‘Golden Flyer II’ in Knoxville March 17

As part of the national “Driving the Vote for Equality Tour,” the historic Golden Flyer II – a meticulously restored 1914 Saxon Roadster – will stop at the Women’s Suffrage Museum – Events & Cultural Center on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 10 a.m.

The tour, led by ERA NOW and its founder/ CEO Carolyn B. Maloney is traveling through 25 states to mobilize voters and collect signatures for the National Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) petition. The Saxon Roadster is the same make and model driven by suffragists during their legendary 10,700-mile cross-country campaign in 1916.

Women’s Suffrage Museum – Events & Cultural Center is under construction at 706 & 708 South Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee.

In 1916, women’s suffrage was stalled. Today, advocates argue the ERA faces a similar standstill. The 2026 tour serves as a visual bridge between these two eras, aiming to collect one million signatures by Election Day to urge Congress to recognize the ERA as the 28th Amendment.

Rachel Sussman

Febb Burn Dinner: Wanda Sobieski and the Women’s Suffrage Museum have announced the speaker for the 2026 Febb Burn Dinner, a major fundraiser for the museum.

Rachel Sussman, Tony Award-winning creative producer of the hit Broadway musical Suffs Musical is the keynote speaker. The dinner will be Tuesday, August 18, 2026, from 5:30-9 p.m. at Bridgewater Place, Knoxville, Tennessee. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are here.

Sobieski on WATE: Wanda Sobieski was featured in a WATE profile recently.

“Wanda has dedicated her life to preserving suffrage history. From iconic local statues to her current mission of building the nation’s largest women’s suffrage museum on Gay Street, her impact is felt all across Knoxville.

“As Wanda says: ‘You just never give up and you never think small.’” Watch Lori Tucker’s full feature here.

Blotter

Detective Indicted: An investigation by special agents assigned to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Squad has resulted in the indictment of a Campbell County detective. On March 11, 2026, the Campbell County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging a 27-year-old male with Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. He was arrested and booked into the Campbell County Jail on a $75,000 bond. Details here.

Rocky Hill Pharmacy: On March 13, 2026, following a 15-day trial, a jury in U.S. District Court convicted three women, ages 43, 45 and 40, all of Knoxville, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The defendants remain on pre-trial release until sentencing, which will be scheduled at a later date in front of Judge Thomas A. Varlan. At trial, six healthcare providers testified that alterations made to their prescriptions were not authorized. More here.

Impaired Driver: DA Charme Allen said prosecutors in the DUI Unit obtained convictions against an impaired motorist driving recklessly near Montgomery Village on August 9, 2024. The 51-year-old male was convicted of Driving Under the Influence, Running a Stop Sign, Reckless Driving, and Open Container. Senior Judge D. Kelly Thomas set the case for sentencing on March 31. Details here.

In Memoriam

Martha J. Yoakum

Martha Jane Yoakum, passed away on March 13, 2026, at age 73. A Claiborne County native, Ms. Yoakum served as public defender for TN Judicial District 8 from 1990 until retirement in 2012. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 1975 from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis in 1980, where she was a member of the Law Review and the Appellate Moot Court Team and Board.

She was one of three Yoakum sisters of Tazewell, daughters of Glenn and Leo Yoakum. She leaves a daughter, two grandsons and a sister, Eleanor Yoakum of Tazewell. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. at Claiborne-Overholt Funeral Home with funeral service at 7 p.m. The full obituary is here.

Notes & Quotes

Judge Kyle Hixson was confirmed on March 5, 2026, by a joint convention of the TN General Assembly to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Hixson is a Crossville native who currently lives in Knoxville. He was elected as Criminal Court judge in Knox County (2020-22) and served as a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (2022-present).

Brian C. Lea was sworn in on March 2, 2026, as U.S. District judge for the Western District of Tennessee. Lea fills a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr. Lea earned his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2009 and, following law school, served as a law clerk to Judge Edward Earl Carnes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and to Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate approved his appointment.

Quote: This appears to be the week the Senate will vote on the SAVE Act. It has already passed in the House. … The Senate would have to abandon the filibuster rule to get it across the finish line. That would be a last-ditch measure that Republican senators have long argued against, but some seemed to waffle on the issue last week. – Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse, March 15, 2026.