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It’s February, and after the ice storms last month, the New York Times highlighted the snowplow work in Nashville. With new snowplows making their debuts, meet Dolly Plowton, Music City Plow, Blizzard of Oz, Snowella, and Frosty the Snow Plow, all named by local students.
Sycamore Than You Knew
- Last Chance! ~ We’re hosting regional housing events to discuss the levers locals have to address their housing concerns. Today is the last day to register for luncheons in Johnson City and Cookeville.
- Adding Up ~ Earlier this month, Governor Lee released his recommendation for the FY 2027 budget. If you missed it, catch up with our Budget in Brief. If you’d rather watch than read, yesterday’s webinar is available on YouTube now!
- See the Blueprint ~ Have questions about the budget cycle? We published eight quick facts about the budget process that will get you up to speed in less than 10 minutes.
- Learn the Lingo ~ Recently, we’ve been defining common terms and phrases you may hear when watching the Tennessee General Assembly. Learn what it means for a bill to be placed “behind the budget,” and catch some behind-the-scenes moments on TikTok and Instagram.
- A Decade In ~ As Sycamore celebrates our 10 year anniversary, join us at our 3rd Annual Forum! Early bird tickets are on sale now, and you won’t want to miss this event.
Notes and Quotes ~
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- The Jackson Sun highlighted our recent Regional Housing Summit in Jackson, offering context around housing supply and affordability in West Tennessee.
- Public News Service explained changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program affecting Tennessee recipients writing “‘For those people that meet that ‘able-bodied adults without dependents’ work requirement, they have to work at least 80 hours a month, which is roughly 20 hours a week,’ Yeh outlined. ‘[They] also are limited to benefits for three months within a three-year period if they do not meet those work requirements.'”
- The Center Square wrote about the FY 2027 budget recommendation, explaining, “‘If you take away the federal dollars, it is tight but it is relatively flat,” said Mandy Spears, executive vice president of the Sycamore Institute. “So it’s not going down quite as much as that headline number suggests that it is going down.’“
Not From Around Here
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- A Quieter Year ~ The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has the honor of being the nation’s most visited national park. For the first time since 2018, fewer than 12 million people visited the park in 2025. Local efforts to keep the park open during the government shutdown prevented additional losses.
- A Closer Look ~ In 2024, more than 400 people in Tennessee were charged with DUIs, though bloodwork showed they tested negative for drugs or alcohol. The reasons why may be more complex than it seems.
- A Place to Land ~ Lumen Flats in Knoxville, is offering first-of-its-kind transitional apartments for youth aging out of foster care. This public-private partnership will provide stable housing and access to resources to residents, who can live there for up to three years.
- Chew On It ~ “A Collierville 11-year-old is showing you can make a difference in your community no matter how old you are. In November, Jack Knight — along with the help of his father, Alex Knight — launched Help Memphis, which focuses on addressing food insecurity through small, accessible community pantries.”
- Preserving History ~ To preserve Tennessee’s historic war sites, the Tennessee Wars Commission has distributed millions of dollars to help save more than 1,000 acres of battlefields. As land values rise, preserving this land gets increasingly expensive and difficult.
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Rated G for Graph
Dusting Off the Archives
- Statewide conversations are happening about property taxes, which are the largest source of local revenue for county governments in Tennessee. Our 2024 report explains that county property taxes vary, and tax rates alone don’t tell the whole story.
