Tennessee News Roundup: 2 Students Killed in Cycling Team Crash, $9.2B I-24 Toll Lanes Approved and More
Here’s a roundup of recent Tennessee news: a driver struck a college cycling team, killing two students and injuring seven others, with a North Carolina man facing multiple charges; the state selected a builder for a roughly $9.2 billion I-24 “choice lanes” plan; storms with 70 mph winds knocked out power across the Memphis area, with outages expected to last until Thursday; a woman was arrested in Coffee County and charged in a man’s death at Cherokee Marina in Lebanon; and the 2026 Tennessee governor candidates laid out where they stand on education.
2 students killed, 7 injured after driver strikes college cycling team
Two students were killed and seven others were injured after a driver struck a Tennessee college cycling team, and a North Carolina man now faces multiple charges, according to authorities. (ABC News, NBC News, The New York Times, People, WBTV, Aug. 19-20, 2026) The crash happened during a team ride, and the alleged driver was charged after the collision (WBTV, Aug. 20, 2026). The deaths prompted an outpouring of grief on the campus community (People, Aug. 20, 2026).
Tennessee selects builder for $9.2 billion I-24 choice lanes
Tennessee has selected a company to build and operate a roughly $9.2 billion I-24 “choice lanes” program, a toll-lane project intended to let drivers pay to skip traffic along the corridor. (Tennessee Lookout, News Channel 5 Nashville, Nashville Scene, Aug. 20-21, 2026) The state tapped a road-building group for the multibillion-dollar toll-lanes project (Tennessee Lookout, Aug. 20, 2026), and Nashville Scene reported the chosen builder for the $9.2 billion plan (Aug. 20, 2026). News Channel 5 described it as a “pay to skip traffic” system for I-24 (Aug. 21, 2026).
70 mph winds leave Memphis-area outages expected to last until Thursday
MLGW said power outages could last until Thursday after winds of 70 mph hit the Memphis area during severe storms. (WREG.com, Aug. 23, 2026) Crews were working to restore service as the utility warned some customers could be without power for days following the windstorm.
Woman arrested in Coffee County in death at Cherokee Marina
A woman was arrested in Coffee County and charged in connection with a man’s death at Cherokee Marina in Lebanon, authorities said. (WSMV, Aug. 21, 2026) The arrest followed an investigation at the Lebanon marina.
2026 governor candidates stake out education positions
The 2026 Tennessee governor candidates laid out where they stand on education issues, from school funding to classroom policy. (Chattanooga Times Free Press, Aug. 21, 2026) With the gubernatorial race underway, the paper surveyed the field’s positions on K-12 education.
For more on the Volunteer State, see the Tennessee guide.
Sources
ABC News; NBC News; The New York Times; People; WBTV; Tennessee Lookout; News Channel 5 Nashville; Nashville Scene; WREG.com; WSMV; Chattanooga Times Free Press.