Merger Approved after Deliberate and Thorough Public Process NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH today announced the state is officially allowing a merger of Wellmont Health System and Mountain States Health Alliance by issuing a Certificate of Public Advantage or COPA to their parent company, Ballad Health. An official announcement is expected from the tw ...

During a hearing today to receive the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s annual report from U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, questioned the sustainability of government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and emphasized the opportunity for congressional action on housing finance reform. Excerpts follow. ...

Ramsey in the Senate chamber. File photo WCEDC hires former Lt. Gov. to help secure legislative appropriation By Scott Robertson In the gig economy, everybody’s got a side hustle, even former lieutenant governors. Ron Ramsey, the Blountville-based auctioneer who represented Northeast Tennessee in both the State House and Senate before retiring from the position of lieutenant governor last year, has been hir ...

BrightRidge Board Chair Dr. B.J. King and CEO Jeff Dykes JOHNSON CITY -- BrightRidge Board of Directors voted unanimously Tuesday to seek regulatory approval for a phased, 8-year roll out of high-speed internet, television and phone services to its 78,000-customer service area. 
 “There is no doubt that the essential utility of the 21st century is high-speed internet,” BrightRidge CEO Jeff Dykes said. “Howe ...

Joined by leadership from the State House and Senate and Tennessee Chief Justice Jeff Bivins, Gov. Bill Haslam Monday announced what his office called, “an aggressive and comprehensive plan to end the opioid epidemic in Tennessee.” The plan centers on three major components: prevention, treatment and law enforcement. TN Together is a multi-faceted initiative that addresses the issue of opioid addiction thro ...

Tennessee's gas prices swung 61 cents per gallon in 2017, from a low under $2.00 a gallon in July to a high of $2.60 in the fall. The low price of $1.99 was recorded July 5, while the high happened Sept. 10. Gas prices currently hang between those two marks, with Tri-Cities motorists paying the highest prices in the state.. Tennessee gas prices increased 6 cents during the past week. The state average of $2 ...

Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System have increased visitation restrictions at all their hospitals this week due to the severity of this year’s flu season, both locally and across the country. To protect patients, team members and physicians from potential exposure, hospitals are asking the following individuals to refrain from visiting patients at this time: Anyone who has flu-like sy ...

The Johnson City Convention & Visitors Bureau (JCCVB) recently received international recognition for its new ad campaign for the Southern Dozen, a guided destination tour of scenic motorcycle rides in the East Tennessee region. The Southern Dozen ad received the Gold Award from Graphis, and will be published in the annual Graphis “Design Annual 2018” publication in early 2018.  The Graphis Design Award ...

Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and AGC Glass North America officials announced today that the company will expand its operations Church Hill. The glass manufacturer will invest $40.6 million and create 85 new jobs in Hawkins County. “I want to thank AGC for creating more than 80 new jobs and investing over $40 million in Hawkins County,” Rolfe said. “AGC is ...

Above: Rendering of completed Aerospace Park courtesy Tri-Cities Airport Authority By Scott Robertson Tri-Cities Airport’s Aerospace Park project will receive a $4.1 million grant from the the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Aeronautics Economic Development Fund. “We are extraordinarily pleased to receive this grant,” said Jon Smith, chairman of the Tri-Cities Airport Authority (TCAA). “We b ...