By J. Holly McCall | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning and TGIF, Lookout readers:
This is apparently wildlife week at the Tennessee Lookout, but Tennessee is known for its abundance of fish, game and recreational opportunities.
As Cassandra Stephenson was casting about for stories, she reeled in one about how the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission approved an increase in costs for hunting and fishing license in an attempt to fill a budget gap.
But the Tennessee General Assembly must approve the commission’s budget, and if lawmakers take the bait, the price hike won’t take effect until July 2027.
In other news:
An airport named for Dolly. A move to rename the Nashville International Airport for the late Dolly Parton is picking up steam. Metro Nashville Councilmember Russ Bradford, who represents the district in which the airport is sited, announced he will sponsor a resolution in Metro Council requesting the change. State Rep. Todd Warner, a Chapel Hill Republican, has said he will introduce legislation at the state level.
As if last night’s partial lunar eclipse wasn’t spectacular enough, at 8 a.m. CDT today, an airplane towing a banner carrying the plea to rename the airport will make a pass over the Tennessee Capitol. Nashvillians, get your binoculars out.
Shot down in Memphis. The Associated Press reported Thursday that autopsy results for Tyrin Johnson, the 20-year-old Memphis man shot and killed by Tennessee National Guard members, reveal Johnson was shot in the back. The autopsy apparently contradicts police reports after the July 5 shooting, which said Johnson turned toward Guard members while holding a gun.
Johnson is one of four men shot and killed since May by federal agents or National Guard members with the Memphis Safe Task Force.
THE LOOKOUT’S TOP STORY
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has budgeted for an increase in fees for hunting and fishing licenses. (Photo: Bob Ford, Hatchie River Conservancy)
by Cassandra Stephenson
Tennessee hunting and fishing license fees could increase by an average of 29% next year in an effort to bridge a multi-million-dollar deficit in the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s budget.
NEWS AND NOTES
Judge reinstates pause on Trump order limiting mail ballots | Jacob Fischler, States Newsroom
US Justice Department challenges 4 more states over in-state tuition for immigrants | Shauneen Miranda, States Newsroom
FEATURED IN THE LOOKOUT
Rep. Caleb Hemmer, a Nashville Democrat retiring after two terms in office, calls the legislature’s move to create private school vouchers “the single worst policy decision” of his time in office. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
by Sam Stockard
State Rep. Caleb Hemmer is leaving the Tennessee Legislature with the feeling he made a mark in just two terms but with major concern that lawmakers passed private-school voucher programs that will prove too costly for the state to stomach.
ICYMI
Columbia water pipeline project gains key state financial approval amid ongoing opposition | Cassandra Stephenson
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