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Around Tennessee: June 15




Big South Fork visitors spent

$24.3M in nearby communities

ONEIDA, Tenn. — The National Park Service reported Friday that visitors to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area last year spent $24.3 million in communities near the park. Big South Fork had 773,000 visitors, and their spending supported 295 jobs in the local area, according to a news release from the park.

Big South Fork Superintendent Niki Stephanie Nicholas said the park has been safely increasing access since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We welcome people back to the park and are excited to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides,” she said in a news release.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists with the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. It put total spending in gateway communities surrounding all the national parks at more than $14.5 billion, supporting 194,400 jobs. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $28.6 billion.

— Associated Press

Lawyers seek commutation

of woman’s death sentence

KNOXVILLE — Lawyers for the only woman on Tennessee’s death row are asking the state Supreme Court to recommend that Gov. Bill Lee commute her sentence to life after prosecutors sought an execution date.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office asked the high court to set an execution date for Christa Gail Pike, saying she has exhausted her appeals.

Pike was 18 when she and Tadaryl Shipp killed Colleen Slemmer in a remote spot on the University of Tennessee’s agriculture campus in 1995.

Pike’s legal team cited their client’s youth at the time of the crime, mental illness and childhood trauma in arguments against setting a date, news outlets reported.

Similar arguments previously made in Pike’s case have been unsuccessful.

If a commutation is denied, Pike’s lawyers asked for more time in order for a psychologist to examine their client and so the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights can finish investigating whether Pike’s human rights have been violated.

— Associated Press

Lee picks 2 for district judgeships

Gov. Bill Lee has appointed two judges in different districts.

The Republican’s office announced Friday that he has picked Michael Jenne in the 10th Judicial District Circuit Court that covers Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties and Gadson “Will” Perry in the 30th Judicial District Chancery Court in Shelby County.

Jenne is from Bradley County and is a partner at the Jenne Law Firm. He previously practiced at Baker Donelson. His term begins July 1. He will replace Judge Lawrence H. Puckett, who is retiring.

Perry is from Shelby County and is a partner at Butler Snow. He previously was a law clerk for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. His term begins immediately. He will fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Chancellor Walter L. Evans.

— Associated Press

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