Charlie Hatcher: Straight from central casting
The Tennessee Republican establishment stood together on August 6, 2026, to nominate for U.S. representative Charles W. Hatcher, 68, a veterinarian and state commissioner of agriculture from 2019 to 2025.
In defeating two-term Rep. Andy Ogles, the Republicans most likely secured the District 5 seat for the GOP. Gov. Bill Lee endorsed Hatcher just days before the election. Former Gov. Bill Haslam also endorsed Hatcher. President Donald Trump had endorsed Ogles.
Lee said he and Hatcher have been friends for 25 years. “I’m a cattleman. He was our veterinarian. I know Charlie. I know his conservative values and how much he loves our country.”
Hatcher was an active ag commissioner, meeting with the press at Bill Weigel’s barn during the pandemic in 2020 to support local dairy producers. Our story is here with a bonus photo of five county commissioners wearing black and white spotted cow masks, created by Weigel’s.
Hatcher graduated with a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Middle Tennessee State University in 1980 and as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1984.
Andy Ogles
District history: Ogles flipped the congressional district red in 2022 after TN legislators split Nashville into multiple districts and added rural areas south of Nashville to District 5. Longtime Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper retired. This spring, Trump called for Republican-majority legislatures to redistrict mid-cycle to bust even more Democratic-held districts. Tennessee did so, breaking Memphis into three districts. Longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen retired.
To create the GOP-majority districts, legislators removed Nashville from District 5 and extended it through rural west Tennessee and into Shelby County along the border with Arkansas. Ogles and his challengers had just a few months to prepare campaigns in a virtually new district. And Ogles was pretty busy in Washington.
Chaz Molder
The Democrats: State party leaders were virtually salivating at the prospects of beating Ogles. Their nominee, Chaz Molder, 42, was elected mayor of Columbia in 2018, becoming the youngest mayor in the state and the youngest ever in Columbia.
Molder was so popular that he won re-election in 2022 over the chair of the county’s Republican Party. As mayor, he passed eight straight balanced budgets, saved the local aquatic center and improved the city’s infrastructure.
Molder has raised over $1 million and plans to soldier on against Hatcher. But he will have to redo his campaign materials and slogan. Hatcher probably will just stick with his, “Hire a Farmer.”
First Horizon Foundation donates $5 million to UT College of Medicine
Artist’s rendering of proposed UT College of Medicine expansion in Memphis.
First Horizon Foundation has committed $5 million toward construction of a $350 million University of Tennessee College of Medicine interdisciplinary building at the Memphis campus.
The state of Tennessee provided $311 million recommended by Gov. Bill Lee.
Peter Buckley
Chancellor Peter Buckley M.D., called the gift “a transformative step … for health and health care of the people of Tennessee. … This building will serve as a hub for training future health care professionals to practice collaborative, state-of-the-art care across Tennessee.”
Bryan Jordan
First Horizon Corporation is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, with branches in 12 states. CEO Bryan Jordan called UT Health Sciences “one of Tennessee’s most important assets and a leading engine for developing our state’s healthcare workforce.”
The 275,000- to 300,000-square-foot building will be located on Madison Avenue, near the College of Pharmacy Building at 881 Madison Ave. The aim is to begin construction in late fall 2026. Substantial completion is anticipated in 2029.
The new building will allow room to expand the medicine class from 175 to 250 per cohort and the physician assistant program to grow from 30 to 60 students per year. Learn more in an article by Peggy Reisser.
Lyons honored by Leadership Tennessee
Bill Lyons pictured with his wife, Gay Henry Lyons, at the awards ceremony.
Bill Lyons, associate director of the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was named the inaugural individual recipient of Leadership Tennessee’s Civic Understanding Pillar Award.
The social media post reads: “The award recognizes individuals and organizations that help Tennesseans better understand the issues, opportunities and challenges facing the state. Few embody that mission more than Bill.
“Whether he’s leading a Constitutional Conversation, taking students to city council and school board meetings or writing newspaper columns read by thousands across Tennessee, Bill has spent decades helping people connect with civic life. His work challenges us to think more deeply about our history, our institutions and the role each of us plays in self-government.
“As Bill recently reminded a group of Tennessee educators, ‘The task of keeping it falls upon all of us.’ That belief continues to shape his work and inspire citizens across our state.”
New managing director for Marble City Opera
Lisa Muci Eckhoff
Marble City Opera has named Lisa Muci Eckhoff as the company’s new managing director. Working in partnership with Founding Artistic Director Kathryn Frady and the Marble City Opera board of directors, Eckhoff will oversee the organization’s administrative operations, fundraising, community partnerships, marketing, and strategic development as Marble City
Opera continues to expand its impact throughout East Tennessee. Details here: Marble City Opera
Nick McBride hires chief deputy
Nikki Davis
Nikki Minton Davis will be chief deputy for Nick McBride when he is sworn in as Knox County Trustee on September 1, 2026. Davis brings more than 14 years of county government experience, along with extensive experience in property valuation, financial analysis, public administration, operations and customer service. “Nikki brings a unique combination of county-government experience and a strong commitment to serving the public,” said McBride. Details here: Nikki Davis
Scarbrough to retire from university
Rick Scarbrough
Rick Scarbrough, executive director of the Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC), has announced his retirement after eight years leading the center, an agency of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (IPS). His last day with the center will be Friday, September 4, 2026. Scarbrough started at LEIC in 2018 after serving as the Clinton police chief for 16 years.
He serves in the TN House from District 33, part of Anderson County. He is the Republican nominee on November 3, 2026, against Democratic candidate Anne Backus. More about the LEIC here.
Notes & quotes
Cars for Canines will be Saturday, August 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST at Melton Lake Park. Sponsored by Explore Oak Ridge, the classic car show will benefit Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and Anderson County Humane Society. Food trucks, live entertainment, low-cost microchipping and rabies vaccinations. Free admission for spectators. Pets on leashes or in carriers welcomed. Info here.
Farragut Band Boosters yard sale will be Saturday, August 15, 2026, from 8 a.m. until noon at Farragut High School. Info on donations: kristin.ricciuto@farragutband.org/.
Outdoor Knoxville lists hundreds of activities, many free, all outdoors.
Quote: “How does peace come? Peace doesn’t come because allies agree. Allies are allies – they already agree! Peace comes when you talk to the guy you most hate. And that’s where the courage of a leader comes.” – Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid leader of South Africa.
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Sandra Clark compiles obituary links and writes daily at KnoxTNToday – the Let’s Talk series includes topics of law, neighbors, schools, leaders and outdoors. Enjoyed this article? Read more Let’s Talk – Leaders by Sandra Clark.
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