Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) decline to condemn President Trump after his racist attacks on several Democratic congresswomen.

GOP senators dodge CNN reporter when asked about Trump

Leadfoot drivers across the Southeast are risking a little summertime blues this week thanks to the third annual Operation Southern Shield, which kicked off today and continues through Sunday, July 21.

Law enforcement officers in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama are cracking down on speeders during the campaign ...

Southern speeders face a miserable week during Operation Southern Shield

Buzz Aldrin's Apollo 11 travel voucher claims $33.31 in expenses. Modes of travel include "POV" (personally owned vehicle?), "Government Spacecraft" and "USN Hornet." Travel itenerary listed as "Houston Texas to Cape Kennedy FL, Moon, Pacific Ocean, Hawaii, and return to Houston Texas." "Government meals and quarters provided," it says. (Click image for bigger).

Upon arrival at the Honolulu airport, all three Astronauts signed a customs declaration form. Flight routing was noted as Cape Kennedy, Moon, and Honolulu." Their cargo was listed as "moon rock and moon dust samples." Under "persons on board known to be suffering from illness" it says "none." Under "any other condition on board which may lead to the spread of disease" it says "to be determined." (Click image for bigger.)

(source)

Tennessee is once again in the news because Gov. Lee declared a state Nathan Bedford Forrest day, and his bust remains on display in the statehouse. National news outlets and even Ted Cruz piled on.

Never mind that every governor is required by state law to commemorate the former KKK Grand Wizard, along with other Confederate causes at various times. Haslam had to do it for eight years. Bredesen for eight years before that. And every other governor going back to the 1920s.

The real shame is that these laws have been on the books for so long. It's the Twenty-first Century! Why is it so hard to get rid of these laws and remove the bust? Oh, wait. Rhetorical question.

Gov. Lee says he's reluctant to change the law, because it would be a "mistake to whitewash history." Interesting choice of words. So maybe we should have commemorations and statehouse memorials for victims of lynchings or the Fort Pillow massacre? Why not tributes for the East Tennessee patriots who joined with the Union? Or the Clinton 12?

That seems like a natural for a senior living facility. Indoor safe place to walk or electric transport. Easy to monitor for safety. Businesses would have builtin customer base. Medical facilities could be there. Lot's of seniors centric businesses. Solar power maybe, they would have the surface area on roof and parking lot.

Knoxville Center Mall: More retailers depart with major closing sales

President Trump announces Bill Hagerty's run for U.S. Senate

Sounds like an appointment.

WATE reports who's in, who's out, and who's a maybe...

In a Gannett exclusive op-ed, Haslam says public service was "not my calling for the next period of my life."

Here's a play by play...

Seems like a good idea ...

Trails through Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore can be steep or sandy -- but people who require hiking mobility assistance can now rent a motorized chair with treaded tracks to get around.

Michigan national park is the first to allow visitors to use a powerful 'track chair' to experience trails

Nearly 60% of All Vehicle Trips Were Less than Six Miles

Vehicle trips by household income

What If We Kept Our Cars Parked for Trips Less Than One Mile?

Press release:

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced today that Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and private nonprofit organizations located in Tennessee as a result of rain and flooding from May 1, 2018 through Feb. 25, 2019.

The loans are available in the following counties: Anderson, Bedford, Benton, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Cheatham, Claiborne, Cocke, Cumberland, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Franklin, Giles, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, Marion, Marshall, Maury, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Montgomery, Moore, Morgan, Perry, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Robertson, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Stewart, Sullivan, Sumner, Unicoi, Union, Washington Wayne, Williamson and Wilson in Tennessee.

The event is hosted by the Knoxville League of Women Voters.

Knoxville election candidates

It doesn't quite change everything, but it's a refreshing reprieve from current aesthetic trends.

(link...)

Lot's of iterations for this building ...

Kern's Bakery development's 'food hall' concept part of a national trend

Have fun and be safe.

Tonight on the eve of the Fourth of July, Rev. William J. Barber II will preach a sermon to the nation about political violence against immigrants and people of color.

Watch live online at 7pm ET:

http://breachrepairers.org/livestream

Tied with Alaska for the eighth spot for the states with the worst drivers is Tennessee. Just 80% of Volunteer State drivers are insured, the fifth-lowest rate in the country. The state also sees 3.63 DUIs per 1,000 drivers and 1.35 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles driven. It comes in 14th-highest for rate of searches for driving related tickets, according to Google Trends data.

States With the Worst Drivers – 2019 Edition

...for your waistline or your blood sugar:

Krispy Kreme now offering home delivery

We just got back from a road trip out West. 21 days, 6600 miles, 18 states. Temps from 33 to 102F and elevations from 0 to 9700+ feet. We drove the northern part of CA-1 up the Pacific coast (which is like 129 to Fontana except 200 miles long), US-101 up the Oregon Pacific coast, up to Portland and through the Columbia River Gorge, then back to Seattle, over to Yellowstone, through the Bighorn Mountains and the Watipi Valley in WY, and then the Badlands in SD. Call us the Breeze because we didn't stay in any one place very long. We're happy to be home.

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