Kingston
Kingston, TN · Events
The Daily Times
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Chalkbeat
Christian school wins Tennessee court case challenging religious charter ban
Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. Knox County Schools cannot block a Christian charter school application on religious grounds despite a Tennessee law banning religious charter schools, according to a federal court ruling on Friday. The narrow decision applies only to Knox County Schools and the Wilberforce Academy of Knoxville, which sued the school district last year over its application of the state law. It does not strike down Tennessee’s religious charter school ban or guarantee that Wilberforce’s application will be approved. The ruling comes amid a growing national conservative push to greenlight taxpayer-funded religious schools . Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti declined to defend the 2002 law earlier this year after publicly calling it “likely” unconstitutional , leaving Knox County Schools to face a lawsuit challenging a state law it was required to enforce. Tennessee lawmakers also loosened the state’s restrictions on religious charter schools this year, allowing religious organizations to operate charter schools as long as the schools themselves remain nonreligious. Wilberforce, however, aims to open an explicitly
News-Herald
41 years in the making
If you’re involved in any way at Loudon High School, you probably know Teacher Bill Brakebill. In fact, there are two Brakebills at LHS. Wiley Brakebill, former social studies teacher, is Bill’s nephew (and now one of his bosses as the assistant principal). 2026 marks 41 years of teaching at LHS for Bill Brakebill. While almost everyone knows his name, few may actually know his story. For those who don’t know, Brakebill is the longest-working teacher at LHS. He is a huge enthusiast of all LHS sports, especially football. Around the school, Mr. Brakebill is known for his traditional home game attire: a Loudon tie and red boots. He teaches Algebra and serves as the school’s historian, answering any question one may have about LHS history. At this point in his career, he’s taught up to three generations. In fact, he said, ”I remember the first time one girl asked me if I remembered, and she told me somebody’s name and I said, yeah, who is that to you? And she said, oh, that was my mama. And I couldn’t believe it. And since then, I probably taught, 50 or 60 kids of formal students. In fact, I’ve already taught
The Oak Ridger
WATE
hoodline.com
The Daily Times
Alcoa commissioners talk landfill, other infrastructure projects
Alcoa commissioners advanced several landfill expansion projects Tuesday aimed at improving efficiency and easing the strain on the more than 50-year-old facility. The Alcoa/Maryville/Blount County Landfill, located off Long Powers Road in Friendsville, accepts household garbage as well as bulkier waste, including old furniture and construction debris. Household garbage must be disposed of in more tightly regulated Class I cells designed to prevent groundwater contamination. Bulkier waste can be placed in less restrictive Class III and IV cells. Plans to expand the Class III and IV cells were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, forcing Alcoa Public Works Department officials to use more expensive Class I space for bulky waste. Permits also began to expire or were voided because of changing conditions at the site, prompting the city to pursue multiple expansion projects simultaneously. “One of the issues we had with one of the original plans was that there have been some changes to (the site) that have forced us to go back through some very, very challenging regulatory work,” City Manager Bruce Applegate said. “That’s why, rather than starting over from scratch each time, we’re trying to get all these other pieces going at the same time so