Tennessee
Texas discovery of ‘devastating’ flesh-eating fly that lays eggs in animal eyes prompts new regulations in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The New World Screwworm, a flesh-eating fly that lays eggs in animal orifices, has been detected in Texas, prompting new temporary regulations in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture said Friday that it has issued new temporary animal import requirements after the screwworm was found in Texas.
The USDA announced the first U.S. case of the New World Screwworm on Wednesday, saying it was confirmed in a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas. The larvae was found in the bovine’s umbilical area, the USDA said, calling it “a devastating pest.”
“It can cause serious, often deadly damage to animals and people in areas where the pest spreads,” the USDA says. “While NWS is present in parts of South America — where infections in animals and people continue to occur — it was eradicated from the United States decades ago. In recent years, NWS has moved northward through Central America and Mexico and was confirmed in Texas on June 3, 2026.”
There have not been any other cases of the New World Screwworm in the U.S.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture said there is no indication of an outbreak in the state, but that officials wanted to issue temporary animal import requirements to help educate and prevent one from occurring.
As part of the order, the interstate movement of certain animals coming into Tennessee has been restricted. The order applies to animals imported from “infested zones, infested states, and high-risk counties.”
Animals imported from outside an infested zone, but within an infested state or high-risk county, will be required to obtain a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection declaring they do not have signs of the flesh-eating fly.
“The CVI must include the statement, ‘All animals listed on the CVI have been inspected and are free from screwworm larvae infestation,’” the state said. “The CVI shall be valid for no more than 7 days from the date of inspection.”
Animals imported from an infested zone will need a CVI saying they were given effective treatment for the screwworm. Documents must also provide information about the treatment that was given, entry permit numbers, signatures from authorized representatives, and more.
The full list of requirements and exemptions can be found HERE.
What is the New World Screwworm?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the New World Scerwworm is a parasitic fly that eats “the tissue or flesh of warm-blooded animals and people.”
“NWS flies are attracted to wounds and body openings like the nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, where they lay eggs,” the CDC says. “The eggs hatch into maggots (larvae) that eat live tissue, causing a worsening, often painful and foul-smelling wound.”
They eat that tissue, the CDC says, by using “sharp mouth hooks,” adding that the wound will become “larger and deeper as more larvae hatch and feed on living tissue.”
While the fly has typically been found in South America and the Caribbean, the CDC says it has been steadily moving more north since 2023.
“NWS infestations (presence of maggots on or in the body) do not regularly occur in the United States, but cases have occurred in travelers returning from areas where flies are present,” the CDC says. “If you travel to these areas, have an open wound and spend a lot of time outdoors, you may be at greater risk of becoming infested with NWS.”
Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.
How Knox County Schools ban books in school libraries
Knox County Schools abide by Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act to determine whether a book challenge should result in a ban.
A majority of Knox County school board came together to ask state legislators to reform the Age-Appropriate Materials Act that led to the ban of “Roots” last month.
The board voted June 4 to move forward on a resolution brought by Anne Templeton that urges legislators to:
- Allow books to be considered as a whole instead of a single passage. Right now, if a section of a book has depictions of sexual conduct or excessive violence, it must be banned.
- Extend the materials review period to 90 days before a statewide commission acts.
- Distinguish between grade levels so a book can be removed from elementary schools and allowed in high schools, for example.
Board members Katherine Bike, the Rev. John Butler, Chair Kristi Kristy, Patricia Fontenot-Ridley and Anne Templeton voted in favor. Members Betsy Henderson, Lauren Morgan, Stephen Triplett and Vice Chair Travis Wright voted against the resolution.
Triplett and Henderson said they agreed with parts of the resolution, but were fearful this action could disarm the Age-Appropriate Materials Act.
“I don’t want to send a message to the General Assembly that I want the Age-Appropriate Materials Act watered down at all. That is my only fear in sending anything to them, is that they get the idea from our board that we want it watered down,” Triplett explained. “I would be content with these changes, but I’d also be content if nothing changed.”
Henderson urged the board to instead take the issue up in the fall ahead of the General Assembly’s 2027 session. Templeton said she preferred to act now because book banning is a relevant topic in Knox County.
“My request is not for us to sit down and rewrite the law. It’s to ask the General Assembly to have a conversation, to say, ‘Maybe we didn’t get it perfect the first time because we’re human and maybe in our humanity we didn’t look at all the ifs, ands and buts,’” Templeton explained. “Now we have a case study here in Knoxville that could possibly apply to make this law better. To make it different.”
Morgan said the bulk of the work needs to happen at the local level, not with the state legislature.
“We need to do some work on (policy) and figure out ways to work within the framework that the law provides,” Morgan said. “I think before we’re asking the General Assembly to begin or substantially alter a law that was only enacted a couple years ago, I do believe we need to do our work as a local board to figure out a better way to enact it here.”
Next steps
A resolution is just the first step for the board in a long legislative process that will start again in the fall.
Tennessee lawmakers will reconvene in Nashville in January, but work happens year-round. A Tennessee School Board Association advocacy guide encourages local school boards to submit potential resolutions June through September for consideration at the organization’s convention in November.
This resolution will likely be discussed further late in the year when the board creates its annual priorities to send with the Knoxville delegation in 2027. This is an annual process and can include asks to fully fund preschools or protect public education for undocumented immigrants, for example.
How we got here
The decision to ban “Roots” was made public in mid-May, and was immediately met with backlash from the community and country.
The novel’s author, Alex Haley, called East Tennessee home during the later years of his life. He built a home in Norris and later bought a home in Sequoyah Hills. A sculpture of Haley was erected in Morningside Park in 1998, and that part of the park is now dubbed Alex Haley Heritage Square. He donated his personal papers − including drafts of “Roots” − to the University of Tennessee. There’s a permanent exhibit in the Museum of Appalachia dedicated to Haley.
“Roots” was one of 124 titles KCS has banned in the past two years after Tennessee law directed schools to review the contents of their libraries. Superintendent Jon Rysewyk reinstated the historical novel May 26.
KCS evaluates books to ban on a regular basis, and the district committee − comprising three administrators − reviews only specific passages, not the totality of the work when banning a book, to follow the law. The committee previously reviewed an excerpt from “Roots” and did not recommend banning it.
District spokesperson Carly Harrington told Knox News the district does not “track or document the original source” of complaints.
Rysewyk told board members in a memo the ban “weighed heavily” on him. He said he consulted with legal experts who came to different conclusions in applying the state law to “Roots.”
Caitlyn Meisner is the K-12 education reporter for Knox News. Email tips and story ideas to caitlyn.meisner@knoxnews.com.
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.
Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Tennessee
Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K 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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