Alan Levine By Scott Robertson                 In a healthcare economy in which the closure of rural hospitals is becoming more common, Ballad Health plans to partner with a hospital authority to reopen a small rural hospital that has been closed for more than five years.              Lee County Regional Medi ...

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee Tennessee Governor Bill Lee quizzed commissioners of Economic & Community Development, Corrections, Labor & Workforce Development, Education and Health this week regarding their plans to collaborate to improve Tennessee’s workforce, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The queries came during the first round of state budget hearings, during which the new governor spoke ...

Bo Wilkes III and Dana Glenn Leadership Tennessee, the state’s leadership education organization, this week announced the first class of Leadership Tennessee NEXT, its program offering early-to-mid career professionals in-depth personal and career development while fostering a better understanding of Tennessee. Leadership Tennessee NEXT is the state’s only statewide leadership program focusing on Tennessee’ ...

State Representative Matthew Hill The Washington County Economic Development Council’s grant application for $2 million in rail connectivity funds has been approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. “This grant will allow East Tennessee Railway to make improvements to their existing rail line along North Broadway Street in Johnson City,” said Mitch Miller, economic development council CEO. “The ...

Dr. John Dreyzehner Dr. John Dreyzehner’s last day as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH) was Friday. One of his final acts as commissioner was to send a letter dated two days before his departure, asking for details regarding Ballad’s plan to consolidate NICUs operating at Holston Valley Medical Center and the Niswonger Children’s Hospital on the campus of Johnson City Medical Center. ...

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee  and First Lady Maria Lee share a moment after Lee was sworn in as Tennesseeís 50th governor last Saturday inside the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville. Courtesy of Williamson County Herald Tennessee Governor Bill Lee took the oath of office Saturday morning, offering in his remarks a message of unity and commitment, with emphasis on limited government and improved workforce d ...

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Tuesday visited the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) in Abingdon to view an exhibition by kindergartners through fifth graders who have been learning coding through the Southwest Virginia STEM Academy, held at the (SVHEC). The children have each learned to use iPads to program drones to autonomously perform a series of tasks. ...

Johnson Commercial Development (JCD), which developed The Pinnacle, a 250+ acre mixed-use shopping and dining center on the Tennessee side of the Virginia border near Bristol, is now ready to develop the 350 acres it owns adjacent to the Pinnacle on the Virginia side. JCD plans to start by building an amphitheater with seating for 15,000, an adventure park with rides and activities, and a hotel and waterpar ...

The 111th Session of the Tennessee General Assembly will be a creature unlike any before, according to new Deputy Speaker of the House Matthew Hill. Lack of early revenue information and a massive changeover in personnel in both the legislative and executive branches will likely mean a longer session than usual with more key decisions being taken later in the term. More than a quarter of the house members a ...

The Tri-Cities Airport Authority (TCAA) has been awarded a $1,690,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Aeronautics Economic Development Fund to further the development of Aerospace Park. Aerospace Park is a direct-airfield development. The site offers 21 acres certified for immediate development and an additional 140 acres under development. TDOT’s grant funding should allow TC ...