EDIT: This list will be continually updated, check back for future listings.
Local schools have announced closures ahead of more severe weather.
The following schools have confirmed closures for Friday, April 4 due to inclement weather:
- Alamo City Schools
- Bells City School District
- Bradford Special School District
- Carroll Academy
- Carroll County Schools
- Chester County Schools
- Crockett County School District
- Dyer County Schools
- Hardin County Schools
- Haywood County Schools
- Henderson County Schools
- Jackson-Madison County Schools
- Milan Special School District
- St Mary’s School
- Trenton Special School District
- Trinity Christian Academy
The following businesses have also confirmed closures for Friday, April 4 due to inclement weather:
- Hub City Flea Market is cancelled this weekend due to weather and flooding.
Don’t see a recently announced closing on our list yet? Let us know by emailing news@wbbjtv.com.
For more local news, click here.
Several area cities and towns are holding special events to remember the sacrifice of the brave first responders that rushed into the burning Twin Towers to save lives. They will also pause to remember those that lost their lives during the deadliest terrorists attack in history.. The attacks on September 11, 2001 caused 2,966 people to lose their lives.
If you are looking for an event to attend, here are some options for you:
HARDEMAN COUNTY
Bolivar Fire Department will be hosting the 9/11 Remembrance event beginning at 6:30 a.m. with a breakfast for first responders and local dignitaries at Backwoods Restaurant. A memorial procession will begin at 7:45 a.m. from Backwoods Restaurant to the Bolivar Fire Department. At approximately 8 a.m. the program will begin at the Bolivar Fire Department, 210 W. Jackson St., for the public.
HARDIN COUNTY
There will be a 9/11 Patriot Memorial Stair Climb on Saturday, September 13, at the Hardin County High School football stadium beginning at 8 a.m. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.
HENDERSON COUNTY
The Lexington High School Beta Club will be hosting a 9/11 Day of Remembrance and celebration of hometown heroes at the Henderson County Courthouse Lawn. The event will begin at 9 a.m. at 17 Monroe Street, Lexington.
HENRY COUNTY
The Henry County High School will be hosting a Patriot Day program in remembrance of September 11 beginning at 10 a.m. The event will be followed by a reception honoring the local emergency first responders. The program will be held at HCHS gymnasium and the 9th-12th grade students will be in attendance. Seating for first responders will be at 10 a.m. with students following. The program will begin at approximately 10:15 a.m. The location is 315 S. Wilson Street, Paris.
MADISON COUNTY
The Flags of Honor Escorts will be participating in a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in honor of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives in the World Trade Center. The first steps will be taken at 7:46 a.m. to coincide with the first plane hitting the North Tower. The event will also include broadcasting the audio from FDNY Dispatch that morning. The event will be held at the Harley-Davidson of Jackson, 326 Carriage House Drive.
If you know of a September 11 event that is not listed, email us at: news@wbbjtv.com.
For more local news, click here.
BENTON COUNTY, Tenn. – Benton County Schools announced on their Facebook page that they will have two bus routes that will not run on Wednesday afternoon, September 10.
According to Benton County Schools, “Camden bus #2 (second load) and bus 12 will not run the afternoon routes on Wednesday, September 10. The buses will run on schedule in the morning.”
For more news, click here.
JACKSON, Tenn. – After a successful Pack the Bus drive, one local non-profit is asking the community to come together again to help hungry children in West Tennessee.
RIFA has kicked off its “Pack the Bus Bank” campaign and is asking area organizations and businesses to get involved in fighting childhood hunger in our area. According to RIFA, the organization distributed 243,589 meals in 2024 through Snack Backpacks and School Food Pantries. These donations helped ensure that students experiencing hunger would have something to eat.
In a Facebook post, RIFA highlighted the need for assistance in providing meals to children in our area. “According to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, 27.7% of children in Madison County are food insecure.”
RIFA said organizations, businesses, clubs, and churches can participate by contacting RIFA to get a Bus Bank and use the Bank to collect spare change. The change will be used by RIFA for their Snack Backpack Ministry.
To learn more about the Bus Banks and how you can get yours, contact RIFA at 731-427-7963.
For more local news, click here.
Rachael Ann Miller Daniel, age 80, passed away peacefully on September 6, 2025, at Bells Nursing Home after a battle with cancer.
Born on July 21, 1945, she married the love of her life, Prather Daniel, on June 6, 1964. Together they shared over 50 years filled with laughter, family, and adventure.
She had a zest for life and a gift for making others smile. Whether fishing, gardening, traveling, playing cards, cooking something delicious, or telling stories, she was always the life of the party. Her quick wit, sassy sense of humor, and ability to laugh and joke drew people to her.
She was a wonderful nurse who cared deeply for her patients. Known for her generosity, she would give you the shirt off her back without a second thought. Helping others wasn’t just something she did—it was who she was.
She loved cheering others on, and finding ways to brighten every room she entered. She will be remembered as a devoted wife, a true friend, and a woman who never met a stranger.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Prather Daniel, and her son, Scotty Daniel. She is survived by her daughter, Angie Daniel Hodge, and son-in-law, Danny Hodge, her sister, Marilee Ballentine; three grandchildren, River Hodge, Emily Daniel, and Jessica Daniel; her great-grandson, Levi Daniel; and her honorary daughter, Karon Byrd.
In honor of her memory, there will be no formal service. Instead, the family invites you to celebrate her life by helping someone in need or donating to a good cause—just as she so often did herself.
She will be deeply missed and forever loved.
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AI may feel invisible. Just a few keystrokes and a quick reply from a chatbot. But behind the scenes, it is powered by enormous data centers running constantly.
Researchers say that training a single large language model, like ChatGPT, can use as much electricity as 100 U.S. homes use in an entire year. It sounds extreme, but it is not an exaggeration. The energy needed to process, train, and run AI models adds up quickly. And it is not just electricity. Data centers generate heat, and all that equipment has to stay cool. That requires water. And lots of it.
“When it is being trained, what is happening is it is a huge amount of data that is going in to make it what it is that you interact with,” says Keyona Meeks, an AI strategist. She helps organizations develop AI responsibly and track its real-world impact.
Even after training is complete, Meeks says AI still uses significant resources every time we interact with it. Whether you are planning a trip, writing a resume, or generating an image, “each interaction is like tiny sparks,” she says. “Multiply that by millions of users, and the environmental cost adds up.”
And most of that electricity still comes from fossil fuels.
A study from the University of California found that a single prompt to a chatbot like ChatGPT or Gemini can use about half a liter of fresh water just to cool the servers. Another estimate suggests the energy used per prompt is similar to running a lightbulb for a few minutes. That may not seem like much, until you consider how often these tools are used globally. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, even saying “thank you” after every prompt can result in millions of dollars in additional energy costs each year.
Keyona Meeks adds, “AI’s environmental impact, as we are positioned right now, will be… I do not want to say cataclysmic, but it is not intellectually dishonest to say that word.”
Environmental groups are urging AI companies and data center operators to commit to renewable energy and more sustainable practices. While companies like Google and Microsoft have announced plans to reduce their footprint, the rapid growth of AI is pushing energy and water demands to new highs.
That pressure is already being felt here in Tennessee. In Memphis, Elon Musk’s AI company xAI is operating dozens of methane gas turbines to power a supercomputer in the Boxtown neighborhood. Residents and environmental groups have filed lawsuits, claiming the facility is releasing hazardous pollutants and placing additional health burdens on already vulnerable communities.
Meeks believes awareness is the first step toward responsible AI use. “We all have a responsibility to take a second to confirm the information that we are looking at,” she says. “Look for a second or third source that confirms it before you hit that share button.”
AI is changing how we work, create, and communicate. But as it gets smarter, it is worth asking whether it is getting any cleaner.
LEXINGTON, Tenn. — The Henderson County Commission held a meeting earlier Tuesday.
They continued to disuses further opportunities with Good Idea Solar.
The lease with Good Idea Solar would bring a 2-3 acre Solar farm to the city.
It would be located behind the Henderson County Criminal Justice Complex.
This would be a 20-year lease agreement with room in the future to negotiate.
“A part of TVA their wanting to expand their resources whether it’s nuclear, solar, or through the TVA system on the Tennessee River. So it adds another blanket of protection for electrical services,” said Henderson County Mayor Robbie McCready.
Commissioners also approved a new beer permit. This prohibits store owners outside the Lexington city limits from selling beer on weekends from eleven to three at night.
They will be notifying all store owners effected by this change in the coming days.
For more Henderson County news, click here.
JACKSON, Tenn. — Residents in the Hub City were in for a night of inspiration as they experienced the power of art.
Guests visited the Ned for the West Tennessee HAPI Art Exhibition presented by the Healing Arts Project, Incorporated.
This occasion is meant to display a vibrant showcase of thought-provoking, bold, and mesmerizing works created by local artists.
The mission of the healing arts project invites guests to be captivated by the creativity and voices of the community through art that heals, inspires, and connects.
“Lisa M. Chibbaro is the local coordinator here so she works with a lot of artist bringing them together. Whether we’re singing, writing songs, journaling, or creating visual arts on the stage acting out art is an expression of the soul. Every artist has their own signature,” said Stormie Steele, artist featured in the exhibition.
The West Tennessee HAPI Art Exhibition runs through October.
For more news in the Jackson area, click here.
JACKSON, Tenn. — Tennessee had the fourth highest number of schools among the 32 states with institutions listed in USA Today’s top 250.
TCAT Jackson was one of 17 Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology across the state included in USA Today’s list of America’s top 250 vocational schools for 2025. The 17 TCATs are the only Tennessee institutions cited on the list.
“If you’re looking for a good place to go to school TCAT Jackson has a lot of great programs, and it’s a great place to go and a great place to learn, expand upon what you already know or start a new career,” said David Peace, automotive technology reporter for TCAT.
The list was created to help students navigate career and technical education options.
The nationwide newspaper partnered with the market research firm statistic to create its first annual ranking of America’s top vocational schools.
“We are another option. Education is out there for all who can attain it, and there should be more than one sector of education. If they want to go to a technical college, community college, or even a four year university just to have those options out there. Part of our accreditation requires us to place students in jobs, so we have great partners in our community and these are the employers that are hitting our students,” said Jacquene Rainey, president of TCAT at Jackson.
Tennessee’s Colleges of Applied Technology are public career and technical post-secondary institutions known for their high quality of instruction, high graduation and job placement rates, high licensure rates in fields requiring licensure, affordability, and broad array of program offerings.
“They get not only book work curriculum but the hands on experience. We are very heavy into the hands on work care translating what they study online in their book out here to the shop to actually do the repairs and do the work,” said Peace.
Through Tennessee promise and Tennessee reconnect, eligible new high school graduates and adults without college credentials may attend free of tuition and mandatory fees increasing affordability beyond the colleges’ low tuition rates.
“It’s quite an honor and for us we’re going to continue to do what we’ve always done and that’s to help provide our students with quality training so that they can have a better quality of life. That’s our mission that’s what we do,” said Rainey.
According to USA Today, the state of Tennessee has invested more than $1.5 billion in new buildings, training equipment, and other campus improvements at TCATs across the state in the last three years.
For more news in the Jackson area, click here.
