Tennessee
Lawmakers approve ballistic film for Tennessee capitol and other office buildings. What about schools?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Over the next three years, state office buildings in Downtown Nashville are scheduled to get major security upgrades. The question becomes — should those projects get priority over making schools safer?
While crowds have been tense up on Tennessee’s Capitol Hill, Democrats say there’s no question that they’re still safe when they’re up on the hill. “We have a building full of troopers, security, we are safe,” said Sen. London Lamar, a Democrat from Memphis who serves as the Senate Democratic Caucus Chair.
Still, lawmakers recently approved a plan to equip all of the state’s downtown buildings, including the state capitol, with bullet and riot resistant film that is attached to the existing windows and doors. “We’re going to be looking at state buildings as well to make sure our state employees are safe, to make sure all of the visitors to our state buildings are safe,” explained Rep. William Lamberth, a Republican from Portland who serves as House Majority Leader.
The film is created and installed by the company Safe Haven Defense. According to the state, the ballistic film can withstand rounds from an AR-15. Total cost of the project: $3.1 million.
“It actually sounds like they spending more money on keeping themselves safe than actual Tennesseans,” said Sen. Lamar .”You can use that 3.1 million dollars to fund conflict resolution programs in our schools. You can use that money to increase job programs, to increase people’s pay.”
Republicans argue, last year, they offered up about $40 million for school districts to spend on safety upgrades as a part of a larger school security legislative package. “That’s our top priority, is to make sure every single school in this state is safe. That’s film on windows, that’s going to be new construction standards,” explained Lamberth.
“That didn’t require [ballistic] film in every school, did it?” asked NewsChannel 5.
“Allowing them to have the flexibility to decide what’s important for them first is the way to go,” replied Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, a Republican from Crossville. “Hopefully we’ll continue to put money in the budget to continue to fund security enhancements for schools.”
While some districts applied for the grant money, and installed ballistic film, most spent it on other safety measures. But in the years to come, that could be changing. “My hope and my desire would be, every single school has glass on their exterior doors that cannot be broken, penetrated through, entered through,” said Lamberth.
Metro Nashville Schools voted to put ballistic film on all of their schools last year. They used a different vendor. The cost was also about $3 million.
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Tennessee
Nashville Sounds and Autism Tennessee partner to host inclusive Beyond the Label Day for local children
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At a ballpark built for noise, there is space for something quieter.
During the Nashville Sounds’ “Beyond the Label Day,” kids are learning, playing and experiencing baseball in a way that works for them. Autism Tennessee volunteers stepped in to guide kids through sensory play designed to calm and focus.
From spinning toys to textured fidgets, these tools help turn overwhelming moments into manageable ones. Children engaged with the activities, pointing out shapes like a circle, noticing items like candies, and expressing how nice the experience was.
Adam English, general manager of the Nashville Sounds, said making space for everyone is the goal, even as the stadium announcer calls another Sounds strikeout.
“It’s important for us to raise awareness about autism, but also just make sure that First Horizon Park is an inclusive place for everybody” English said.
The Sounds stadium even has a sensory room for families at every game.
“There’s huge baseball fans that sometimes shy away because of loud crowds and we want to make sure every game out here available” English said.
For Autism Tennessee leaders like Jessica Moore, days like this are about more than awareness. They are about belonging.
“Typically events like this can be super overwhelming… so this is just a way for people to feel like they can come and still be successful” Moore said.
What are your thoughts on making sports venues more inclusive for all fans? Watch the video to see the sensory room in action, and share your experiences with me at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim Rafferty and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
Checking in on Cole: Gallatin rallies around teen battling brain tumor with prayer vigil
Austin Pollack brings us an update on a remarkable young man facing great odds, and his family has one simple request: pray for Cole. I believe in the power of prayer and hope you’ll join me in lifting up Cole and his family.
– Carrie Sharp
Tennessee baseball will look to salvage the final game of the SEC series against Ole Miss.
The Vols (25-14, 7-10 SEC) play Game against the No. 23 Rebels (29-11, 10-7) on April 19 (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Ole Miss has been on a roll. The 8-1 win on April 18 against the Vols moved the Rebels to eight straight wins. It got an ace-level start from Cade Townsend and a grand slam from Tristan Bissetta to secure Game 2.
Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.16 ERA) will start for the Rebels. Evan Blanco (3-2, 3.67 ERA) will be on the mound for Tennessee.
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss live updates
What channel is Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss on today?
- TV channel: SEC Network+
- Live stream: ESPN app
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss game times
- Game 3: April 19 (1 p.m. ET)
Tennessee baseball vs. Ole Miss probable pitchers
- Tennessee: LHP Evan Blanco (3-2, 3.67 ERA)
- Ole Miss: RHP Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.16 ERA)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Tennessee Volunteers baseball team dropped game two to Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon, 8-1. The Rebels clinch the series, the first time Ole Miss has won a series in Knoxville since 2016.
A bright spot for the Vols was Tegan Kuhns who threw 5.2 innings not allowing a run, striking out 10 batters on five hits.
Cam Appenzeller picked up his first loss of the season coming in out of the bullpen for Kuhns. The SEC Freshman of the Week did not have a great outing. Appenzeller went 2.1 innings giving up six earned runs.
Tennessee escaped a shutout as Trent Grindlinger hit a solo home run in the ninth inning. Grindlinger’s home run was one of Tennessee’s two hits on the night.
The Volunteers look to avoid the series sweep as theY round out the series with Ole Miss on Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network+.
Copyright 2026 WVLT. All rights reserved.
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