Tennessee

In one Middle Tennessee town, all 677 water bills are lost in the mail, past due

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2024

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.

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Tennessee

Tennessee Highway Patrol holds open house at Jackson district office

Published

9 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee Highway Patrol holds open house at Jackson district office

JACKSON, Tenn. (WBBJ) – The Tennessee Highway Patrol held an open house Thursday at the THP Jackson District Office in West Madison County for those interested in becoming a state trooper.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the various operations of the THP and the roles the department offers.

Trooper Tiffanie Williams said the career comes with competitive benefits and a sense of community responsibility.

“What makes us a good career choice is, one, base your retirement plan is pretty good, your benefits are pretty good. Also, just giving back to the community — we kind of hold ourselves to a higher standard,” Williams said.

For more information about the Tennessee Highway Patrol and how to get involved, click here.

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Tennessee

Tennessee State men’s hockey cancels 2026-27 inaugural season for second straight year

Published

19 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee State men’s hockey cancels 2026-27 inaugural season for second straight year

Tennessee State men’s hockey has once again canceled its inaugural season.

The first ever ice hockey team at an historically Black, public university was expected to begin play in 2025-26, but the season was canceled due to a fundraising shortfall. Now, the team has canceled its 2026-27 season according to a source with knowledge of the situation who wished to remain anonymous because the news is not public.

The Tennessean reached out to Tennessee State president Dwayne Tucker, who decline to comment on the situation.

The Tennessee State’s men’s hockey website does not have a schedule, roster, or any team events listed on its website. The site’s most recent update was July 10 of last year, an announcement about the 2025-26 season cancellation. Requests for additional information about the hockey team have gone unanswered.

This delay in the start of the men’s hockey team comes three years after the team’s inception was announced at Bridgestone Arena ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Nashville Predators and NHL were instrumental in bringing a team to Tennessee State, and a representative with the Predators confirmed that support is ongoing.

While the 2025-26 cancellation followed unrest about the school’s financial situation, it’s unclear if this year’s cancellation is for the same reason or if its related to the school’s recent turmoil in the athletic department.

In May, six coaches gave a vote of no confidence for Tennessee State’s athletic director Mikki Allen. A letter to Dwayne Tucker on May 29 expressed concern about the “current direction, leadership, communication, and operational management of the athletic department” under Allen.

Men’s hockey coach Duante Abercrombie was not among the six coaches mentioned in the letter.

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. He never uses artificial intelligence when developing or drafting stories. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

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Tennessee

TN Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for July 8, 2026

Published

1 day ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing

12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing

17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from July 8 drawing

Morning: 5-0-7, Wild: 6

Midday: 9-0-5, Wild: 8

Evening: 4-7-3, Wild: 3

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from July 8 drawing

Morning: 1-9-3-7, Wild: 4

Midday: 0-0-0-8, Wild: 3

Evening: 8-0-5-3, Wild: 1

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from July 8 drawing

07-14-15-18-29

Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Tennessee Cash numbers from July 8 drawing

01-02-06-13-27, Bonus: 03

Check Tennessee Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing

06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing

16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.

For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:

Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.

When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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