Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander announced this morning he will step down from his position in Republican leadership. He’s spent four years as the Senate Conference chairman, shaping the GOP message on issues.

Opponents of a sales tax exemption for Amazon.com say the break could cost the state nearly 7,000 jobs next year.

Tuesday morning, union leaders from the UAW Local 1853 expect to find out exactly what may be coming to the GM plant in Spring Hill. There’s still no certainty about what was agreed to over the weekend in contract negotiations.

The U.S. Attorney is prosecuting members of the Vice Lords gang based in Middle Tennessee. Seventeen indictments have been handed down.

The reward has increased for information that helps convict anyone involved in the murder of NBA star Lorenzen Wright.

Many Tennessee lawmakers say they’re still waiting to see whether the federal healthcare overhaul will hold up in court. But with the clock ticking to figure out whether the state will set up its own insurance exchange as part of that law, officials are already working to hash out a recommendation.

A federal program is trying to convert Tennessee farmland into forest. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a mix of trees that can still generate some income for farmers while also benefiting the environment.

This week, the CEO of Gibson Guitar will meet with representatives of the Justice Department to discuss recent raids of factories in Nashville and Memphis. A long list of Tennessee’s elected officials has come to Gibson’s side, but not its two senators.

Big banks are beginning to make good on their threat to charge fees for everyday checking accounts. Community banks are hanging on to free checking as long as they can.

The state’s economic development commissioner is back from a trip to Detroit to press General Motors to bring more jobs back to its idled factory at Spring Hill. Meanwhile Governor Bill Haslam says that call is ultimately up not to GM, but to the demands of the market.