danielpotter

A crucial stretch of Interstate 24 in Nashville will be shut down for repairs nearly every weekend this summer. Officials say they’re trying to overhaul two bridges while keeping I-24 open on weekdays, as well as for a couple of big weekend events.

Governor Bill Haslam hinted today he might back an incumbent Congressman who’s facing a tough Republican primary fight in East Tennessee. But Haslam stopped short of full-on endorsement for Chuck Fleischmann.

A nonprofit that preserves Civil War battlefields is buying up hundreds of new acres to add to the historic site of Shiloh, which marks its 150th anniversary tomorrow. Thousands of men died and many more were wounded at Shiloh, which is southwest of Nashville, on the border near Alabama and Mississippi.

Gas pumps in Tennessee will soon feature ads with the slogan “new law, no escape” as part of a statewide campaign against meth. The federally-funded awareness effort will also include billboards, a website, bumper stickers and radio.

Nissan North America says last month set an all-time sales record. The Franklin-based carmaker sold 136 thousand vehicles in March. Leading the pack was the popular Nissan Altima, which is made in Smyrna, and beat last March’s sales by 27 percent.

An invasive fungus that kills hibernating bats is taking its toll more slowly than expected in Tennessee. That may be thanks in part to the relatively mild winter. WPLN’s Daniel Potter reports on the fungus that gives bats white-nose syndrome.

Reseachers are moving forward with a plan to build an artificial bat-cave near Clarksville this spring. The experimental project hopes to save hibernating bats from an invasive fungus that has killed millions in New England over the last few years.

Governor Bill Haslam says it’s alright if lawmakers dump a proposal he’s touted and instead rework how the state picks judges. Haslam says their alternative still does what he wants, which is avoid opening the office of judge in Tennessee to popular election.

Governor Bill Haslam’s proposed civil-service overhaul gained some ground in the state legislature Tuesday. But the state workers’ union is trying to make its opposition known.