🌱 Patch AM: Why Johnson City leaders are fighting Tennessee’s school voucher expansion now

Hi Johnson City! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• Why Johnson City leaders are fighting Tennessee’s school voucher expansion now
• How BrightRidge’s clean audit translates into upgrades across Johnson City

Today's riddle: What did the windowsill say to the glass? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Monday: Plenty of sunshine, with a high of 58 and low of 40 degrees.
• Tuesday: Cloudy with a few showers, temps: high: 55, low: 49.
• Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 62 and low of 48 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• State Rep. Alexander, JC Schools officials slam voucher expansion (johnsoncitypress.com) — Johnson City families could be affected as local school leaders and Rep. Rebecca Alexander push back against expanding Tennessee’s school voucher program, citing a lack of data and accountability. They also oppose easing teacher licensing requirements, while celebrating that 10 Johnson City schools earned A grades from the state, reinforcing confidence in the city’s public schools.
   

• BrightRidge receives clean audit (johnsoncitypress.com) — BrightRidge’s clean audit and strong finances mean continued investment in Johnson City’s electric grid and broadband, including major upgrades downtown and along West Walnut Street. With customer growth, storm recovery underway, and rising TVA costs, the utility still reports stable debt and increased payments to Johnson City and Washington County governments.
   

📸 Around Johnson City

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Johnson City

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Wednesday December 31

• Midnight at The Big Top
  Holiday Inn Johnson City by IHG, 101 W Springbrook Dr, Johnson City
  8:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday December 25

• Closed Today – Happy Holidays!
  Hands on Discovery Center , 1212 Suncrest Dr , Gray

📣 Johnson City Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Monday December 22

• Comedy Open Mic Night
  Crossroads Craftworks , 411 E Doe Ave , Elizabethton
  7:00 pm
• The Santa Clause at The Jackson Theatre
  Jackson Theatre , 121 W Main St , Jonesborough
  7:00 pm

Tuesday December 23

• PMP Certification 4 Days Classroom Training in Johnson City, TN
  Spark Plaza , 404 S Roan St , Johnson City
  9:00 am
• Home Alone at The Jackson Theatre
  Jackson Theatre , 121 W Main St , Jonesborough
  5:00 pm
• Jonesborough Storytelling Guild
  Historic Jonesborough , 117 Boone St , Jonesborough
  7:00 pm

Wednesday December 24

• Pottery Wheel Crash Course with Made On Elk Pottery
  Crossroads Craftworks , 411 E Doe Ave , Elizabethton
  6:00 pm

Saturday December 27

• The Wizard of Oz
  Bonnie Kate Theater , 115 S Sycamore St , Elizabethton
  8:00 pm

Tuesday December 30

• đ Kingsport ReStore Open
  Kingsport ReStore , 750 E Main St , Kingsport
  10:00 am
• đ Johnson City ReStore Open
  Johnson City ReStore , 3201 Kimberly Ct , Johnson City
  10:00 am

Wednesday December 31

• Elizabethton: Old Time Music Jam
  Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park , 1651 W Elk Ave , Elizabethton
  1:30 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Johnson City PatchAM possible:

• Conversational Spanish Now! — (727) 365-9016
  Conversational Spanish Now! Spanish Adult language course.

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Who here likes board games or card games like uno, or yahtzee, maybe a coffee shop, each other homes, restaurants.
  Even if it is 2 or 3 people at a time. Just thinking out. (Nextdoor Johnson City)
• What would be amazing is if there was a rescue or non profit created that would take in the homeless’s dogs so that they can go through treatment or just get back on their feet.
  The dogs/animals would be stable, the owner would be getting stable and then they could be reintegrated back together once the owner was back on… (Nextdoor South East JC)

• Life Care Centers of America posted a job opening for Activities Assistant in Johnson City. Apply here.
• Luttrell Staffing Group posted a job opening for Inventory Control in Johnson City. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Johnson City here.

🗞 Nearby News

Jonesborough

• ‘Christmas in Olde Jonesborough' wraps up with downtown church stroll (wjhl.com)
• Con artists tricked Tennessee retiree, 74, out of $86K in romance scam before he took his own life. What you need to know to protect yourself (moneywise.com)

Elizabethton

• Elizabethton High School class subject of Sundance Film Festival docuseries ‘Murder101' (wjhl.com)
• Saturday Night Roundup: High School Holiday Basketball Tournaments (wjhl.com)
• On Religion: The history of ‘Old Christmas' in the Southern Highlands (ukiahdailyjournal.com)

Unicoi

Ok Johnson City! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I feel your pane.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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