Tennessee

Tennessee State Parks hires first-ever accessibility coordinator – WBBJ TV

Published

1 year ago

March 12, 2025

Tennessee State Parks hires first-ever accessibility coordinator – WBBJ TV

PRESS RELEASE FROM TENNESSEE STATE PARKS:

NASHVILLE – Tennessee State Parks today announced the addition of an important new leader to help continue the progress of improving park accessibility. Ryan Jolley joins as accessibility coordinator.

Jolley will advise, train, and advance projects that result in increased access to outdoor experiences in Tennessee State Parks and beyond. Jolley was diagnosed with a rare genetic retinal disease at age 10 and has since lived his life legally blind. He previously served in the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development where he focused on improving workplace accommodations, employment best practices and business solutions for people with disabilities.

“I’ve always been in love with the outdoors and nature and through my work experience in the disability community I found myself really wanting to assist the state parks in becoming the most accessible state park system in the nation,” Jolley said.

“We are very glad Ryan is joining the team. Tennessee State Parks teammates are making our parks more welcoming and inviting, and that progress will continue as we learn from Ryan and others who personally face access challenges,” said Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner of TDEC for the Bureau of Conservation. “We recognize that in order for Tennessee to lead the nation in making the outdoors accessible, we all need to humbly learn from those who experience the outdoors with various abilities.”

The announcement comes amidst the backdrop of Disability Advocacy Day in Tennessee, which honors the accomplishments and advocacy of the 1.6 million Tennesseans with disabilities. Several sites across Tennessee will be lit in blue tonight to honor their accomplishments and advocacy, including the amphitheater at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville.

Jolley’s appointment also comes as Tennessee State Parks announced the availability of new all-terrain wheelchairs at eight state parks, bringing the total of parks with all-terrain wheelchairs to 47. All-terrain wheelchairs give visitors with limited mobility the opportunity to enjoy outdoor recreation that might otherwise be inaccessible. The chairs are free for visitor use and available for both children and adults. They can be operated independently and offer the option of allowing caretaker control.

Tennessee State Parks has added wheelchair-friendly paved trails and overlooks, adult-sized changing tables, colorblind viewers, accessible kayak/canoe launches, and language and information access as part of its ongoing initiative focused on accessibility.

To find information on accessibility options at Tennessee State Parks, visit tnstateparks.com/accessibility.

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Tennessee

2026 Tennessee football preview: Grady Dangerfield

Published

2 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

2026 Tennessee football preview: Grady Dangerfield

Redshirt freshman kicker Grady Dangerfield enters his second season at Tennessee in 2026.

The 6-foot, 215-pound kicker appeared in two games for the Vols in 2025. He recorded 257 yards and three touchbacks on four kickoff attempts against UAB and New Mexico State.

Against the Blazers on Sept. 20, 2025, Dangerfield had three kickoff attempts for 195 yards. He also totaled 62 kickoff yards on one attempt versus New Mexico State on Nov. 15, 2025.

Dangerfield committed to Tennessee in Oct. 2024 over Navy and Virginia Tech. He was a Kohl’s Kicking five-star prospect and the No. 41 ranked kicker in the nation.

Dangerfield went to the Vols from James Island Charter High School in Charleston, South Carolina.

Tennessee will kick off its 2026 football season Sept. 5 versus Furman at Neyland Stadium. The season opener is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT (SEC Network+).

The Vols will also host Kennesaw State, Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and LSU, while playing at Georgia Tech, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt during the 2026 campaign.

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Tennessee

Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K from strangers for retirement after viral video

Published

12 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives 6K from strangers for retirement after viral video

A viral Tennessee movie theater worker, 85, was surprised with $146K as strangers rallied together to help her “enjoy retirement.”

Mary Ellen Eron was seen hauling a heavy black garbage bag and pushing a cleaning cart during her shift at the theater in Maryville, Tenn., which has since been viewed more than 13 million times.

“Let’s secretly help retire this beautiful woman. No one deserves to work at this age,” movie customer Brooklyn Green, who filmed the video, captioned the post.

Green launched a fundraiser last weekend after watching Mary, who has been a movie theater staffer for 45 years, hard at work – even though she’s a stranger.

“I knew nothing about her. I didn’t even know her name when I went to the theater,” Green told WATE reported. “I just decided that she was working so hard, and I aspired to be like her one day.

“Her physical appearance didn’t look too comfortable, especially since the way she was working so hard.”

Green set a target of $200,000 – and she raised $146,317 before pausing donations. More than 7,500 people donated to the charitable cause.

On Wednesday, Green posted the moment that she presented Eron, who helps the homeless and her local church, with the total figures from the crowdfunding page.

“Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of money,” Eron said as she realized the number on the piece of paper.

“That’s a lot of money and you deserve every bit of it,” Green said.

The clip also featured a message from Eron, who addressed the people who had contributed.

“Thank you so very much to all the wonderful people that have donated money to the GoFundMe,” she said.

“I’m overwhelmed and certainly blessed by the Lord and you wonderful people. Thank you once more.”

The theater’s manager revealed it will be Eron’s decision when she retires.

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Tennessee

Tennessee Baseball Breakout Star Announces He Won’t Enter the Transfer Portal

Published

22 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee Baseball Breakout Star Announces He Won’t Enter the Transfer Portal

The Tennessee Volunteers have had their fair share of bad news as of late when it comes to the college baseball transfer portal, but luckily, they have received some great news.

The great news that they have received is that they will be returning one of their breakout stars from this past college baseball season, as he has no intentions of entering the college baseball transfer portal.

Trent Grindlinger Will Return to Tennessee

Tennessee’s Trent Grindlinger (30) begins to celebrate what he thought was a home run but was eventually called foul during a college baseball game between Tennessee and LSU at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee., on April 3, 2026. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The player who is set to return to Tennessee is Trent Grindlinger, who was electric this season and is expected to be a future top 10 MLB draft pick. This is expected for the first draft that he is eligible for, which is the 2027 MLB Draft rather than this upcoming draft that will feature multiple Vols, including Tennessee ACE, Tegan Kuhns.

Grindlinger finished last season with a batting average of .345, while hitting eight home runs and only striking out 28 times. This would be an electric season for the talented Volunteers’ batter, and he is set for a season that could and should be even better than that, which would be good enough to consider for some major college baseball end-of-the-season awards. He is just one of the few players who opted to stay and return rather than enter their name into the college baseball transfer portal, but if they were going to return anyone, he is the player they would want to return in the field.

Had he entered the transfer portal, there wouldn’t be a single college in the nation that wouldn’t want to add him, as every college would want to add the elite prospect. Not only that, but he would become the nation’s No. 1 player on the portal more than likely.

Luckily for the Vols, though, they don’t have to worry about that.

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