 12 BB, 54 K, 13 XBH, .236 opp. batting avg., 1.12 WHIP)

vs.

Gamecocks Jr. RHP Brandon Stone (5-4, 4.64 ERA, 16 app., 9 starts, 66.0 IP, 77 H, 37 R, 34 ER, 19 BB, 55 K, 24 XBH, .294 opp. batting avg.)

Pitching Notes:

Appenzeller’s second start of the season. He started a midweek in a 1.0-inning opener role previously.
- Appenzeller is coming off a solid relief appearance in the Vols’ series-opening win at Oklahoma. 2 R in 2.2 IP on 42 pitches.
- It was a bounce back from several poor outings in a row from the freshman at the pen. Starting with the Ole Miss outing, he hit a freshman wall that included four consecutive below average to awful outings.
- Appenzeller will be used as a true starter Tuesday in all likelihood with Tennessee hoping he can give them a true, quality start.

Uniforms

Tennessee: Orange tops, white pants

South Carolina: TBD

*NOTES*

The run-rule is MANDATORY in SEC play. If Tennessee or South Carolina leads by 10 or more runs at the end of the seventh inning or later, the game is over.

1st Inning:

Score: Vols 0, Gamecocks 0

2nd Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

3rd Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

4th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

5th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

6th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

7th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

8th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

9th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

FINAL: Tennessee Vols __, South Carolina Gamecocks __

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Tennessee

Tick bites rising in 2026: Symptoms, diseases to watch in Tennessee

Published

2 days ago

May 19, 2026

Press Room

Tick bites rising in 2026: Symptoms, diseases to watch in Tennessee

Tennessee has entered peak tick season and according to experts, this year could be one of the worst on record.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tick Bite Data Tracker, which uses real‑time emergency room surveillance, shows weekly tick‑bite ER visits are higher than historic averages in every U.S. region except the South Central states, with the Northeast recording the highest levels so far in 2026.

During the fourth week of April, about 114 out of every 100,000 emergency department visits nationwide were for tick bites, the highest rate for this point in the year since at least 2017, the CDC said.

Emergency room visits for tick bites in the Southeast, including Tennessee, have risen in the month of April over the past five years, per CDC data. The rate increased from 29 visits per 100,000 people in 2021 to 50 this year, an overall jump of about 72%.

Here’s everything to know about the diseases ticks carry and what symptoms to look out for.

What diseases do ticks carry?

According to the CDC, some ticks can carry pathogens that can lead to human disease, including:

Alpha-gal syndrome
Anaplasmosis
Babesiosis
Bourbon virus
Colorado tick fever
Ehrlichiosis
Hard tick relapsing fever
Heartland virus
Lyme disease
Powassan virus
Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Soft tick relapsing fever
STARI
Tularemia
364D rickettsiosis

What are the symptoms of tickborne diseases?

The CDC recommends consulting a healthcare provider if you are bitten by a tick and develop the following symptoms within a few weeks:

Fever/chills. All tickborne diseases can cause fever.
Aches and pains. Tickborne diseases can cause headache, fatigue and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease might also have joint pain.
Rash. Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes.

What is tick paralysis?

Tick paralysis is believed to be caused by a toxin in the saliva of an attached tick.

People with tick paralysis can experience weakness or paralysis that gradually moves up the body. These symptoms can sometimes resemble other neurologic conditions (for example, Guillain-Barré syndrome or botulism).

Patients typically regain movement within 24 hours of removing the tick, wrote the CDC.

How do ticks spread disease?

Ticks spread disease while feeding on a host’s blood.

After finding a spot, they latch onto the skin, cut into it, and insert a feeding tube that helps them stay attached. According to the CDC, some ticks release a substance to hold themselves in place and saliva with mild anesthetic effects, which makes the bite hard to feel.

Feeding can last from minutes to several days, depending on the species. During this time, ticks can both pick up pathogens from an infected host and transmit them through their saliva, added the CDC.

Once finished, they drop off and can pass any acquired diseases to a new host during their next feeding.

What types of ticks are common in Tennessee?

There are several common tick species in Tennessee. Here are the ones you’re most likely to encounter around your yard, according to All-American Pest Control Inc., a Middle Tennessee based pest control company:

Lone star ticks: Common across the state, these ticks are the least likely of the three to bite humans. They are named for the distinctive white spot found on the backs of adult females.
American dog ticks (wood ticks): Larger in size, these ticks have reddish‑brown bodies with white or yellow markings. Dogs and humans are their primary hosts.
Black‑legged ticks (deer ticks): The smallest of the common Tennessee ticks, black‑legged ticks are most often linked to disease transmission, though all three species can spread various illnesses.

Where are ticks most commonly found in Tennessee?

Ticks are outdoor pests.

While they can be carried indoors on people or pets, they cannot survive inside for long due to the lower humidity levels in houses.

Outdoors, ticks can appear in many areas, but they favor dense vegetation and moist environments. They’re most likely to be found in the following places: