By J. Holly McCall | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, Lookout readers:
If you are on social media, you may have seen videos — either cute or scary, depending on your outlook — of mischievous black bears rooting around East Tennessee rental cabins or roaming around Gatlinburg hotels.
But recently, photos of a bear sitting in a West Tennessee cornfield lit up the internet and Tennessee media. What in the Goldilocks was going on?!
Cassandra Stephenson did a little nosing around and found out that black bears are making a comeback across the Mississippi River Basin, which includes Tennessee and which one wildlife official calls the “breadbasket of black bears.”
We can bear-ly contain our excitement at the ursine resurgence.
In other news:
Honoring the Queen. Cities across Tennessee are honoring our beloved queen, Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday. NewsChannel 3 in Memphis reports the Hernando DeSoto Bridge over the Mississippi River was lit with pink lights on Wednesday while Fox 17 Nashville reported the Nashville International Airport lit up in pink, too.
An online petition to rename Nashville’s airport for Dolly has garnered over 80,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon, reports WKRN in Nashville.
Still powerless. As of Wednesday night, between 10,000 and 11,000 Memphis household were still without electricity following a weekend storm and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris has declared a state of emergency.
Feeling bullish? As much as we like bears, the Tennessee Lookout is bullish on journalism. If you are as well, we hope you’ll support our summer fundraising campaign with a donation.
THE LOOKOUT’S TOP STORY
Black bears are typically associated with forest and mountainous habitats, but were once abundant throughout the southeast, including in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and the Atchafalaya Basin. (Courtesy of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)
by Cassandra Stephenson
A common misconception about black bears is that they are a mountain species but officials at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency say they are making a comeback in Middle Tennessee, the West Tennessee flatlands, and even further south.
NEWS AND NOTES
New challenges to Trump mail-in voting order arrive after US Supreme Court ruling | Jacob Fischler, States Newsroom
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
Tennessee’s facing a consistent transportation funding deficit because of a stagnant gas tax collections. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Adam Friedman
Officials with the Tennessee Department of Transportation warned again that the state’s transportation infrastructure needs continue to outpace revenues, even as a toll lane project takes shape: Tennessee has somewhere between $58 and $87 billion in transportation infrastructure needs over the next 30 years.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced that Tennessee will receive $750 million as part of nationwide settlement with Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Adam Friedman
Tennessee will receive over $750 million as part of a nationwide $17.1 billion settlement by Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
ICYMI
Columbia water pipeline project gains key state financial approval amid ongoing opposition | Cassandra Stephenson
Nashville state lawmakers enter fray over fight for fairground speedway | Adam Friedman and Sam Stockard
ACLU queries Tennessee school districts on Ten Commandments | Sam Stockard
ICYMI
Push back on book bans by reading Tennessee authors | Mark Harmon
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