Thursday, March 19, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 2006, Tennessee’s Candace Parker slammed the first dunk ever in an NCAA Women's basketball tournament. She dunked a second time later in the game, securing Tennessee's first-round win over Army. See video of the dunks here.

A Murfreesboro restaurant is trying to win back public support after confusing patrons by requiring proof of age for a children’s discount. See details in the story below.

Some of your nightly habits may be hurting your heart health. In today’s Flyover Podcast, Ayla Brown shares insights from a cardiologist with two decades of experience who says there are seven things he never does after 7 p.m. What are they? Tune in to hear which habits to avoid and why they matter more than you might think. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, Immersed, is offering a final chance to invest in a pre-IPO opportunity at $0.66 per share as it prepares to launch its next-generation AR/VR workspace platform and highly anticipated Visor headset.

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.

Japan Weighs in on License Bill

Japan’s government warned Tennessee lawmakers that a proposed English-only driver’s license bill could jeopardize billions in foreign investment and thousands of jobs tied to Japanese companies in the state.

In a letter, the consul general said the measure could send a negative signal to investors, noting Japan has more than $21 billion invested and supports about 60,000 jobs in Tennessee.

The bill would require non-English speakers to pass an English-language driving test within a year or face restrictions.

Supporters argue that the bill improves road safety because drivers must be able to read English road signs.

Trump To Visit Memphis On Crime Effort

President Trump is set to visit Memphis on Monday to highlight results from the Memphis Safe Task Force, a multiagency crime initiative launched last fall.

Federal, state, and local law enforcement, along with the National Guard, have made more than 7,100 arrests, including dozens linked to homicide, drug offenses, and firearms crimes.

Officials say the effort has also seized over 1,100 illegal guns and located nearly 150 missing children.

The visit comes about six months after the task force began, with the White House pointing to enforcement gains as a key achievement.

March Madness Tips Off for Tennessee

Three Tennessee teams made the 2026 March Madness field: the No. 6 Vols, No. 5 Vanderbilt, and No. 15 Tennessee State, who are dancing for the first time since 1994. The Commodores play today, while both the Vols and Tennessee State tip off tomorrow afternoon. See the bracket.

All eyes are on freshman Nate Ament, the highest-rated recruit in Tennessee basketball history. The 6-foot-10 forward is averaging 17.4 points per game and looks like a surefire NBA first-round pick this season. If he's fully recovered from the ankle sprain he suffered in February, the Vols are a dangerous out for anyone in the Midwest Region. See highlights.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is riding high from a jaw-dropping SEC Tournament run that included a blowout win over the defending national champions, Florida. Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles have been spectacular for the Commodores, who open against McNeese.

The Vols tip off on TBS tomorrow afternoon in Philadelphia, and Tennessee State—playing in its first tournament in over three decades—faces Iowa State on CBS. By this time next week, only 16 teams will remain from the original 64. How to watch.

Flying together with our sponsor

Final Week to Invest in This Pre-IPO Company at $0.66/Share

Immersed has already reserved the NASDAQ ticker $IMRS. But the real opportunity for investors is now, before the company goes public.

They’ve already developed the Meta Quest store’s most popular productivity app. More than 1.5M people, including Fortune 500 teams, use it up to 60 hours a week.

Rapid success has driven a 4,000% surge in Immersed's valuation. But their next chapter could deliver an even bigger breakthrough…

Immersed’s soon-to-be-released Visor headset has 2M more pixels than Apple’s Vision Pro for 70% less money and 70% less weight. More than 75,000 people are already on the waitlist to receive it. No wonder they’re projecting 10x revenue growth from $7M to $71M in the first year alone.

Visor will complete the company’s vertically integrated vision for the future AR/VR workspace. Between Immersed’s app, headset, and AI assistant, it’s a $250B market opportunity.

They have partnerships in place with Qualcomm and Samsung. Executives and founders from Intel and Reddit are shareholders, along with 6,000+ others.

You can be, too. But there’s no time to waste. Lock in the $0.66 share price before the March 26 deadline.

➤ Statewide: The Tennessee Republican Party voted to remove more than 40 candidates, including pardoned former aide Cade Cothren, from the 2026 primary ballot, citing party rules. (More)

➤ Chattanooga: A local company has launched a “smart gun” that uses fingerprint, passcode, or app-based authentication to prevent unauthorized use and improve firearm safety. (See Details)

➤ Fentress County: Kids Korner Daycare faces a state investigation after a toddler was left unattended outside for at least 15 minutes, with officials citing reporting failures and lack of cooperation. (More)

➤ Murfreesboro: Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney McPhee announced he will retire at the end of 2026 after more than 25 years, with plans to return as a faculty member. (More)

➤ Nashville: Firefighters responded Tuesday morning to a fire at Kid Rock’s bar on Lower Broadway, where officials say a heating element ignited insulation, causing damage inside the VIP mezzanine area. (More)

➤ Lenoir City: Officials extended a moratorium on new apartment construction for another year as they study growth and infrastructure needs to address community concerns about rapid expansion. (More)

➤ David Cutcliffe, longtime Tennessee assistant coach and Peyton Manning’s quarterbacks coach in the 1990s, announced his retirement after more than 40 years in college football. (More)

➤ Memphis Grizzlies guard Scottie Pippen Jr. underwent toe surgery earlier this week and will miss the remainder of the NBA season. (More)

➤ The Nashville Predators defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in a Tuesday shootout as Ryan O’Reilly scored the winner and Juuse Saros made key saves, closing their road trip with momentum. (More)

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➤ Boro Bazaar, a new international grocery store in Murfreesboro, offers South Asian foods and goods, with plans already underway to open a second location. (More)

➤ Priority Wrecker Services faces a Tennessee lawsuit over roughly 60 complaints alleging predatory practices, while officials say the company has not responded, and additional consumer complaints continue to surface. (More)

➤ Harps Food Stores plans to acquire 18 West Tennessee grocery locations from Dyer Foods, with the deal expected to close by summer 2026 and bring minimal changes for employees and operations. (More)

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This Pre-IPO Company is Facing the Tech Giants

As Tech Giants reshape how people work, a $250B+ opportunity is up for grabs. With partners like Meta, Qualcomm, and Samsung, Immersed is perfectly positioned to seize it.

Immersed combined the world’s most-used remote work XR software ($127B by 2030), AR/VR hardware ($100B+ by 2026), and AI productivity tools ($36B) to create a productive, communal, and distraction-free virtual workspace. That’s why 1.5M+ professionals, including Fortune 500 teams, already use it.

Now, Immersed is preparing to ship the first units of its productivity-designed Visor headset. 75,000+ already waitlisted, representing $71M in projected first-year sales. No wonder executives and founders from Intel and Sailpoint have already invested.

You have one week left: Invest in Immersed at $0.66/share before March 26.

This is a paid advertisement for the Immersed Regulation A+ offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.immersed.com/

➤ A Murfreesboro restaurant removed a sign about proof of age for children’s discounts after online confusion, saying people misread the policy and staff never strictly enforced it. (More)

➤ Family-owned Sauna House Knoxville opened on Feb. 27, offering a Nordic-style contrast therapy experience with hot saunas and cold plunges designed for relaxation and rejuvenation. (See Details)

➤ East Tennessee filmmakers completed a low-budget sci-fi comedy about artificial intelligence clashing with human creativity, featuring a regional cast and aiming for a future streaming release. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

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