Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1994, Olympic champion and Clarksville native Wilma Rudolph died in Brentwood. Rudolph overcame polio as a child and went on to become a world champion sprinter at the age of 16.

A 101-year-old World War II veteran proved that you're never too old to chase a new dream after he released his first recorded song with the help of CreatiVets and Big Machine Label Group. See details in the story below.

Did you know that the team that makes The Tennessee Flyover also produces a national publication called The Flyover? Click here to sign up and stay up to date with the latest national headlines—without the bias of legacy media outlets.

Discover how today's sponsor, TerraCycle, is transforming the recycling industry by profitably tackling 400+ waste streams that others won't process—and offering investors a chance to share in its rapid growth.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Library Closures Follow Book Review Order

Several public libraries in Rutherford County are temporarily closing after a directive from the Tennessee Secretary of State's Office ordered a sweeping review of children's and teen books.

The ordered review cites concerns of age-appropriateness and references an executive order from President Trump on gender ideology.

Libraries statewide have been given 60 days to flag potentially non-compliant materials.

Staff report hundreds of titles—many with LGBTQ themes—potentially on the chopping block.

Historic Donoho Hotel Goes Up in Flames

A major fire broke out Tuesday morning at the Donoho Hotel in Red Boiling Springs, drawing responses from three fire stations. See photos here.

The extent of the damage is still being assessed, and no injuries have yet been reported.

Built in 1916, the Donoho is one of the last surviving resort-era hotels in the region and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The blaze is a blow to local heritage, as the hotel has long been seen as a symbol of the town's early 20th-century tourism boom.

Tick Bites Trigger Meat Allergy Surge

East Tennessee doctors are seeing a rise in Alpha Gal Syndrome, a red meat allergy caused by bites from the Lone Star tick.

The condition, which can trigger severe allergic reactions hours after eating beef or pork, has hit outdoorsmen hard, forcing major lifestyle and diet changes.

Tennessee now requires doctors to report new cases, as the state has become a national hotspot for the tick-borne illness.

Experts say prevention is key: avoid tick bites and stay alert for symptoms like hives or swelling after eating meat.

Flying together with our sponsor

Recycling 400+ waste streams others won't process

TerraCycle partners with hundreds of major brands, including Coca-Cola, Gillette, Whole Foods, and Taco Bell, to recycle a wide range of products, such as razors, sauce packets, and coffee pods.

TerraCycle has been profitable for over 10 years, transforming their mission-driven recycling solutions into revenue-driving success. Their business model has seen 75% revenue growth between 2020 and 2024, hitting $45M last year. First-half 2025 revenue is up 11% vs. last year.

And they're dominating the search engines for recycling solutions. Go ahead and look up how to recycle any hard-to-recycle trash, like "recycle cigarette butts" or "recycle contact lenses," and see who shows up.

Early backers have already seen 17-20% of their investment capital back in dividends. Now it's your turn.

Invest in TerraCycle by 11/20 and get 15% bonus shares.

➤ Statewide: Tennessee's Department of Children's Services asked for funding to create 455 new positions to reduce overwhelming caseloads, but lawmakers question whether staffing cuts contributed to the issue. (More)

➤ Putnam County: A 10-vehicle pileup shut down part of I-40 West Monday morning, causing minor injuries and a temporary detour, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. (More)

➤ Knoxville: Seventeen dogs headed to new homes in New York made an unexpected stop after the weather canceled their flight. Rescue Pet Riders stepped in to continue their journey by road. (See Dogs)

➤ Nashville: Crews have completed the crucial "ring beam" on the new Nissan Stadium, marking a major step toward the 2027 opening of the Titans' future home. (See Photos)

➤ Also Nashville: A plan to convert free parking in Music Row to paid spaces was approved, despite opposition and a petition with over 1,800 signatures from local musicians and businesses. (More)

➤ Hopkinsville: A trash compactor fire at the Walmart Distribution Center led to a full evacuation Sunday evening. No injuries were reported, and the damage was minor. (More)

➤ Women's Basketball AP Poll: Tennessee dropped four spots to No. 12 in this week's poll, while Vanderbilt held steady at No. 19. (See Full Poll)

➤ Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant shut down a question from the media about changing his play style after a 3-18 shooting performance in the team's loss to OKC: "I'm getting no foul calls… let's end that convo right there." (More)

➤ Five teams from the state made the NCAA women's soccer postseason tournament: Vanderbilt as a No. 1 seed, UT as a No. 3 seed, Memphis as a No. 7 seed, and Lipscomb joined Tennessee Tech as automatic qualifiers. (See Bracket)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Protect your wallet and identity with the compact, ultra-thin card from Guardality, which slides effortlessly into your wallet and uses advanced electromagnetic shielding to instantly block hidden RFID skimmers from accessing your contactless cards and passport information. (LEARN MORE)

➤ A pending $13.45 million sale-leaseback deal will keep Nashville's Plaza Mariachi in business, ending its bankruptcy threat and allowing the cultural center to continue operations. (More)

➤ An East Tennessee woman lost $2,000 after being tricked into a fake work-from-home job that appeared to be from Nexxen, highlighting a growing trend of online employment scams. (More)

➤ Elon Musk's Boring Company is deploying its first-ever hard-rock boring machine to navigate Nashville's erosion-prone limestone and dense bedrock, as it prepares to tunnel from the airport to downtown. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ The No. 1 weight‑loss quiz you'll wish you took sooner. Answer a few simple questions and unlock your Sprout Health weight‑loss blueprint. This personalized quiz connects you to tailored treatment options and expert guidance for real results. (LEARN MORE)

Flying together with our sponsor

The world's biggest brands turn to TerraCycle

In a world where 95% of waste isn't recycled, TerraCycle builds profitable recycling models for "unrecyclable" products and packages by working with hundreds of major brands, like Coca-Cola, Gillette, Whole Foods, and Taco Bell, to recycle razors, sauce packets, coffee pods, and so much more.

With over 8 billion items kept out of landfills, they're becoming the world's go-to name in recycling. It's fueling 10+ years of profits for TerraCycle, with 75% revenue growth since 2020.

Previous investors have already seen returns of 17-20% in dividends.

Now's your turn. Invest in TerraCycle by 11/20 and get 15% bonus share.

This is a paid advertisement for TerraCycle's Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.terracycle.com/

➤ Gatlinburg's Ober Mountain is set to launch snow tubing on Saturday and skiing on Nov. 22, using advanced snowmaking to kick off the winter season early. (More)

➤ University of Tennessee hospitality students organized a free wedding for a couple whose inspiring love story overcame illness—all as part of a hands-on class project. (More)

➤ A 101-year-old World War II veteran who landed at Utah Beach on D-Day released his first song, If Freedom Was Free, through Nashville nonprofit CreatiVets and Big Machine Label Group. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Preserve your most treasured moments with iMemories — simply send in your old home movies, slides, photos, or tapes in their crush-proof SafeShip kit and watch as they're digitized, enhanced with AI, and made instantly streamable on any device. (LEARN MORE)