Government

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam this evening addressed a joint convention of the 109th General Assembly as legislators began an extraordinary legislative session to consider his Insure Tennessee plan. The proposal, a two-year pilot program to provide market-based health care coverage to more than 250,000 Tennesseans who currently don’t have access to health insurance or have limited options, does ...

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday the eleven members of the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments that will recommend candidates to the governor to fill vacancies for Tennessee trial and appellate courts. The council was established by executive order following the November 4, 2014 passage of a constitutional amendment creating a method for selecting judges of the Supreme ...

“Art is the child of Nature,” said American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. A new grant initiative created in partnership by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Park Service celebrates the intersections between the two in honor of the NEA’s 50th anniversary in 2015 and the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016. Imagine Your Parks will provide $1 ...

If you have ever had to dispute unauthorized charges on your phone or cable bill, been bombarded by email spam or bothered by telemarketing calls and found filing a complaint with regulators was a maze of forms and confusion, a new website promises to make make it much simpler in the future. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Monday that ...

Proposals are being accepted for a 10-year concession contract of the Cades Cove Riding Stable in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The National Park Service (NPS) Southeast Regional Office has issued a prospectus seeking proposals from individuals or businesses interested in competing for a 10-year concession contract to provide guided horseback rides and related services at the Cades Cove ...

If you have ever wondered about the daily work of a police officer, the Pigeon Forge Police Department is holding a Citizens’ Police Academy where you can learn directly from the men and women serving in the department. The Pigeon Forge Police Department is now accepting applications for its 15th Citizens’ Police Academy. Course classes will be held weekly, 7:00 ...

City of Sevierville Christmas and New Year’s holiday schedule: Sevierville City Hall will be closed Dec. 25 ­– Dec. 26, 2014 and Jan. 1, 2015. Sevierville Police Department administrative and records offices will be closed Dec. 25 ­– Dec. 26, 2014 and Jan. 1, 2015. Sevierville Water Systems offices will be closed Dec. 25 ­– Dec. 26, 2014 and Jan. ...

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Thursday that he issued Executive Order No. 41 establishing the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments, a group of 11 members that will recommend candidates to fill vacancies for Tennessee trial and appellate courts. “This council will allow us to select men and women of the highest caliber to ensure a fair, impartial and independent judiciary,” ...

Sevier County voters can avoid the traffic and potential lines at the polls on Election Day, November 4, 2014 by taking advantage of early voting. Registered voters of Sevier County can once again enjoy the convenience of early voting at the Sevier County Election Commission office in Sevierville or the Seymour Branch of the Sevier County Library in Seymour instead ...

Congratulations to the Pigeon Forge Fire Department who has earned an award for their fire prevention accomplishments. The National Association of State Fire Marshals Fire Research and Education Foundation (NASFM Foundation) and Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company have awarded the Pigeon Forge Fire Department with a 2013 Life Safety Achievement Award. To apply for the Life Safety Achievement Award, the organization ...