Today in Tennessee Segment 7/10/26
I'm Daniel Wagner with the Patriot Punk Network, giving you the latest Tennessee news in 3 minutes or less.
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Let's Go!!
Round 1
Federal prosecutors say a Middle Tennessee math ring was being run by a guy who’s already in prison.
A 17‑count superseding indictment charges 11 people with conspiring to move 500 grams of product across Middle Tennessee, a scheme that ran from 2023 through 2025.
Corey Byrd, who is serving a 45‑year sentence, used smuggled phones to coordinate pickups, deliveries, and payments with a network of associates in Lawrenceburg and Pulaski—turning his cell into his own corner office.
I mean, what else is he gonna do with his free time? 🤷♂️
One co‑defendant is accused of having more than 500 grams of the math product, some fancynails, and a firearm on hand.
If convicted on conspiracy charges, several defendants are looking at up to life in prison.
I guess you can take the entrepreneur off the streets but you can't take the streets out of the entrepreneur.
Round 2
The East Tennessee Young Republicans are hosting a gubernatorial forum in Knoxville tonight, giving voters a chance to see Monty Fritts and John Rose on stage and take questions from YR chapters.
On the flyer, both Fritts and Rose are stamped “CONFIRMED.” Marsha Blackburn? Just “INVITED.”
That one little word sums up her whole campaign strategy so far.
Local Republicans are organizing open forums and town halls like this one, but even friendly groups say they “haven’t heard back” from Blackburn’s team, and statewide outlets have documented how she’s refused to debate her GOP opponents or appear in unscripted settings.
I mean, NewsChannel 5 literally had to corner her by an elevator just to ask about debates, and her answer boiled down to repeating that she’s “talking to Tennesseans every day.”
So if you plan on being in the East Tennessee area tonight, you can RSVP to hear Fritts and Rose take real questions on stage, but if you want to hear Marsha Blackburn in an actual gubernatorial debate, don’t hold your breath—you’re more likely to see her name on another flyer with that same label:
“invited.”
With 2 rounds down and one to go comment on a scale of 1-10 how likely is Marsha to show up tonight?
Round 3
The Tennessee Comptroller has been busy digging into the Parent‑Teacher Organizations at Abraham Lincoln Elementary and John Sevier Middle—and surprise, surprise, when adults think nobody’s watching the cookie jar, the cookie jar mysteriously starts running a deficit.
The report flags sloppy bookkeeping, weak controls over cash from fundraisers, and PTO officers who apparently thought “deposits” were optional and “documentation” was a suggestion.
We’re talking about cash from T‑shirt sales, popcorn nights, and kids begging grandma to buy another chocolate bar so the school can afford new equipment.
The sad thing is that it’s the teachers who were counting on those funds and the parents who trusted their donations were going to be put to good use.
The Comptroller’s office, which has been hammering PTOs all over the state for the same nonsense, is again recommending basic adult behavior: two people counting cash, timely deposits, reconciled bank statements, and officers who know the difference between “volunteer to help kids” and “volunteer to help myself.”
They say every dollar raised goes back to the classroom; turns out, sometimes it just takes the scenic route through somebody’s personal checking account.
That was your daily Tennessee news roundup.
For more deep dives into local stories, watch the Patriot Punkcast on Rumble every Sunday and Wednesday at 7pm CST. Thanks for checking out our Tiday In Tennessee Segment — see you monday!
You could have been featured here. Just saying