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Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn announced today the State of Tennessee’s continued efforts to assist families, teachers, and districts as the 2020-2021 school year begin.

NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Prison for Women (TPFW) will now be known as the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center. Governor Bill Lee signed Executive Order No. 56 renaming the women’s facility in honor of the TDOC Correctional Administrator who was killed in the line of duty one year ago.

Week ending on August 1, 2020

Week ending on August 1, 2020

HENNING –He was once named one of the FBI’s “10 Most Wanted Fugitives.” Now, a former prison escapee is back in Tennessee to serve the remainder of his sentence. Lohman Ray Mays, Jr, an habitual offender who escaped from the Turney Center Industrial Prison 36 years ago, was recaptured in Wyoming in 1985 and has since been serving a federal sentence for bank robbery.

PIKEVILLE – Six people have been arrested after a special operation by the Tennessee Department of Correction’s Office of Investigations & Conduct (OIC). TDOC special agents began apprehending individuals indicted by the Bledsoe County Grand Jury last week.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry is accepting applications for the 2020 Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) program until Sept. 11. Departments may now apply for VFA Wildland Fire Suppression Kits to supplement their department's wildland firefighting capacity.

Nashville – August 7, 2020 will mark a somber anniversary for the Tennessee Department of Correction. It was on this day, one year ago, that our beloved Correctional Administrator Debra Johnson was killed in the line of duty.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee called for the Tennessee General Assembly to convene on Monday, August 10, 2020, for a special session to address COVID-19 liability protections, telehealth services and laws governing the Capitol grounds.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is opening the grant application process Saturday, August 1 to support non-profit organizations serving Tennessee’s health and economic needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state is making $150 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds available in this grant cycle through the Tennessee Community CARES Program.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee today signed Executive Order No. 55, allowing the resumption of contact sports and extending local authority to require masks, among other provisions.

Farmers markets throughout Tennessee have worked diligently to connect producers of fresh, local foods to consumers safely. From visiting a new market to lighting up the night in Nashville, there are many ways to celebrate farmers markets during National Farmers Market Week Aug. 2-8, 2020.