NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 25 -- Tennessee State University issued the following news: Acclaimed journalist and political commentator Roland Martin will deliver the commencement address when Tennessee State University holds its fall graduation ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 7. The commencement will take place in the Howard C. Gentry Complex on the main campus, beginning at 8 a.m. Five hundred and eighty-one undergraduate and graduate students are expected to receive degrees in various disciplines.  more

LEBANON, Tennessee, Nov. 26 -- Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, a chain of combined restaurant and gift stores, issued the following news: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. ("Cracker Barrel" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CBRL) today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended November 1, 2019. First Quarter Fiscal 2020 Highlights * Comparable store restaurant sales growth of 2.1% and traffic of -1.5% outperformed the casual dining industry. * As previously announced, the Co  more

BRISTOL, Connecticut, Nov. 26 -- ESPN, a sports media company, issued the following news release: * * * - ESPN Wins the Night for the 12th Straight Monday - MNF is Up Six Percent Season to Date on ESPN; 25 Percent on ESPN Deportes * * * Last night's Monday Night Football game - a Baltimore Ravens' 45-6 victory over the Los Angeles Rams - averaged 11,056,000 viewers on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, according to Nielsen. This is an increase of 11 percent vs. MNF's Week 12 game last year (Tennessee   more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, Nov. 25 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: Dr. Terence Hicks, a professor at East Tennessee State University, is the co-editor of a new book, "First-Generation College Student Research Studies." This is his eighth book, with two more forthcoming next year. The book presents the work of a group of dynamic scholars from institutions across the country. Focusing on the first-generation college student population, the authors examine topics such   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Nov. 26 -- Memphis International Airport issued the following news release, dated Nov. 22: Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA) has released its 2019 Business Diversity Development (BDD) report. According to the report, Disadvantaged, Minority and Women Business Enterprises (D/M/WBEs) were awarded 30% of the $103 million total spent in the areas of construction, professional services and goods & services contracts. Of that amount, 61% was awarded to local business  more

FRANKLIN, Tennessee, Nov. 25 -- EVgo Services, a charging public network for electric vehicles, issued the following news release: Nissan and EVgo announced today that they are providing new Nissan LEAF owners and lessees access to EVgo's U.S. charging network through a new program, "Nissan Energy Perks by EVgo(R)." Nissan Energy Perks by EVgo is a new platform designed to encourage more U.S. drivers to make the switch to an electric vehicle (EV). Nissan will provide $250 of pre-paid charging   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Nov. 27 [TNSmedicalresearch-Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing journal] -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: Research led by a faculty member from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing shows that survivors of sepsis feel a need for advocacy and support after discharge from the hospital. And these results have inspired further research into this vulnerable population. "Care during this period is fragm  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Nov. 27 [TNSsociologyresearch-Journal of Youth and Adolescence] -- Rhodes College issued the following news: Dr. Aixa Marchand, assistant professor of psychology at Rhodes, along with University of Michigan and University of California-Los Angeles faculty, has co-authored a paper that charts how wealth shapes educational outcomes from childhood to early adulthood: The article (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-019-01162-4?wt_mc=Internal.Event.1.SEM.ArticleAuth  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Nov. 25 -- The University of Memphis issued the following news release: The University of Memphis Research Foundation (UMRF) has signed an agreement to license a U.S. patent for an Adaptive Multi-factor Authentication System invented and developed by a team led by Dr. Dipankar Dasgupta, professor of Computer Science and director of the Center for Information Assurance (CfIA). The patent is licensed to i2Chain, a San Francisco area cybersecurity startup, which plans to evolv  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, Nov. 26 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: Although humans often take for granted the ability to understand the world around them, this skill begins to develop as early as infancy. Dr. Alyson Chroust of East Tennessee State University will discuss this process in "Peek-a-Boo: How Infant Minds Develop and Perceive the World" at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Reece Museum. This free public talk is part of the "Women on Wednesdays" lecture se  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 25 -- The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security issued the following news: Today, Commissioner Jeff Long of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDSOHS) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Colonel Dereck R. Stewart joined multiple law enforcement partners to announce the seventh annual "I-40 Challenge" traffic safety initiative. "The I-40 Challenge" or "CARE across Tennessee" will consist of increased patrols from state police/ highw  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 27 -- The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency issued the following news: TWRA said farewell to Greene Co. Wildlife Officer Marvin Reeves who retired this afternoon after 36 years-of-service to the state of Tennessee. He was sent off with a retirement party at the TWRA regional office in Morristown alongside family, friends and coworkers. Officer Reeves began his TWRA career in 1982 as a boating enforcement officer on the Knoxville waterfront during the World's Fair.   more

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 26 -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued the following news: * * * - Bipartisan coalition opposes CenturyLink's attempt to thwart state action against it * * * Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general opposing an attempt to prevent the Minnesota Attorney General from obtaining restitution for consumers. Following a lengthy investigation, Minnesota's Attorney General filed suit in 2017 against Cen  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 25 -- The Tennessee Department of Education issued the following news release: Today, Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn unveiled the state report card, an annual report designed to provide convenient access to the most important data and information about every school and district in Tennessee. "Our goal is to provide Tennessee families, educators, community members, and public officials with information about the schools and districts they care about in a way th  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 26 -- The Tennessee Department of Transportation issued the following news: The Tennessee Department of Transportation has been awarded a $16.2 million grant for Buses and Bus Facilities by the U.S. Department of Transportation. TDOT applied for the grant on behalf of 10 transit agencies in coordination with the Tennessee Public Transportation Association. The grant will assist these agencies with the replacement of vehicles that have exceeded their useful life. "The  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 26 -- The University of Tennessee's Institute of Agriculture issued the following news release: * * * - Society to Benefit from Historic Agreement * * * The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have signed a historic agreement to manage the university's forested research properties under the highest standards for forest management while also selling carbon credits to benefit society and fight climate change. UTI  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 19 [TNSgrants-state] -- The University of Tennessee's Institute of Agriculture issued the following news release: * * * - Grant Aims to Enhance Downtown Experience and Strengthen Local Economy * * * University of Tennessee Extension recently received grant funding to provide much-needed free wireless internet to downtown Pikeville, Tennessee, providing relief and enhanced opportunities to Bledsoe County residents, visitors and local businesses. Only 25.2 percent o  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 20 -- The University of Tennessee issued the following news: Matthew Mench, head of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Tickle College of Engineering, has agreed to serve as the university's interim vice chancellor for research and engagement beginning December 1. Chancellor Donde Plowman made the announcement today in a message to the campus community. "Dr. Mench is a proven leader and rese  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 25 -- The University of Tennessee System issued the following news release: The University of Tennessee System has hired Brian Dickens as its chief human resources officer after conducting a national search. Dickens, who has led human resources at several universities and consulted with a wide range of business clients, will begin his duties Dec. 1. "Dr. Dickens has the right skills and experience the UT System needs as we continue to position ourselves for the futu  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Nov. 25 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Susan R. Wente, Ph.D., interim chancellor and provost at Vanderbilt University, and Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, sent a joint letter last week to members of the Tennessee congressional delegation applauding recent bipartisan efforts to invest in programs that support scientific research, public health and e  more