Tennessee
In one Middle Tennessee town, all 677 water bills are lost in the mail, past due
Watertown is trying to get the bottom of a billing mystery that’s affecting hundreds of customers.
All of the city’s 677 water and sewer bills, taken to the post office on June 20 for mailing, have not been received by customers three weeks later, city officials report.
Payments were due on July 10.
The city has a receipt for payment and acknowledgement of delivery from the post office, saying the bills had been taken care of, Watertown City Recorder April Lamberson said.
Watertown’s mail typically goes to Nashville, even when recipients are in the Wilson County city. There is generally a 4-5 day period between when the water bills are mailed and when they arrive to customers, Mayor Mike Jennings said.
But as of Thursday morning – one day past the due date when a 20% late fee is supposed to be added – the bills still hadn’t arrived.
Jennings has announced an extension for payment without penalty for one week until July 17, he said Thursday morning.
Customers are usually subject to water being shut off for unpaid bills after the 20th of the following month after delivery.
The city will “take a look at all circumstances before we make any decisions about shutting off water,” Jennings said. He noted past exceptions to keep water on for customers with unpaid bills during times of extreme hot or cold weather.
Jennings and other city officials have tried to make Watertown’s residents aware of the missing bills through social media and simple word of mouth, the mayor said. And well over half of the city’s customers have paid their bills by coming to city call, calling in via phone or using automatic draft, which was not affected.
But, there were still 268 customers who still hadn’t paid their bill this month as of Thursday morning, Lamberson said.
Kim Vastola, owner of Barrett’s Barber Shop on the Watertown square, paid this month’s e-business’s water bill by phone.
“Some people like the security of having a bill,” Vastola said. “It got a lot of people up in arms. Now that everyone knows it wasn’t the city’s fault and it wasn’t (Watertown) post office’s fault, everyone is a little more understanding.”
Jennings and the city are still searching for answers from the postal service about what might have happened to the water bills.
Attempts to reach the postal service for comment on this story weren’t immediately successful.
“I feel good about the way people have handled it,” Jennings said. “But I want to find a way to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
Tennessee
Sick and tired: Counties near Chattanooga are now reporting highest flu rates in Tennessee
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — Tennessee health officials say flu activity is rising sharply in around Chattanooga, with counties surrounding Hamilton showing some of the highest rates in the state.
Marion, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bradley, Meigs, Rhea, Bledsoe, McMinn and Polk counties are currently the only areas in Tennessee rated “very high” for influenza activity by the Tennessee Dept. of Health. Photo via the Tennessee Health Dept.
Marion, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bradley, Meigs, Rhea, Bledsoe, McMinn and Polk counties are currently the only areas in Tennessee rated “very high” for influenza activity by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These counties have flu positivity rates greater than 10 percent. By comparison, the statewide average is 6.5 percent, and Hamilton County itself is at 6.9 percent.
State and federal health experts say the surge comes as influenza A(H3N2) continues to circulate widely. The CDC reports at least 11 million flu illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths nationwide so far this season. One pediatric death was reported this week in Tennessee, bringing the season total to nine nationwide.
File photo: Getty Images.
Georgia officials are also reporting higher-than-average flu activity, signaling that the region is experiencing a particularly active season. Health authorities encourage residents six months and older to get vaccinated if they have not already and to take precautions such as frequent handwashing and staying home when sick.
Flu activity is expected to remain elevated in Tennessee and across the U.S. for several more weeks, according to the CDC. Local hospitals and clinics are urging families to monitor symptoms and seek care early, especially for children, older adults, and those with chronic health conditions.
For the latest guidance on influenza vaccination and antiviral treatments, visit the Tennessee Department of Health or the CDC at cdc.gov.
Tennessee launched the country’s first-ever public database tracking and listing convicted domestic abusers as part of a ratified law honoring a sheriff’s deputy who was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend.
The database, which officially launched on Jan. 1, includes offenders’ names, photos and dates of birth and is part of Savanna’s Law. The bill was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in May 2025 and required the state to establish the registry in Savanna Puckett’s name.
Puckett, a 22-year-old Robertson County Sheriff’s deputy, was tragically killed by her ex-boyfriend, James Conn, at her home on Jan. 23, 2022. Conn had a lengthy history of domestic assault arrests that Puckett had no knowledge of before they began dating.
Conn shot Puckett in the torso and head before he set her home on fire. He pleaded guilty to her murder in August 2023 and was sentenced to life in prison.
Puckett’s distraught mother, Kim Dodson, was determined to save other domestic abuse victims from her daughter’s fate and began pushing state lawmakers for change.
She was a staunch advocate for the bill’s passage and said that if the registry had existed sooner, her daughter might still be alive.
“I was just horrified when I finally saw all those records because I know Savanna well enough that she would have never dated him. I honestly, honestly, honestly feel that if she had known that she could still be here,” Dodson told WSMV.
The domestic abuser registry is run through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and lists anyone in the state who has been convicted of at least two domestic violence-related charges, according to the website.
However, the offender’s registration is dependent on the accusing victim. If the victim doesn’t consent to their abuser’s name being included, then the offender can bypass the registry.
The database doesn’t include info on offenders convicted before the new year, so the current list is limited. But it was made in the mirror image of the state’s sex offender registry, which is more fleshed out with decades-worth of listings.
The sex offender registry includes a rolling queue of “wanted violators” and a “map of offenders.”
Tennessee has previously ranked among the top 10 states with the most domestic violence homicides. In 2019, it tied for fifth with South Carolina in a separate list detailing the states with the highest femicide rates, WTVF reported.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans pre-game analysis, prediction
Florida Times-Union Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter Demetrius Harvey breaks down what the team needs to do to beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 18.
Tennessee Titans quarterback and former Miami star Cam Ward exited the Week 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a shoulder injury, sustained during a first-quarter touchdown run at EverBank Stadium on Jan. 4.
The Titans initially listed Ward as questionable to return, before declaring him out late in the first quarter. Up until the injury, the rookie quarterback had appeared in every offensive snap during the regular season for last-place Tennessee.
While rounding right end and diving for the end zone, Ward absorbed a hard hit from Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun as he also struck the ground just inside the end zone pylon. The rush gave the Titans a short-lived 7-0 lead.
Ward entered the medical tent after the injury, and Tennessee medical staff subsequently escorted him to the locker room.
The rookie from Miami had completed 24 of 38 passes for 141 yards when the Titans played Jacksonville on Nov. 30, a 25-3 Jaguars win. At Miami, Ward was a finalist for the 2024 Heisman Trophy, which ultimately went to Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, now with the Jaguars but also out due to injury.
Former Jaguars quarterback Brandon Allen entered the game in Ward’s place on the next series. The Jags drafted Allen in the sixth round (No. 201) in 2016, although he never appeared in a regular-season game for Jacksonville.
With a victory, the Jaguars would clinch the AFC South and a first-round home assignment for the playoffs. The Titans were eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
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