SUMMARY: The Elkmont Forever Places project in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has successfully restored 19 historical cabins, showcasing their original early 1900s appearance, including authentic paint colors. The Chapman-Buyer cabin, the last to be completed, took three years to restore. Initiated in 2009, the project aims to highlight the unique stories of the families who lived in these homes. Visitors can tour the homes for free during park hours, with volunteers available to assist. In addition to the cabins, other structures in the park are also being preserved for public enjoyment.
The cabins look as they did in the early 1900s, down to the paint colors.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-08 12:50:00
(The Center Square) – A controversial bill over the legal liability of pesticide makers was moved to 2026 by a Tennessee House committee a week after the Senate passed it.
The bill’s sponsors said the bill only pertains to the legal liability when it pertains to the warning label required by the Environmental Protection Division.
Opponents said they were afraid the bill would discourage people with legitimate complaints from suing chemical makers.
Lawmakers in both chambers heard hours of testimony from both sides.
Rep. Clay Doggett, R-Pulaski, moved a motion at a Tuesday meeting to move the bill to 2026 and possibly create a study committee.
“There’s a lot of questions that have been asked and a lot of information and I think folks would like to hear more from stakeholders,” Doggett said.
The Senate passed its version 21-7.
“The bill does not prevent anyone from suing,” said Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon. “It does limit the liability in the event that there is a claim related to the label.”
Similar bills have been introduced in other states. A bill in Georgia is waiting on Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature. North Dakota, Florida and Missouri have bills moving through their legislatures.
Bayer, the maker of the weedkiller Roundup, has faced several lawsuits. Earlier this year, a Georgia jury awarded a man $2.1 billion in a lawsuit against Bayer. The man said the product caused his cancer.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-07 12:51:00
(The Center Square) – Rep. John Clemmons, D-Nashville, made it clear that he was frustrated during the debate over a bill that would allow school districts to ban children illegally in the country.
House Bill 793, sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, would also allow schools to charge tuition to students who could not provide documents that show they are citizens or in the country legally.
Clemmons said the bill is about “punishing innocent children.”
“I’ve given up on trying to compel people with empathy or heart, love, anything like that so I’m going to talk money,” Clemmons said. “This bill would drain over a billion dollars in federal funds from the state to carry out an unconstitutional policy. LEA’s would lose $70 million plus in TISA funding. If I sound frustrated, if I sound mad as hell, it’s because I am.”
LEA is an acronym for local education agency; TISA is an acronym for Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement.
When given a chance to respond, Lamberth said, “I am sure you spent some time over the weekend thinking about that and I appreciate you sharing it with us.”
Rep. Monty Fritts, R-Kingston, acknowledged the large crowd in the committee room that opposed the bill. They later booed him.
“We’re not talking about immigrants, we’re talking about illegals,” Fritts said to boos from the crowd. “There is a distinct difference.”
The crowd began to recite “The Lord’s Prayer” as the Committee Chairman Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville, called for the vote. The committee recessed until the room cleared.
The bill passed along party lines, with Republican Rep. Jeremy Faison of Cosby joining Democrats. Its next stop is the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee.
Several people started singing “Jesus Loves the Little Children” after the bill was passed. The committee recessed, and Tennessee State Troopers were called in to remove the protestors, who were holding signs in the committee room.
The Senate version of the bill has cleared all committees and could go before the full chamber this week.
More than two dozen Chattanooga business owners are condemning a bill to require student immigration background checks in Tennessee’s public schools as “economically reckless.”
The Tennessee Small Business Alliance represents restaurants, real estate firms, retail stores and other local employers operating within the district represented by Sen. Bo Watson.
Watson, a Republican, is cosponsoring the legislation to require proof of legal residence to enroll in public K-12 and charter schools. The bill would also give public schools the option of charging tuition to the families of children unable to prove they legally reside in the United States – or to deny them the right to a public education altogether.
House Leader William Lamberth of Gallatin is a co-sponsor of the bill, which has drawn significant — but not unanimous — support from fellow Tennessee Republicans. Lamberth’s version of the bill differs from Watson’s in that it would make it optional — rather than mandatory — to check students’ immigration status in all of Tennessee’s more than 1700 public schools.
The bill, one of the most controversial being considered during the 2025 Legislative session, has significant momentum as the Legislature winds down for the year even as it has drawn raucous protests at times. The legislation will next be debated on Monday in a House committee.
A statement released by the business alliance described the legislation as a “political stunt that’s cruel, economically reckless, and completely out of step with local values.”
Citing estimates compiled by the nonprofit advocacy organization, American Immigration Council, the statement noted that more than 430,000 immigrants in Tennessee paid $4.4 billion in taxes – more than $10,000 per immigrant.
Watson, in an emailed statement from Chattanooga public relations firm Waterhouse Public Relations, said his bill “raises important questions about the financial responsibility of educating undocumented students in Tennessee—questions that have long gone unaddressed.”
The statement said the Supreme Court’s 1982 decision in Plyler v. Doe, which established the right to a public school education for all children regardless of immigration status, has “never been re-examined in the context of today’s challenges.” The statement said Watson is committed to a “transparent, fact-driven discussion about how Tennessee allocates its educational resources and how federal mandates impact our state’s budget and priorities.”
Do our representatives believe that undocumented children — who had no say in their immigration status — should be denied a public education, even though their families already pay taxes that fund our schools?
– Kelly Fitzgerald, Chattanooga business owner
Watson has previously also said the legislation was prompted, in part, by the rising costs of English-language instruction in the state’s public schools.
Democrats have criticized that argument as based on inaccurate assumptions that English language learners lack legal immigration status.
Kelly Fitzgerald, founder of a Chattanooga co-working business and one of 27 employers that signed onto the statement of condemnation, criticized lawmakers.”
“Do our representatives believe that undocumented children — who had no say in their immigration status — should be denied a public education, even though their families already pay taxes that fund our schools?” said Fitzgerald, whose own children attend Hamilton County Public schools
“My children are receiving a great education in our public schools, and I want every child to have the same rights and opportunities as mine do,” she said.
“In my opinion, this is not something our legislators should be spending their resources on when there are much larger issues at hand in the current environment,” she said. “We should leave children out of the conversation.”
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
