Jacqui Sieber

Gloria Johnson officially announced her 2024 bid for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. She's running on issues including higher wages, gun control and access to affordable health care.

Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon was re-elected for a second term on Aug. 29. She talked with WUOT's Jacqui Sieber about the outlook for the next four years, including initiatives in housing affordability, housing the unhoused, and improving public safety and transport. This interview has been lightly edited.

There's a species of fireflies that synchronizes its lights. It only happens in a few very dark places in Appalachia and it takes winning a lottery to see.

In the south, abortion access is a shifting landscape. Roe v. Wade was overturned this week last year, freeing up states to limit or ban the procedure. We have a snapshot of those changes in Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. We begin in Knoxville with WUOT's Riley Thompson.

Synchronous fireflies come once a year in just a few regions. Appalachia is one, and only a select few get to view them in the Smokies each year.

The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public feedback through June 27 on proposed rules to limit emissions of ethylene oxide, a gas used by sterilizers like DeRoyal in New Tazewell, Tennessee. Some nearby residents are worried for their health, and a cancer cluster study is underway.

Tennessee's law banning drag performances was blocked by a federal court in April after it was challenged by the Memphis drag theater group Friends of George's. Drag performers are awaiting a new ruling from the state that could come as soon as June 6. WUOT's Jacqui Sieber talks with civil rights attorney Melissa Stewart and Knox Pride about the ongoing legislation.

Despite Tennessee reporting the largest percentage of third graders scoring in the top performance category in over a decade, most are facing retention under the new law.

McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee, has upgraded equipment and taken measures to improve passenger experiences, including a new runway. WUOT's Jacqui Sieber talks with spokeswoman Becky Huckaby ahead of the summer travel season.

The ban of some gender-affirming care for minors by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee would allow the state attorney general to go after health-care providers who violate the ban. One attorney who is representing three Tennessee families and a Memphis-based doctor argues that the new law denies parents the right to necessary medical care for their children, and that some families are even considering leaving the state.