Tennessee

Named for slain Tennessee deputy, bill would create domestic violence offender registry

Published

8 months ago

March 25, 2025

Press Room

Named for slain Tennessee deputy, bill would create domestic violence offender registry

House Bill 1200, known as Savanna’s Law, seeks to strengthen domestic violence protections.
The bill is in honor of Robertson County Sheriff’s Deputy Savanna Puckett, who was found shot and dead inside her burning Springfield home by her ex-boyfriend in Jan. 2022.
House Bill 1200 will require courts to order offenders convicted of a second and subsequent domestic violence offense to register with TBI.

Three years after Robertson County Sheriff’s Deputy Savanna Puckett was found shot to death inside her burning home, a new law that seeks to track repeat domestic violence offenders is making its way through the Tennessee legislature and it’s been named in her honor.

Tennessee State Representative Sabi “Doc” Kumar of Robertson County introduced House Bill 1200, known as Savanna’s Law, to strengthen domestic violence protections statewide.

More: TBI: Robertson Co. deputy found shot, dead inside burning home; man arrested

More: Family mourns slain Middle Tennessee deputy: ‘A brilliant light in our dark world’

If passed, the law would create a registry at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for people convicted of a second and subsequent domestic violence offense and make offender information, such as names, dates of birth, conviction dates, counties of conviction and current photographs, publicly available online, the Tennessee House Republican Caucus recently announced.

Sensitive information like addresses and Social Security numbers would not be shown.

“Savanna’s Law provides a critical step toward protecting future victims and holding repeat domestic violence offenders accountable,” Kumar said in prepared statements. “The registry will give communities the tools they need to stay informed and safe.”

More: What we know about the death of Robertson County deputy Savanna Puckett

More: Affidavit: Empty lighter fluid bottles found in home of slain Robertson County deputy

Puckett, 22, died on Jan. 23, 2022.

Authorities learned of her death after she failed to show up for work. Another deputy went to check on her around 5 p.m. and found her home on the 5100 block of Highway 41 engulfed in flames.

Once on scene, a firefighter found her body on the bedroom floor of her Springfield home under a blanket. The four-year department veteran died from multiple gunshots to most of her body.

More: Audio: Days before her death, Robertson deputy said ex showed up to house uninvited

More: Autopsy reveals new details in brutal slaying of Robertson County deputy Savanna Puckett

According to a nine-page autopsy report authored by Assistant Medical Examiner David Zimmerman, Puckett was shot eight times; once in the head, right arm, right breast, left breast, left forearm and left hand and three times in the back.

Her death was ruled a homicide.

James Jackson Conn, an ex-boyfriend of Puckett’s, was arrested in connection with her death after an hours-long standoff that stemmed from the execution of a search warrant at his Odom Court home in Smyrna.

Conn was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson. He pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder and is serving a life sentence.

More: Tennessee to seek death penalty for man accused of killing Robertson County deputy

Throughout the course of their investigation into Puckett’s death, authorities discovered Conn had prior offenses for domestic assault, officials said at the time.

Should Savanna’s law become state law, court clerks would be required to send certified copies of any offender convictions that meet the criteria for the new registry to the bureau within seven days.

The bill outlines a $150 registration fee partially retained by the court clerk and TBI. Clerks would retain $50 for administrative costs, while TBI would retain the remaining $100 to maintain the registry.

If passed, the law would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2026.

Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.

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Tennessee

LIVE: KSR’s Rapid Reaction after Kentucky’s rout of Tennessee Tech

Published

10 minutes ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

LIVE: KSR’s Rapid Reaction after Kentucky’s rout of Tennessee Tech

That was fun. Kentucky took care of business on Senior Day in a big way, beating Tennessee Tech 42-10. Nick Roush and Adam Luckett are live outside Kroger Field to talk about it on another happy KSR Rapid Reaction.

There was a lot to like from today’s win, but I imagine Nick and Adam will start with Cutter Boley’s play. The redshirt freshman quarterback was spectacular, finishing 18-21 for 236 yards and a passing touchdown and another touchdown on the ground on a 30-yard scramble. Cutter’s quarterback rating today was 195.8. Yes, that was against an FCS squad, but you couldn’t ask for much more from him or the Cats today. Kentucky is now 5-5 with road games at No. 14 Vanderbilt and No. 20 Louisville to close the season.

That’s enough from me. Hear more about the win from Nick and Adam below.

East Tennessee high school football playoff scoreboard | Scores & highlights from round two

Published

18 hours ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

East Tennessee high school football playoff scoreboard | Scores & highlights from round two

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Round two of the high school football playoffs is in the books. Check out scores from across East Tennessee by classification below.

Highlights from every game our Varsity All Access cameras were at are also posted below.

Watch Varsity All Access each Friday at 11:00 all season long on WVLT.

CLASS 6A

Maryville 47, Riverdale 18

Riverdale at Maryville

CLASS 5A

Sevier County 42, Walker Valley 7

Halls 42, Lawrence County 14

Lincoln County 39, Powell 37

Lincoln County at Powell

Central 38, Columbia 28

CLASS 4A

Greeneville 35, White County 0

White County at Greeneville

Anderson County 44, Stone Memorial 14

Stone Memorial at Anderson County

Red Bank 34, Gibbs 7

Gibbs at Red Bank

Alcoa 49, Upperman 28

CLASS 3A

Gatlinburg-Pittman 35, Forrest 14

CLASS 2A

Eagleton 17, Grundy County 6

Grundy County at Eagleton

Marion County 35, South Greene 0

Gordonsville 21, Oneida 6

CLASS 1A

Coalfield 39, Jo Byrns 14

Sale Creek 22, Rockwood 14

South Pittsburg 49, Oliver Springs 0

Clay County 52, Midway 21

DIVISION II-AAA

Baylor 35, Knoxville Catholic 7

Knoxville Catholic at Baylor

DIVISION II-AA

Battle Ground Academy 42, Grace Christian Academy 14

BGA at GCA

Lausanne 35, CAK 6

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Tennessee

What Nashville’s top ‘Emerging Trends’ ranking means for the city’s growth | Opinion

Published

2 days ago

November 14, 2025

Press Room

What Nashville’s top ‘Emerging Trends’ ranking means for the city’s growth | Opinion

People want to move to Nashville and Middle Tennessee, and the region continues to experience rapid growth. But challenges remain, along with the opportunity to shape its development.

Jennifer Carlat
| Guest Columnist

Nashville ranked sixth in the nation among “markets to watch” in the latest Emerging Trends in Real Estate® report.
A welcoming regulatory environment, trained workforce, and strong domestic migration contribute to Nashville’s high ranking.
Continued growth creates jobs and funds public services, but also requires addressing housing and infrastructure needs.

The Urban Land Institute and PwC recently released the 47th annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate® report and for the eleventh year, Nashville made the top ten “markets to watch” this year at number six.

Nashvillians don’t need a report to alert them that Nashville and Middle Tennessee continue to grow and develop at an astonishing rate, for an incredibly long run. We see the cranes, carefully make our way through construction zones, meet new neighbors and co-workers, and marvel (and sometimes mutter) at new offices, residential developments, hotels, retail and restaurants.

The challenges that come with Nashville’s continued growth

So, what does the Emerging Trends Report tell us?

First, while Nashville’s growth may appear to be going like gangbusters, there is significant uncertainty facing those who invest in development, as well as the architects, engineers, developers, construction workers, and many others involved in creating new development. The report notes several issues. All of which are present in Nashville, including the following:

Economic and financial issues, such as interest rates and the cost of capital, concerns about job and income growth, and, of course, inflation.

Issues specific to development, including the cost and availability of labor; federal, state and local regulations and where they conflict; and increasing operating costs driven by tariffs and inflation.

Finally, social and political issues impacting development include immigration policy, which affects both the workforce and demand for new development; the cost and availability of housing; and the divide between political parties.

What Nashville and Middle Tennessee have going for them

Second, the report highlights why Nashville again made the top ten — what trends, decisions and investments we have going for us. As the report notes, demand for new homes, offices, industrial and retail spaces is driven by demographics, immigration and domestic migration.

The Sun Belt, and Nashville in particular, continues to be welcoming for jobs and residents. While many Sun Belt cities have seen their 2021-2022 migration slow significantly, Nashville and Middle Tennessee continue to experience strong domestic migration.

Why?

Nashville and Middle Tennessee are known for having both a moderate climate and a welcoming regulatory and tax environment. We boast access to the Southeast and the country. We have a trained workforce and a number of colleges and universities educating the next generation. We’re also known for valuing creativity and being welcoming. For all these reasons and more, we continue to draw new residents, which drives growth.

We know, then, that Nashville and Middle Tennessee continuously rank highly for both investment and development, and we have some ideas on why.

The connection between growth and quality of life

But what does this mean for our city?

Investment, development and growth impact all Nashvillians and Middle Tennesseans. On a very basic level, these are jobs. Jobs in investing, building, using and re-using buildings. Each of these jobs pays our neighbors, who invest their wages back into Nashville through restaurants, stores, services and other local businesses, creating even more jobs.

Growth leads to quality of life, but not only in a physical way.

Do you like the building? Does it feel welcoming? Does it add to the neighborhood?

But growth also improves quality of life as it circulates wages, creates demand for new jobs, and adds to the city’s coffers to buy services such as parks, libraries, fire stations and police departments that we value.

Meanwhile, how we undertake investment, development and growth also impacts each of us. Our city has had recent, sometimes tough, conversations on investing in transportation and transit. We’ve discussed whether to allow new types of housing to address our housing shortage. We’ve considered how to invest in aging infrastructure as we serve current residents and accommodate new residents and businesses.

What Nashville’s ranking really means and the work ahead

As the executive director of ULI Nashville, representing our 1,100+ members in all disciplines related to land use and development, I am thrilled that Nashville once again made the top ten “markets to watch” across the US in the Emerging Trends in Real Estate®. I’m happy about what it signals for our members, especially in a moment like 2025, when there is a lot of uncertainty.

But I am more focused on what the ranking means — what Nashville’s strength means — for how ULI Nashville, our partners and Nashvillians can work together to harness and shape growth in our city.

A high ranking feels validating, but we all know that maintaining this pace of growth — while trying to preserve our welcoming culture, watch out for our neighbors and consider what changes are coming and how we can prepare — is a challenge.

ULI Nashville and its members are here to be partner. We want to connect, inspire and lead. We are bringing our perspective to the tough conversations about how we grow and strengthen Nashville. The Emerging Trends in Real Estate® report is just the beginning. The real work is in conversations on mobility, housing, infrastructure and creating places Nashvillians deserve.

Jennifer Carlat is the executive director of ULI Nashville, A trusted convener, collaborator communicator and educator of best practices on all aspects of city building.

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