• The Marshall County IT Committee will meet on Thursday, October 1st at 4:00 pm. This meeting will be held at the Courthouse Annex Room 2204.
• The Marshall County Solid Waste Committee will meet on Thursday, October 1st at 5:00 pm. This meeting will be held at 611 Hawkins Drive, Lewisburg, TN.
• The Marshall County Veterans Committee will meet on Wednesday, October 7th at 4:30 pm. This meeting will be held at 230 College Street Suite 210.
• The Marshall County EMS Committee will meet on Thursday, October 8th at 4:30 pm. This meeting will be held at 728 South Ellington Pkwy, Lewisburg, TN.
• The Marshall County Building Committee will meet Thursday, October 8th at 10:00 am. This meeting will be held at the Courthouse Annex Room 2204.
• The Marshall County Courthouse, Courthouse Annex, and Hardison Annex will be closed on Monday, October 12th in observance of Columbus Day.
• The Marshall County Probation Office will be closed on Monday, October 12th in observance of Columbus Day.
• The Marshall County Building Codes and Zoning Office will be closed on Monday, October 12th in observance of Columbus Day.
• The Marshall County Board of Public Utilities at 624 West Commerce Street Lewisburg will be closed Monday, October 12, 2026, in observance of Columbus Day. The office will reopen on Tuesday, October 13th at 8:00 am.
• The Marshall County Board of Public Utilities will hold their regular monthly meeting Tuesday, October 20th, 9:00 am at 624 West Commerce Street, Lewisburg, TN in the Doug Rogers Board Room.
• The Marshall County Education Committee will meet on Tuesday, October 20th at 4:00 pm. This meeting will be held at 700 Jones Circle, Lewisburg, TN.
• The Marshall County Budget Committee will meet on Wednesday, October 21st at 9:00 am. This meeting will be held at the Courthouse Annex Room 2204.

University’s nursing, business and computer science programs post biggest gains in annual rankings

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For the 12th straight year, Tennessee Tech University has been named a “best national university” by U.S. News & World Report.

The news publication’s 2027 rankings, released today, place Tech among the top three public universities in Tennessee, even as other in-state competitors fell off this year’s national university rankings and instead appeared on the list of “best regional universities” in the South.

Altogether, U.S. News recognized Tech across nine categories, including top schools for social mobility, business, computer science, engineering, nursing and psychology, as well as its annual list of “A+ Schools for B Students.”

Tech’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing climbed 189 spots from last year’s national ranking of the best undergraduate nursing programs. The College of Business rose 34 spots, while the Department of Computer Science improved 10 spots over last year’s rankings.

The methodology also placed Tech among the top two public universities in Tennessee for graduation rates, first-year retention rates and incoming student ACT scores.

Tech’s placement in the U.S. News rankings comes as the university celebrates its largest total enrollment in more than a decade and after being named Tennessee’s top public university earlier this year by Money.com.

The 2027 U.S. News rankings were based on 17 measures of academic quality for national universities.

County Profiles & Rankings of Child Well-Being in Tennessee provide in depth county level data and rankings on child outcomes related to affordability & economic security, education & early learning, health & development, and child safety & risk behaviors

Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth has released the 2026 County Profiles & Rankings of Child Well-Being in Tennessee, offering an updated look at how children and youth are faring across the state. These county profiles highlight more than 100 county-specific indicators and rank each county based on 12 critical areas that shape child development. Topics covered in this year’s County Profiles & Rankings include affordability & economic security, education & early learning, health & development, mental health, child safety & risk behaviors and demographics; family structure & supports.

The 2026 report includes many new indicators across new domains in each county’s expanded profile. Some of those new indicators include;

• New contextual data to supplement the one-page ranking, including historical trend lines, statewide comparisons and more thorough explanations of indicator methodology.
• Major additions to economic well-being data, including the number of children enrolled monthly in SNAP, median income trends, poverty by age, ALICE household data, fair-market rent, and home sales trends.
• New education insights include student growth, absenteeism trends, ACT performance, per-pupil funding, and more.
• A comprehensive new section on childcare availability that includes provider counts, infant-care access, subsidy participation, SmartSteps waitlist information and detailed child-care capacity vs. need analysis across all counties.

Comparing data across counties provides a glimpse into the varying needs of each county and the different experiences, access to resources and support a child may have in one county compared to another. This in-depth county level data can also assist communities in identifying areas of success and where to focus resources within opportunities for improvement.

Overall, the counties that ranked in the top 10 are; Williamson County, Wilson County, Sumner County, Moore County, Smith County, Weakley County, Trousdale County, Rutherford County, Loudon County and Blount County.

The counties with the greatest opportunity for improvement are; Grundy County, Lauderdale County, Lewis County, Madison County, Hardeman County, Johnson County, Hancock County, Davidson County, Shelby County and Lake County.

Release Information
After publication the County Profiles & Rankings of Child Well-Being in Tennessee and additional information about data methodology can be found on the website and on TCCY’s FUTURE Data Dashboard.

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt announced Jenny Howard will serve as Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), effective Sept. 28, 2026. The appointment coincides with Ryan King’s transition back to the private sector.

Howard has served as Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) since March 2023. She previously served TDEC as General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and Legislative Liaison. During Howard’s 14 years with TDEC, she provided legal, legislative, and operational guidance across a department of more than 2,000 employees. Howard’s leadership expertise includes advising executive leadership through high-impact decisions and improving organizational efficiency by refining internal processes.

As TDA Deputy Commissioner, Howard will lead day-to-day operations, support the executive team in carrying out the department’s goals, and advance Commissioner Holt’s vision for Tennessee agriculture and forestry.

During his tenure, King oversaw the expansion of cost-share options, historic investments in agriculture and agribusiness, Gov. Lee’s $92 million investment in 4-H and FFA camps, and funding for the State Meat Inspection Program. He also supported the launch of the new pesticide recertification process, elevated the Agricultural Crime Unit and advocated for rural infrastructure improvements. Internally, he strengthened TDA’s organizational structure, established consistent workplace expectations and fostered a more mission-driven approach to serving Tennessee’s farm and forest families.

Howard grew up in Florida working in her family’s wholesale nursery business. She earned a bachelor of science in horticultural science from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Jurisprudence and Law and Business Certificate from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Howard is a graduate of LEAD Tennessee and of the Tennessee Government Executive Institute. She has been named a Nashville Business Journal “40 Under 40” honoree and voted “Best of the Bar.”

She lives in Nashville with her husband and two daughters and enjoys weekend family outings to Tennessee agritourism destinations. 

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NAMES DEPUTY COMMISSIONER
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Andy Holt announced Jenny Howard will serve as Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), effective Sept. 28, 2026. The appointment coincides with Ryan King’s transition back to the private sector.
Howard has served as Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) since March 2023. She previously served TDEC as General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and Legislative Liaison. During Howard’s 14 years with TDEC, she provided legal, legislative, and operational guidance across a department of more than 2,000 employees. Howard’s leadership expertise includes advising executive leadership through high-impact decisions and improving organizational efficiency by refining internal processes.
As TDA Deputy Commissioner, Howard will lead day-to-day operations, support the executive team in carrying out the department’s goals, and advance Commissioner Holt’s vision for Tennessee agriculture and forestry.
During his tenure, King oversaw the expansion of cost-share options, historic investments in agriculture and agribusiness, Gov. Lee’s $92 million investment in 4-H and FFA camps, and funding for the State Meat Inspection Program. He also supported the launch of the new pesticide recertification process, elevated the Agricultural Crime Unit and advocated for rural infrastructure improvements. Internally, he strengthened TDA’s organizational structure, established consistent workplace expectations and fostered a more mission-driven approach to serving Tennessee’s farm and forest families.
Howard grew up in Florida working in her family’s wholesale nursery business. She earned a bachelor of science in horticultural science from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Jurisprudence and Law and Business Certificate from Vanderbilt University Law School.
Howard is a graduate of LEAD Tennessee and of the Tennessee Government Executive Institute. She has been named a Nashville Business Journal “40 Under 40” honoree and voted “Best of the Bar.”
She lives in Nashville with her husband and two daughters and enjoys weekend family outings to Tennessee agritourism destinations.

Tennessee’s community colleges awarded 16,240 associate degrees and technical certificates to graduates in the 2025-26 academic year, the highest number ever conferred – a 9 percent increase over the previous year and 19 percent growth over a decade ago.

In addition, preliminary enrollment at the 13 community colleges for the current fall semester totals 82,127 students – up 3 percent over the same time last year. The strongest growth is among first-time freshmen, up 4 percent over last year. It is the fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth at the community colleges.

Preliminary enrollment at the 22 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs), which started their fall trimester later than the community colleges, is up 14 percent compared to the same time last year. The strongest enrollment growth at the TCATs is among high school students who are dual enrolled in TCAT courses, an increase of 38 percent. Final fall enrollment numbers will be presented at the board’s December meeting.

The degree and certificate awards and enrollment numbers are among the highlights of reports presented to the Tennessee Board of Regents during its quarterly meeting Thursday and Friday. The board, which governs the state’s public community and technical colleges, met at TCAT Shelbyville’s new campus. The meeting was hosted by TCAT Shelbyville, TCAT McMinnville and Motlow State Community College.

.