Business Roundup: May 2026

Every month we run down notable news items from the area’s businesses.

Snuffing Out Indoor Smoking

A divided City Council moves forward with a ban on smoking and vaping in age-restricted establishments. The ordinance takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

Superintendent Jon Rysewyk says banning the book ‘weighed heavily on me.’ But the law that led to the removal remains.

Local Republicans engage in a tempestuous text-messaging thread about party unity heading into the August general election.

Henson Developments plans to build a low-rise office/residential building on South Central Street near Neyland Drive.

Ijams Nature Center outing allows paddlers to observe eagles and otters and other wildlife from kayaks on the Tennessee River.

County commissioners decline to hear Fox’s Nuclear Family Month proclamation, which critics say doesn’t recognize many familial arrangements.

Authorities allege that Assistant Chief Deputy David Amburn, former Sheriff Jimmy ‘J.J.’ Jones and others used drug-unit funds for personal gain.

Taking advantage of a change in state law, City Council gives initial approval to a smoking ban in bars that allow entry only to adults 21 and older.

Rachel Milford and Cattywampus Puppet Council transform public spaces into theaters of joy, visibility and collective imagination.