NASHVILLE – Federal, state, and local public safety officials are hosting the 17th annual “Tennessee Season to Remember” on Thursday, December 5. The ceremony to honor and remember victims of homicide will take place at First Baptist Church in downtown Nashville. This year’s keynote speaker will be Mychal Austin, son of murder victim and former Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) Correctional Administrator Debra Johnson, a 38-year state employee, who was killed in the line of duty on Aug. 7, 2019. Families and friends who have lost loved ones lives to violent crime are invited to attend and hang ornaments on memorial wreaths. After the ceremony, the wreaths will be moved to the Tennessee State Capitol, where they will remain on display through the holiday season. WHAT: 17th Annual Tennessee Season to Remember ceremony WHO: Federal, state and local public safety officials WHEN: 5:30 p.m. (CST), Thursday, December 5 WHERE: First Baptist Church Broadway at 108 7th Avenue S. Nashville, Tennessee The Tennessee Board of Parole, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the office of Secretary of State Tre Hargett, the office of State Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, the office of State Treasurer David Lillard, Jr., Tennessee Department of Correction, Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security, Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration’s Office of Criminal Justice Programs, Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, and Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction (TRICOR) are working together on this year’s event. Also providing support are Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee, victim advocacy groups You Have the Power and Tennessee Voices for Victims, U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Tennessee and the Davidson County District Attorney General’s Office.

For the 15th consecutive year, families of homicide victims honored their lost loved ones during the annual “Tennessee Season to Remember” Thursday evening. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam hosted the event at First Baptist Church in Nashville.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today issued the following statement regarding the settlement reached between the Department of Justice and Volkswagen: “Volkswagen is incredibly important to Chattanooga and the state’s economy. I have spoken with Volkswagen officials several times over the last couple of days, and they have assured me that this settlement won’t restrict in any way their capital expansion plans in Chattanooga. In fact, they have committed to bringing even more jobs to Chattanooga. So the future is bright for our workforce, and VW can continue doing what it does best, which is building great cars in Tennessee.”

Nashville — The Board of Parole (BOP), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the Department of Correction (TDOC) and the Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction (TRICOR) are planting 11 trees in honor of crime victims during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 10-16. At each event, they’re also recognizing victim advocates for their work. Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville was the site of the first event on Monday, April 11. Parole Board Chairman Richard Montgomery said, "Gov. Haslam...