Tennessee
Tennessee approves Summer EBT grocery benefits starting in 2027
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee has approved funding for Summer EBT benefits that will put money directly on families’ grocery cards, but the program will not kick in until summer 2027.
This delay leaves families to find other resources for the upcoming summer.
The program will make way for eligible families to get $120 in federal funds per child to spend on groceries during summer months when kids lose access to school breakfast and lunch.
About 700,000 Tennessee children would qualify for the benefit.
Tennessee participated in 2024 but skipped the program for 2025 and 2026.
Advocates like Marissa Spady, senior manager at No Kid Hungry, say the program couldn’t be more critical.
“It’s very exciting to know that families will have the resources that they need to make sure that their children are able to head back to school in August with having the nutrition they need to be ready to learn,” Spady said.
The program allows families to use benefits at grocery stores and farmers markets they already shop at, bringing millions of federal dollars into Tennessee’s economy.
For families needing help this upcoming summer, you can check with your school district about summer meal sites and other resources.
To learn more about how this delay impacts local families and what resources are available now, watch the full video report above. Have questions or a story idea? Reach out to me directly at Eric.Pointer@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Middle Tenn. gardeners: How to handle early spring, dry weather
It’s has been a dry spring for us. Nashville is over 6 inches below normal for rainfall for the year with Clarksville over a 9 inches deficit. Kim Rafferty went to a nursery to get a couple of tips that may be useful for you.
– Lelan Statom
Tennessee
Tennessee lawmakers react after shooter opens fire during White House Correspondents’ Dinner
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – President Donald Trump and other top leaders in the U.S. are unharmed after being evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when a shooter opened fire at the hotel the event was being held.
The Associated Press reported that the incident happened outside the ballroom where the dinner was being held. The correspondents’ dinner was scrapped and will be rescheduled.
The FBI said the shooter is in custody.
During a press conference after the incident, President Trump said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped.
Trump unharmed after security incident at White House correspondents’ dinner
Trump responds after shooter opened fired at correspondents’ dinner
Some Tennessee lawmakers have shared their reactions to the on social media.
Gov. Bill Lee:
Congressman Andy Ogles, who was at the dinner, posted a video to X saying he and his other colleagues were safe.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn:
Sen. Bill Hagerty:
U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps:
The AP reported that the FBI Washington field office is investigating the shooting.
Copyright 2025 WSMV. All rights reserved.
At least Jermod McCoy didn’t have to wait long on Saturday, after a difficult fall over the first two days of the NFL Draft.
McCoy, a cornerback from Tennessee who missed all last season due to a knee injury, was the first pick of the fourth round to the Las Vegas Raiders. He was expected to go much sooner. Some thought he could go in the first round on Thursday. There were multiple concerns about his ACL injury and whether he’ll need more surgery, Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported.
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There will be a bit of a reunion as McCoy joins the Raiders. McCoy’s first college interception was against a quarterback from Cal named Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza moved on to Indiana, won a Heisman Trophy and was the first overall pick of the draft to the Raiders. McCoy and Mendoza get to be teammates in the NFL.
Jermod McCoy, who missed all last season after suffering a torn ACL, slid in the NFL Draft. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
(Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images)
If McCoy was healthy coming into this year’s NFL Draft, it seems like a foregone conclusion he would have been a first-round pick. He might have gone in the top 10. But in January of 2025, he tore his right ACL while working out. That forced him to miss the entire 2025 season, but he was still considered a potential first-round pick based on what he had shown already in college.
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But NFL teams were clearly worried about his medical exams. McCoy didn’t get picked in the first round and he slid in the second round too. Cornerbacks Colton Hood, Avieon Terrell, D’Angelo Ponds and Brandon Cisse were taken in the second round with McCoy on the board. That’s when it was obvious teams were scared of the injury. McCoy probably would have gone ahead of all of those cornerbacks, and perhaps even the two first-round cornerbacks Mansoor Delane and Chris Johnson, if he never got hurt.
The third round came and went without McCoy being picked, leading to another night of wondering where he’d go. The Raiders took a chance on him to start the third day of the draft. If his knee holds up, it will be tremendous value.
When Tennessee baseball players arrived at the clubhouse at Lindsey Nelson Stadium early on April 24, they weren’t thinking about the upcoming grind of a doubleheader against No. 15 Alabama.
They weren’t fixated on the 12-8 loss to the Tide in the first game of the series a day earlier. They weren’t stressed about what a series loss could mean for their postseason future.
The Vols were too busy “jamming” to rapper NBA YoungBoy, according to starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns.
That loose mentality translated into a cascading offensive downpour and stringent defensive outing as Tennessee (29-15, 10-11 SEC) cruised to big wins over the Tide (29-29-16, 10-11) on both ends of the doubleheader.
Tennessee run-ruled Alabama in eight innings, 10-0, charged by another exceptional performance from Kuhns. Hours later, the Vols posted their second double-digit scoring performance with an 11-4 win.
Tennessee coach Josh Elander believes his young team is learning from facing adversity.
“We’ve been in that spot because we haven’t won on Friday night,” he said. “We need to be better on Fridays, but we’ve been in these scenarios where your back is against the wall and you’ve got to figure out what you’ve got. You can play tight and tense and try hard, or you can just cut it loose and play baseball.”
Tennessee hosts West Georgia at home on April 28 (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) before continuing SEC play at Kentucky from May 1-3.
Here’s what we learned about Tennessee baseball after its Alabama series victory.
Offense responded to Josh Elander’s challenge
After Tennessee’s first two losses in its last series against Ole Miss, Elander challenged the team to reflect on the offensive woes. The Vols scored four runs in the first game, yet barely escaped a shutout with a single run in Game 2.
Tennessee closed the series with a 13-5 win on April 19. The success carried over into the Alabama series with a total of 29 runs. Even in Game 1, the Vols logged eight runs.
“Better swings, nothing crazy,” Elander said about what’s changed with the offense. “It’s not like we’re taking batting practice differently or doing our scouting reports differently … I think our guys, as they continue to see more SEC high level stuff, they just slow down and are able to navigate at-bats a little better or the moment a little bit better when the crowd gets going.
“I think they’re just settling in. That’s what we need down the stretch. I know we’re past the three quarter way in the year. I’ve always felt confident in this offense, I know they’re capable and they need to continue to be consistent.”
Designated hitter Trent Grindlinger certainly settled in against Alabama. The Tide had no answer for the freshman, who had a combined five hits and two home runs in the doubleheader.
Elander called Grindlinger’s performance “rare.” Outfielder Blaine Brown is getting used to it.
“Trent, he works hard,” Brown said. “Nothing he did today surprised me at all. That’s just what I know he can do.”
Brown also had a big performance with two home runs in Game 3.
“We like that Blaine,” Elander said. “We’d like to see some more of him.”
Tegan Kuhns continues to showcase MLB talent
Kuhns claimed he wasn’t upset about the eight inning run-rule cutting off his path to a full game shutout. Regardless of how he felt, Alabama hitters were definitely frustrated trying to score against the sophomore pitcher.
In eight pitched innings, he struck out nine, allowed only three hits and a walk with no earned runs.
“I was just ready to set the tone,” Kuhns said. “I feel like the guys needed it. They needed a better start out of a starter, and I just did that for them.”
Starting pitching is good, for the most part
Left-hander Evan Blanco continued to be a “pro” for the Vols in Game 3. He gave up five hits and three earned runs, but countered with a season-high nine strikeouts.
Blanco wasn’t as close to a flawless performance like Kuhns. However, he provided six solid innings and prevented Tennessee from reaching into its bullpen early.
That’s exactly what happened in Game 1. Starting right-hander Landon Mack was off his game at the beginning, and it lingered through his 2 1/3 innings pitched. After he pelted an Alabama hitter in the helmet with a fastball, Elander took him out.
“On Friday night, you need length from your starter,” Elander said on April 23. “You’ve got to be careful with the bullpen, especially with the weather that we’re looking at coming in. When he hit that guy in the head − I hope that guy’s OK − that was a clear indicator that we needed to get him out of the game.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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