Tennessee
Knox County school board urges lawmakers to change Tennessee’s book ban law
How Knox County Schools ban books in school libraries
Knox County Schools abide by Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act to determine whether a book challenge should result in a ban.
A majority of Knox County school board came together to ask state legislators to reform the Age-Appropriate Materials Act that led to the ban of “Roots” last month.
The board voted June 4 to move forward on a resolution brought by Anne Templeton that urges legislators to:
- Allow books to be considered as a whole instead of a single passage. Right now, if a section of a book has depictions of sexual conduct or excessive violence, it must be banned.
- Extend the materials review period to 90 days before a statewide commission acts.
- Distinguish between grade levels so a book can be removed from elementary schools and allowed in high schools, for example.
Board members Katherine Bike, the Rev. John Butler, Chair Kristi Kristy, Patricia Fontenot-Ridley and Anne Templeton voted in favor. Members Betsy Henderson, Lauren Morgan, Stephen Triplett and Vice Chair Travis Wright voted against the resolution.
Triplett and Henderson said they agreed with parts of the resolution, but were fearful this action could disarm the Age-Appropriate Materials Act.
“I don’t want to send a message to the General Assembly that I want the Age-Appropriate Materials Act watered down at all. That is my only fear in sending anything to them, is that they get the idea from our board that we want it watered down,” Triplett explained. “I would be content with these changes, but I’d also be content if nothing changed.”
Henderson urged the board to instead take the issue up in the fall ahead of the General Assembly’s 2027 session. Templeton said she preferred to act now because book banning is a relevant topic in Knox County.
“My request is not for us to sit down and rewrite the law. It’s to ask the General Assembly to have a conversation, to say, ‘Maybe we didn’t get it perfect the first time because we’re human and maybe in our humanity we didn’t look at all the ifs, ands and buts,’” Templeton explained. “Now we have a case study here in Knoxville that could possibly apply to make this law better. To make it different.”
Morgan said the bulk of the work needs to happen at the local level, not with the state legislature.
“We need to do some work on (policy) and figure out ways to work within the framework that the law provides,” Morgan said. “I think before we’re asking the General Assembly to begin or substantially alter a law that was only enacted a couple years ago, I do believe we need to do our work as a local board to figure out a better way to enact it here.”
Next steps
A resolution is just the first step for the board in a long legislative process that will start again in the fall.
Tennessee lawmakers will reconvene in Nashville in January, but work happens year-round. A Tennessee School Board Association advocacy guide encourages local school boards to submit potential resolutions June through September for consideration at the organization’s convention in November.
This resolution will likely be discussed further late in the year when the board creates its annual priorities to send with the Knoxville delegation in 2027. This is an annual process and can include asks to fully fund preschools or protect public education for undocumented immigrants, for example.
How we got here
The decision to ban “Roots” was made public in mid-May, and was immediately met with backlash from the community and country.
The novel’s author, Alex Haley, called East Tennessee home during the later years of his life. He built a home in Norris and later bought a home in Sequoyah Hills. A sculpture of Haley was erected in Morningside Park in 1998, and that part of the park is now dubbed Alex Haley Heritage Square. He donated his personal papers − including drafts of “Roots” − to the University of Tennessee. There’s a permanent exhibit in the Museum of Appalachia dedicated to Haley.
“Roots” was one of 124 titles KCS has banned in the past two years after Tennessee law directed schools to review the contents of their libraries. Superintendent Jon Rysewyk reinstated the historical novel May 26.
KCS evaluates books to ban on a regular basis, and the district committee − comprising three administrators − reviews only specific passages, not the totality of the work when banning a book, to follow the law. The committee previously reviewed an excerpt from “Roots” and did not recommend banning it.
District spokesperson Carly Harrington told Knox News the district does not “track or document the original source” of complaints.
Rysewyk told board members in a memo the ban “weighed heavily” on him. He said he consulted with legal experts who came to different conclusions in applying the state law to “Roots.”
Caitlyn Meisner is the K-12 education reporter for Knox News. Email tips and story ideas to caitlyn.meisner@knoxnews.com.
The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 13 drawing
05-25-36-40-48, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 13 drawing
06-07-24-29-51, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from July 13 drawing
Morning: 2-1-5, Wild: 0
Midday: 9-7-0, Wild: 7
Evening: 3-0-2, Wild: 0
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from July 13 drawing
Morning: 3-9-1-4, Wild: 1
Midday: 2-1-2-3, Wild: 2
Evening: 1-8-7-5, Wild: 9
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from July 13 drawing
13-17-20-22-31
Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Tennessee Cash numbers from July 13 drawing
10-26-29-32-34, Bonus: 04
Check Tennessee Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 13 drawing
01-17-31-39-43, Powerball: 22
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 13 drawing
19-36-38-43-48, Bonus: 03
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.
Tennessee
Everything Tennessee Basketball Assistant Coach Gregg Polinsky Said During Summer Practice | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee basketball is holding summer practices in anticipation for the 2026-27 season. With so many new faces on campus, it’s a critical portion of the offseason as transfers and freshmen get to know each other.
Ahead of Monday’s practice, assistant coach Gregg Polinsky met with the media. He talked about the freshman class, transfer point guard Terrence Hill Jr., returning forward DeWayne Brown II and more.
Here’s what he said.
More From RTI: Game Time Set For Tennessee Basketball’s Matchup Against Bishop Boswell’s New Team
On what he’s seen from the freshmen
“I think it’s been a good blend of guys all from different places, obviously, but we like all those guys. They seem to have the kind of personality types that they want to learn. They want to get better. I think they’re enjoying each other’s company. It’s been good because we’ve kind of been isolated while they redid the other dorms, so they all stayed together. I think it’s called Brown Hall, I believe. And so I think that’s been good, develop a bond, be around these older guys, too, but I think the freshmen have enjoyed each other.”
On freshman Ralph Scott’s growth week to week
“Let’s not just go week to week. When I first saw Ralph Scott, he looked about like me. That’s not funny? Alright, I’ll keep going. Meaning that he needed a little muscle mass. And even though Ralph is still lean, he’s put on about 20, 25 pounds. He looks so much different than this time a year ago. And we saw the potential, but we also knew, much like Nate Ament, I was just talking about that with a friend of mine with the Bucks, and they realized, he’s got to get stronger, etc. Guys being able to play up into him. I think the same thing with Ralph. More than that, with Ralph, it was a mentality of, you got to remember, he was in Bermuda. His grandfather did a great job coaching him over there, but he realized he had to be here. IMG, or not IMG, but in the States for three years, last two years with IMG. Ralph was always a guy who deferred to other people. And I think what our message has been to him is, you gotta think that you’re one of the guys. This deferring stuff is over. You are talented, start to play to your ability.”
On what Scott’s ability is
“He’s got a high ceiling. Like, he’s six-nine probably without shoes. Seven-two wingspan. His frame is great, you know? Looking at him, he’s gonna be able to add more muscle mass. He shoots it pretty well. It’s not as consistent as we’d like. Coach (Rick Barnes) started working with him on a high release, and he picked it up really quick. So you add that to his size, his skill set. He’s an athlete to go with it. He just doesn’t know how good he could be in any context of the game yet. So I think the ceiling’s high for him.”
On evaluating high-potential freshmen when players transfer so often
“Yeah, I think that’s a great question. I wouldn’t do the comparison of calling him a second round pick you take a flyer on because I think Ralph has too much potential for that. But I would say this entire freshman group, you know how we do it. We do it our way and we don’t say that with a tone of arrogance. You say it with humility, but you have to know who you are, and we know who Coach (Barnes) is and what guys are gonna fit here and work well here. But to answer you, I think that we’re projecting. There’s gotta be guys that are productive, but a lot of those guys have already come from the portal. So I think with your freshmen, you’re looking at one or two things. Either they’re guys that you think you can instantly impact what you’re doing. We’ve had some of those guys. Or guys that can grow into that role, and I think the main thing is that you are honest with them during the recruiting process.”
On how Terrence Hill Jr. will fit in with other ball handlers
“Terrence is, and I want this to be taken the right way, because he’s not unathletic, but he’s more basketball player than he is an athlete playing basketball. You understand where I’m going with that? So, you’re not gonna see a max vertical of 40 and him Zakai Zeigler it up the court or Kennedy Chandler to the rim, but he does it a different way. So he’s got a great feel. It’s a balanced game. You’re coming, he’s going. He’s really quick-handed, something that’s not talked about enough, like making a pocket pass. Very NBA-like, and that window is so small cause guys are so long, he gets rid of that basketball in a hurry. So we tell the bigs, turn your head in a hurry, right? They’re starting to learn to play with him. But I think he’s making everybody better around him, and we all know he’s capable of scoring the ball.”
On watching Zakai Zeigler, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Igor Milicic Jr. (Spurs) vs. Nate Ament (Bucks) in Summer League on Sunday night
“Well, it was great. It was also depressing, though, because having all those guys around was pretty good. Now, it was thrilling for, like, I think all of us, to see how these guys were doing, having an opportunity to play. They all have a dream of making it or in Nate’s case, obviously, he’s locked in. I think Ja’Kobi has impressed a lot of people and looks like a real value pick for San Antonio. I think he’s gonna be in the league a long time. And then Felix, I think Felix Okpara has played well in his couple of games. So we’re excited for Igor, all those guys. I watched Keon (Johnson) the other day, even though I wasn’t here. I’ve gotten to know (Keon) a little bit. Awesome individual. Hope all of them can make it.”
On helping fill out the roster in the transfer portal
“No. 1, it’s a group thing. So, it’s always been that, even in the NBA, whether I was in a role of a director position, it’s always been the group, and it’s still that way. What I try to do is just add perspective and questions that stimulate thinking. Not that I’m so smart, but I’ve made enough mistakes that I’ve learned from those. Any of you guys made mistakes before? You learn from them? Yeah. I’ve had a lot of them. So that’s my main thing.
“With this freshman class, again, we wanted more length on the wings. We didn’t anticipate losing so many big guys, but we realized we’re not gonna have the mass, but Juke (Harris), Jalen (Haralson), Ralph (Scott), Manny (Green), Tyler (Lundblade), I hope I’m not leaving anybody out. Chris Washington can play some over there. We have athleticism, and we have length. So when you take bare feet, you take standing reach, wingspan, that’s effective height, unless you play with alligator arms. So, guys that play extended around the rim, you want those guys to do that. We want those guys to do that. So we really shot it, no pun intended there, but we wanted guys that defensively, deflections, take up a lot of court, shrink the court with that, and then offensively, obviously be able to make plays and play extended at the rim.
On the front court, DeWayne Brown returning
“We have an athletic group. I wouldn’t call DeWayne a non-athlete. DeWayne can move his feet and his hands. I tell him all the time, you’re not gonna make it to the NBA with your vertical pop. But there’s guys that are really effective playing on the ground, as I call them. Not literally, but you know what I’m saying. The other guys, whether it’s (Braedan) Lue, Christian (Fermin), Miles (Rubin), all are twitchy. They’re fast-twitch, they’re long, they can switch out. They’re just learning what is required here to do that. Because different programs require different things. Like when Felix first got here, he played in a drop coverage, which is very effective. But we asked him to get out on the perimeter and guard guys, and he did that. And I think it’s added value to him being an NBA draft choice, and will add value to his career. So we gotta get these guys to do that because we don’t have what you just said last year, we could just smash you under the rim, and walk you under there. Offensive rebound like crazy. This group’s gonna have to do it a little differently.”
On DeWayne Brown being a vocal leader compared to last year
“Night and day. So what we asked of DeWayne early in the year or in the summer, DeWayne, like, you’re not a loud guy. You don’t have to be Zakai (Zeigler) and Jahmai Mashack or Santiago (Vescovi) or Josiah(-Jordan James), guys, they were literally, their decibel level was louder, right? So we already have that in Coach (Barnes). He’ll take care of that. What you gotta do is talk to these guys. You do it in your way. You do it with your personality type. But you’re smart. You know how you’re gonna read all these personalities in the room. What’s the best way to address and what’s the best way to get them, to me, like, maximize their potential, be efficient, and I think he’s done an awesome job. Troy (Henderson) is also trying to do the same thing, just hard when you’re not on the court, but DeWayne is taking a huge jump, and I’m really proud of him, not just as a basketball player, but as a human being and a young man.”
The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 12, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Cash 3 numbers from July 12 drawing
Evening: 6-5-7, Wild: 0
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from July 12 drawing
Evening: 1-1-4-7, Wild: 1
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from July 12 drawing
12-24-26-29-31
Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 12 drawing
12-21-39-46-48, Bonus: 02
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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