Tennessee

Knox County school board urges lawmakers to change Tennessee’s book ban law

Published

3 weeks ago

June 5, 2026

Knox County school board urges lawmakers to change Tennessee’s book ban law

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.

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Tennessee

TN Lottery Cash 3 Morning, Cash 3 Midday winning numbers for June 25, 2026

Published

6 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at June 25, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 25 drawing

Morning: 9-1-6, Wild: 3

Midday: 5-6-7, Wild: 5

Evening: 8-0-9, Wild: 2

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 25 drawing

Morning: 1-0-7-7, Wild: 5

Midday: 0-1-3-6, Wild: 0

Evening: 4-0-9-0, Wild: 2

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from June 25 drawing

03-04-09-12-28

Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 25 drawing

03-13-14-34-45, 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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Tennessee

Middle Tennessee man facing 64-count indictment involving child sex crimes, police say

Published

16 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Middle Tennessee man facing 64-count indictment involving child sex crimes, police say

GREENBRIER, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Middle Tennessee man is facing a 64-count indictment involving child sex crime charges, according to the Greenbrier Police Department.

GPD reports that James Mackenzie Gay was indicted by a Robertson County grand jury following an investigation by the department’s Criminal Investigations Division.

Investigators arrested Gay on Wednesday and he’s now being held at the Robertson County Jail.

Gay has been indicted on the following charges, according to GPD:

20 counts of aggravated sexual battery involving a child under 13
36 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, possession
5 counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, production
1 count of solicitation of a minor for rape of a child
1 count of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means
1 count of criminal attempted sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means

GPD expressed its gratitude to the 19th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Robertson County Child Advocacy Center for their assistance in this case.

No other information has been released at this time.

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Tennessee

Tennessee Republicans unveil monument honoring unborn children at State Capitol

Published

1 day ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee Republicans unveil monument honoring unborn children at State Capitol

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — On the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Tennessee Republicans unveiled a new monument at the State Capitol honoring unborn children.

The Roe v. Wade decision allowed states to set their own abortion laws and triggered Tennessee’s Human Life Protection Act, which bans nearly all elective abortions in the state. The law has saved about 10,000 lives each year since taking effect, according to Tennessee Right to Life.

The Tennessee Monument to Unborn Children is located on the southeast side of the Capitol grounds. Lawmakers say it recognizes unborn children whose lives ended through abortion and serves as a place for reflection and remembrance.

The monument was approved by the General Assembly in 2018 and was paid for entirely through private donations.

Republican leaders said the monument reflects Tennessee’s commitment to protecting unborn children and honoring the value of human life.

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