Tennessee
Sweetwater case heads to court as Tennessee lawmakers seek to clarify hunting rules
SWEETWATER, Tenn. — Two state lawmakers from our viewing area have introduced legislation they hope will benefit hunters in Tennessee.
The bill stems from a case out of Sweetwater that is currently headed to a court of appeals in East Tennessee.
Six hunters were cited in Sweetwater’s municipal court for discharging firearms inside city limits.
This is the property in the Sweetwater, Tenn. city limits involved in the court case expected to soon be under appeal by the East Tennessee Court of Appeals. Two Tennessee legislators have filed bills to clarify the law called into question by this case. (Photo courtesy Matthew Brown)
These hunters say they were hunting on private property.
New legislation would prevent cities, counties, or other small governments from regulating the harvest of game animals and the discharge of a firearm while lawfully hunting.
Tennessee State Representative Mark Cochran (R, District 23) says…
“We want to make sure that it’s very clear that when it comes to hunting, the state regulates that.”
Rep. Cochran says the new bill he’s sponsoring will create more transparency about who has the final say about hunting laws.
FILE – Kenn Jones, from Indiana, spends most of his time in South Dakota pursuing trophy bucks with his bow and arrow. But he took off one morning to accompany Simms on a duck hunt and be his “retriever.” (Photo: Richard Simms)
In 2013, the Tennessee Attorney General wrote an opinion saying that local authorities cannot prohibit activities approved d by the state… like the use of a firearm.
“So this law is really just clarifying that when it comes to actually governing hunting, regulating hunting that that is done by the state, by TWRA, not not by local governments,” Rep. Cochran says.
The Sweetwater case that inspired this new bill cited a city law for using a fire arm in city limits.
NewsChannel 9’s Outdoor Contributor Richard Simms says…
“In this particular case, in Sweetwater, Tennessee, the authorities felt that these hunters had overstepped the bounds, and they cited them.”
The City of Sweetwater told us that they cited the hunters because they were hunting not far from a local school and neighborhood.
But Simms says this isn’t just a Southeast Tennessee issue.
The Woodstock Bayou Hunting Club openly advertises that is located inside the Memphis city limits in hopes of attracting members. (Screen grab via outdoorproperties.com)
“You know, we mentioned that there’s hunting clubs in Memphis that specifically say, ‘hey, we’re inside the city limits.’”
Matthew Rogers is representing one of the hunters in the case. Even though it won’t affect his client, he says it’s a step in the right direction.
“We think the State law trumps the city ordinance, and we’re proud that our local legislators are moving forward with this new bill to either make a new law or to bring clarity to what we’re already arguing.”
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We reached out to the TWRA regarding this new bill. They told us they look forward to working with the General Assembly on any legislation that effects hunters.
Tennessee State Senators Michele Reneau of Signal Mountain and Bo Watson of Hixson spoke today about the new law supporting police K-9’s.
The act allows injured dogs to get stabilization services on-site and then be transported via ambulance or helicopter to a vet hospital.
“In the past, officers were basically putting the k9 in their car and transporting them in their in their own vehicle, they didn’t have an ambulance or an air ambulance,” said Senator Watson. “This allows for an air ambulance. It also allows for a educational program for those in EMS, who will be taught how to manage canines emergency medical condition, which is different than a human’s.”
In April, Erlanger flew a K9 officer from Clay County, to North Carolina.
It was the first time the program was used for a live transport after several training runs.
Tennessee softball’s path back to the Women’s College World Series is set. On Sunday night, the Lady Vols were named the No. 7 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host the regional stage in Knoxville as it looks to return to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons.
The Lady Vols are matched up with Virginia, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the regionals. It would play Georgia, Clemson, UNC Greensboro or Charleston in the super regionals.
Ahead of the tournament, here’s a look at each team in the Knoxville Regional and potential matchups for the ensuing best-of-three super regional if Tennessee advances.
Knoxville Regional
7-seed Virginia
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
Indiana
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
Northern Kentucky
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
More From RTI: Everything Josh Elander Said After Tennessee Baseball Dropped Series Finale Against Texas
Knoxville Super Regional
3-seed Georgia
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
6-seed Clemson
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- Jamison Brockenbrough – .342
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
UNC Greensboro
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
- Brooklyn Shroyer – 1.41
Charleston
- 2026 record
- 2026 conference tournament result
- 2025 NCAAT result
- 2026 BAVG leader
- 2026 HR leader
- 2026 ERA leader
- Mackenzie Mathis – 3.34
Tennessee rowing won the program’s first SEC championship in a thrilling finish on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge.
The title came down to the final race with the varsity eight boat, which had the lead against Texas going into the final 250 meters. The Longhorns made a late push to overtake the Lady Vols, but the 1V8 crew held on for the victory to secure the SEC championship on May 10.
Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 to win the title. It’s the first time the Lady Vols have won a conference championship since 2013 when they were a member of Conference USA.
The program’s first SEC title comes in the third season under coach Kim Cupini, who has transformed Tennessee into a national powerhouse.
“Phenomenal to see that from the team”, Cupini said in a school release. “Texas coming in was the number one team in the country and had that undefeated eight. So to see the varsity eight clinch like that was awesome. I have to take my hat off to the full team to get enough points to win the SEC Championship and bring that championship home, especially here at home in Tennessee. So, I was super impressed and super proud of them.”
Tennessee moves on to the NCAA Championships at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, from May 29-31.
Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 with four total wins, which also included the 2V4, 3V8 and 3V4.
The 1V8 boat finished with a time of 6:06.939 for the win. The first varsity eight crew has beaten eight ranked opponents on the season.
The 2V4 was a crucial comeback win for Tennessee. The second varsity four crew fell behind early but caught up to and overtook Texas in the final 500 meters for the win, finishing with a time of 7:12.677.
“I think the boats on the water saw that,” Cupini said. “To be able to race from behind in the event and win is incredible. The second four, we were going crazy on that. It was a group that just got together the other day. They row together a lot as a team and as a group, but that lineup hasn’t been together. So to see them pull that off and get the win was incredible.”
Tennessee swept the third varsity races, with the 3V8 finishing with a time of 6:29.409 and the 3V4 finishing with a time of 7:16.747. The Lady Vols placed second in the 2V8 and 1V4, losing to Texas by a combined 11 seconds.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
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