Tennesseans will travel in record numbers for Independence Day. AAA forecasts more than 1 million Tennesseans will take at least one trip of 50 miles or more between Friday and Tuesday. That’s 42,000 more holiday travelers than the previous record high, set last year.

Nationally, travel figures also are expected to set records. An estimated 50.7 million Americans are forecast to travel for the holiday weekend. That’s nearly 2.1 million more travelers than last year’s holiday and almost 1.8 million more than the previous high, set back in 2019.

Nearly 85% of all travelers will travel by car. AAA predicts 43.2 million Americans will drive to their destinations. That’s a little more than a million more people on the road than last year. In Tennessee, more than 968,000 are forecast to take a holiday road trip. That’s 27,000 more than last year.

Tennessee’s average gas price this week is $3.12 per gallon. It was $4.42 per gallon the same time last year.

93 of 95 TN counties below 5% unemployment

Ninety-three of Tennessee’s 95 counties recorded unemployment rates below 5% in May, new Department of Labor and Workforce Development data reveals. Two counties, Bledsoe and Scott, did have rates of just more than 5%.

While the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady in May at 3.3%, for the second consecutive month, individual county jobless numbers did inch up slightly in all but one county. Those numbers are not seasonally adjusted to take into account seasonal interruptions in employment, such as summer breaks for schools or severe weather events.

Moore County recorded the state’s lowest unemployment rate in May at 2.4%, which was 0.4% higher than the previous month. Williamson County came in with the second-lowest rate for the month at 2.5%, an increase of 0.6% when compared to its rate in April.

Bledsoe and Scott counties had Tennessee’s highest unemployment numbers, each with rates of 5.3%. For Bledsoe County, that added up to a 0.7% increase in May, while in Scott County, the rate jumped up 1.6% from 3.7% in April.

Knoxville, Nashville top relocation destinations

Two Tennessee cities are among the top 20 markets people are relocating to, according to a report from PODS Enterprises, the industry leader in portable moving and storage solutions.

Knoxville entered the report at No. 7, while Nashville checked in at No. 11. The third annual relocation trends report consumer movements throughout the past 15 months, identifying the environmental factors that inspired these trends.

The report names the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina/Wilmington, North Carolina area as the No. 1 area people moved to this past year after placing sixth on last year’s list.

Sarasota, Florida comes in second, having been first in the 2022 report, with Orlando, Ocala, and Houston following closely behind, in that order.

This is the second year in a row that southern states have seen a larger influx of residents compared to any other region, with more than 80% of the destinations on the list being in the south. Florida saw the largest increase in new residents, with six different Florida areas earning a spot on the list.

Economics appear to be the largest factor influencing consumers’ decisions to move, with low tax rates, warmer weather, and more affordable housing prices being the main motivators behind consumer choices.

This is different from the 2022 report, where people were primarily influenced by the opportunity to work remotely and moved to be closer to loved ones. Cities with higher crime rates, turbulent weather, and higher costs of living saw a greater loss in residents compared to others.

Genesco adds $50M to stock buyback plan

Genesco Inc. announced that its board of directors has authorized a $50 million increase to its existing $200 million share repurchase authorization.

Under Genesco’s existing $200 million share repurchase, since September 2019 the Company has repurchased 3.9 million shares at a total cost of approximately $189.5 million leaving the remaining authorization of $10.5 million under the existing program.

This includes repurchasing during the current quarter approximately 676,000 shares for a total cost of $14.5 million, at an average price of $21.41 per share.

Since December 2018, the Company has repurchased an aggregate of approximately 9.2 million shares at a total cost of approximately $415 million. These shares represent more than 46% of the shares outstanding at the start of these purchases.

The new authorization is intended to be implemented through purchases made from time to time using a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, private transactions, block trades or otherwise, or by any combination of such methods, in accordance with SEC and other applicable legal requirements.

Second Harvest nets $150K Amerigroup grant

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee announced a $150,000 grant from the Amerigroup Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Elevance Health Foundation, to continue the ‘Food as Medicine’ program.

This initiative will support Second Harvest as it collaborates with Neighborhood Health to screen patients for food insecurity during health care visits. The health care partner will then connect patients who screen positive for food insecurity to food assistance resources on-site at health care facilities and at community-based food pantries and meal programs.

The ‘Food as Medicine’ program, a Feeding America initiative funded by the Amerigroup Foundation, will help connect approximately 1,200 people facing hunger in Middle and West Tennessee to food distribution programs that provide access to healthy food options.

The program aims to screen between 45,000 and 54,000 patients over the next three years with the goal of improving food security and health outcomes. This phase of the program will help Second Harvest and Neighborhood Health implement enhanced data collection, sharing and analysis to better understand the needs of people facing hunger and deliver effective solutions.

For the past three years, Second Harvest has partnered with Neighborhood Health to provide Food Pharmacies in 10 of their clinics.

Amerigroup Foundation grant funds will provide continued support to Neighborhood Health’s Food Pharmacies. There are nine clinics in Davidson County and one in Wilson County.

Eric Church CMHoF’s ’23 artist-in-residence

Modern country hitmaker/rulebreaker Eric Church has been invited to be the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s 18th artist-in-residence.

The museum’s annual artist-in-residence series spotlights an artist with an exemplary body of work and asks the featured artist to create one-of-a-kind performances over multiple evenings.

The museum offers its intimate CMA Theater as a blank canvas, with the understanding that the artist will curate shows that inspire appreciation for their talents and vision – often incorporating different themes and special guests.

Church will produce and perform two shows, on Tues., Aug. 29, and Wed., Aug. 30, with both performances beginning at 8 p.m.

Tickets to each performance range from $75 to $500 (plus ticketing fees) with all proceeds benefiting the nonprofit museum’s educational mission.

Church joins a prestigious group of past participants that includes 10 members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Cowboy Jack Clement opened the series in 2003, and other past honorees include (in chronological order) Earl Scruggs, Tom T. Hall, Guy Clark, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, Buddy Miller, Connie Smith, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson, Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell, Miranda Lambert, Marty Stuart and John Prine.

In addition to serving as 2023 artist-in-residence, Church will also be the subject of a new exhibition at the museum exploring the life and career of the CMA Entertainer of the Year winner.

“Eric Church: Country Heart, Restless Soul” opens July 13 and will chronicle Church’s unique path to stardom, from his early years playing late-night gigs in bars and writing songs in Nashville to his prominence as one of country music’s most authentic voices.

The exhibit is included with museum admission and will run until June 2024.

TDHS opens child care hub grant applications

The Tennessee Department of Human Services has opened applications for Community Child Care Hub Pilot Grants, an initiative that will make available up to $5 million in funding to public/government and nonprofit organizations as a way to develop and establish locally managed child care administrative hubs that will support networks of newly licensed child care locations.

The intent of community child care hubs is to generate additional licensed capacity and lessen the administrative burden on child care agencies, particularly in underserved communities.

TDHS encourages all qualifying public/government and nonprofit organizations to learn more and apply from the TDHS website through July 28 at 5 p.m. CDT.

“The Community Child Care Hub Grants aim to bridge the gaps and provide accessible and affordable child care to the communities that need it most,” says TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter.

Community Child Care Hub Grants were created as a method to invest Child Care Development Funds (CCDF) of the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to grow child care capacity in Tennessee, and support administrative functions of child care agencies, so that providers can dedicate more time on care of children.

A detailed application guide and application form are available on the TDHS website. Information

CenterWell opens first 2 Midstate care centers

CenterWell Senior Primary Care is opening seven new senior-focused primary care centers in Middle Tennessee throughout 2023, giving local seniors access to a personalized, care-team approach to health care.

The grand openings this week at CenterWell Tusculum and Murfreesboro, respectively, mark the first two senior primary care centers in the area.

CenterWell Senior Primary Care is the largest and one of the fastest-growing senior-focused, value-based care providers in the country.

Together with its sister brand Conviva Care Center, CenterWell Senior Primary Care delivers care to seniors in more than 250 centers across 12 states, with plans to open 30-50 new centers per year through 2025.