Tennessee
I-24 reopens in Rutherford County after emergency shutdown
Update 2:45 p.m.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the emergency situation near I-24 in Rutherford County has been resolved and the interstate is in the process of reopening. Traffic is moving slowly as the scene clears. Drivers needing highway assistance can dial *847 (*THP).
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Authorities have shut down part of westbound I-24 in Rutherford County due to an ongoing emergency situation Wednesday afternoon.
Officials told NewsChannel 5 there is an armed individual who has barricaded themselves inside a home near the 9000 block of Manchester Pike.
No hostages have been reported and officials added that the individual fired their gun into the air, but didn’t target anyone.
Law enforcement is working to negotiate with the individual to surrender and come out safely.
According to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, I-24 westbound is closed from the Coffee County line to South Church Street. Nearby Highway 41 is also closed between Epps Mill Road and Big Springs Road.
The Tennessee SmartWay system reports police activity near mile marker 81, where all westbound lanes and the exit ramp are blocked.
Drivers are being directed to take Exit 97 toward Wartrace and follow U.S. Highway 231 back to I-24 in Murfreesboro as an alternate route.
Authorities have not released additional details about the emergency situation.
Tenn. mom invites son’s organ recipients to do his favorite activity, dance
Here’s a beautiful story of how one mother turned her grief journey into a gathering of gratitude… and organ donation awareness.
Robb Coles highlights a special event organized by Cari Hollis – whose 26-year old son Austin died two years ago. Austin agreed to be an organ donor – and that single gesture saved multiple lives.
Cari reached out to as many recipients she could find – several of whom traveled to Nashville for an emotional celebration in Austin’s honor. One woman – whose life was saved by receiving Austin’s lungs – put it simply: “He’s my angel”.
– Rhori Johnston
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Gov. Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee have wrapped up a yearlong, statewide America 250 tour that spotlighted Tennessee’s role in the nation’s history.
The tour, themed “Tennessee: The Original Frontier”, highlighted people, places and events tied to Tennessee’s contributions to America. Over the past year, Lee visited all 95 counties as part of the effort to commemorate the milestone with Tennesseans across the state.
Over the past year, Maria and I have traveled from Mountain City to Memphis, and we’ve been reminded that our state’s greatest strength is its people,” Lee said. “As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, Tennesseans can take pride in the Volunteer Spirit carried forward in the individuals, communities, and stories that have helped shape our nation from the very beginning.
The tour concluded in Van Buren County at the same venue where Lee held his first gubernatorial campaign event in 2017, returning to the place where his statewide journey began.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Even though it only needed one win to make the Women’s College World Series finals, Tennessee softball managed its pitching staff in expectation of playing two games.
The No. 7 seed Lady Vols (49-12) were eliminated from the WCWS in the semifinals by taking back-to-back losses to No. 2 seed Texas (51-12) at Devon Park on June 1, ending their season. They lost the first game 5-2 and the second game 4-0.
Tennessee used each of its top three pitchers in the games, starting Erin Nuwer (15-1, 1.04 ERA) in Game 1 and Karlyn Pickens (15-8, 1.70 ERA) in Game 2. Sage Mardjetko (16-3, 1.45 ERA) also pitched in Game 1.
“Knowing what could be on the horizon, I think you almost have to plan for the possibility of two games,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. “You’re hoping to go out there and win it in one.”
Nuwer pitched the first two innings of Game 1, long enough to get through Texas’ full batting order once. Mardjetko then relieved Nuwer. Weekly said she made that decision because of how well Mardjetko did against Texas in the Lady Vols’ WCWS opening win against the Longhorns on May 28.
In that game, Mardjetko pitched four scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and two walks with a strikeout. She didn’t have the same success in the semifinals, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in 2⅓ innings.
“Sage did such a good job against them the other day,” Weekly said. “So, we got exactly what we wanted out of Erin. We wanted her to get us one time through the lineup without any damage, and she did, and then hand it over to Sage.”
At the start of the fifth inning, Pickens began warming up in the bullpen. Mardjetko didn’t get pulled until later in the inning, after giving up a home run, a double, a walk and two singles that amounted to three runs. However, instead of putting Pickens in, Weekly elected to go back to Nuwer.
“Just staying ready,” Pickens said of her bullpen activity. “Never know when you might go into a game. Yeah, that’s my job. It’s not my job to decide when I go in, so just stay ready.”
Weekly said she was planning on putting Pickens in if Tennessee took the lead which never happened. Pickens instead started Game 2, pitching the entire game and allowing four runs, seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts in six innings.
“You kind of have to balance how many bullets are you going to use in Game 1 if you get to Game 2?” Weekly said. “You want to get to Game 2 and have a good plan with your pitching staff. I felt like we got to Game 2 with a good plan. We got to Game 2 with a rested Karlyn, and pitching wasn’t so much the problem today. We just didn’t mount an offensive threat.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
Storms are expected to roll through Middle Tennessee Monday morning into the afternoon.
A few storms could turn strong to severe with damaging wind as the main threat. The tornado risk remains very low.
Severe weather threats for Monday, June 1, 2026. (WZTV)
Some storms will bring heavy rain that could cause localized flooding. A second wave of storms is possible later in the day with similar threats.
A large portion of Middle Tennessee was upgraded to a slight risk, Level 2/5, for severe weather. The severe threat ends shortly before sunset Monday.
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The middle of the week looks much nicer with temperatures in the low 80s and lower humidity.
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