NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In Tennessee, lightning and its resonant thunder are familiar occurrences. The Volunteer State experiences lightning strikes nearly daily during the summer, and they remain a common phenomenon throughout the year.

How lightning forms

To grasp why Tennessee is prone to so much lightning, it’s essential to understand its formation. Simply put, lightning is a manifestation of static electricity. Much like how friction between socks and a carpet can spark a shock upon touching a doorknob, friction amidst thunderstorm clouds can generate lightning.

This electrical phenomenon is usually associated with towering cumulonimbus, or thunderstorm clouds. These clouds harbor vigorous updrafts and downdrafts, sometimes exceeding 100 mph. As the updrafts lift water droplets upward and downdrafts push ice particles downward, collisions strip away electrons, resulting in a negatively charged cloud base and a positively charged top.

In the realm of electricity, opposites attract; hence, most lightning activity occurs within the cloud itself, termed as cloud-to-cloud lightning.

However, cloud-to-ground lightning is of significant concern due to its potential to strike on the surface. This happens as the negatively charged cloud base draws positive charges from the ground upwards, where they meet and culminate in a lightning strike.

Lightning typically strikes the tallest objects, like skyscrapers, mountains, and the tallest trees on the tops of hills, because lightning likes to take the shortest path of least resistance. This means the saying that lightning never strikes the same place twice is very wrong. Lightning rods on the tallest skyscrapers get struck dozens of times each year.

Why does Tennessee see so much lightning?

Tennessee sees a lot of lightning because we commonly have the ingredients needed for the massive thunderstorm clouds that produce lightning. The ingredients needed to produce thunderstorms are moisture, instability, and a lifting mechanism.

For most of the United States, instability and lifting mechanisms are abundant. But the parts of the country that see the most lightning are the places that have the highest amounts of moisture in the atmosphere.

All that moisture — humidity — helps fuel the clouds to become big enough to cause enough friction to produce lightning. Tennessee, along with most of the Southeast, has the highest humidity and the most lightning.

Tennessee sees a lot of lightning, but there are parts of the country that see even more. Locations in the eastern plains typically have more lightning strikes each year, and locations along the Gulf typically see the highest amounts of lightning.

According to lightning data from Vaisala, Texas typically sees the highest number of lightning strikes each year, but Florida typically sees the highest density of lightning. Tennessee ranks 11th for lightning density.

Since lightning is so common, it’s important to remember the lightning safety tips. The number one thing to know is if you hear thunder roar, go indoors. Go into a building or car to avoid being struck.

If you can’t go inside a building or a vehicle, you need to get as low as possible and avoid water. Water is a good conductor of electricity, so if you are swimming and hear thunder, it is important to get out of the water.

APOPKA, Fla. – On Monday evening, city officials in Apopka will convene to discuss a potential 32% hike in the city’s property tax rate. This decision comes shortly after city commissioners could not reach consensus on a definitive rate during a recent meeting.

The proposed increase would raise the millage rate by 0.75, resulting in an additional $6.6 million in revenue for Apopka. Homeowners with properties valued at $300,000 would see their annual taxes rise by approximately $187.

Earlier this month, Commissioner Nadia Anderson was the sole member of the Apopka City Commission to oppose the tax increase. She expressed her intention to address the concerns of constituents at the meeting, welcoming their input even at the last minute.

The majority of the commission, however, has shown support for the budget that would accompany this proposed higher tax rate.

City leaders face a Friday deadline to finalize the millage rate, with a special commission meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. A decisive vote on the budget is slated for September 3.

The decision is also unfolding as Florida voters are months away from deciding on a statewide property tax amendment on the November ballot — one that could significantly affect future tax revenue for cities like Apopka.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — After her third child was born, Lindsay Clancy’s mental well-being took a severe downturn. Struggling with insomnia and battling intrusive thoughts of self-harm, she sought help from specialists in postpartum mood disorders. Despite being prescribed various psychiatric medications, relief eluded her, leading her to seek refuge in a psychiatric facility.

Just nineteen days after her release from the hospital, Clancy committed the heart-wrenching act of strangling her three children in the family’s Massachusetts residence.

As the murder trial begins, opening statements are scheduled for Monday, setting the stage for a complex legal battle that will examine Clancy’s mental condition and level of responsibility.

Prosecutors will contend that Clancy, a former nurse specializing in labor and delivery at Massachusetts General Hospital, meticulously orchestrated the tragic events and should be held accountable for taking her children’s lives.

Meanwhile, Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, is poised to argue that she was in the grips of postpartum psychosis—a rare, debilitating disorder influenced by the emotional upheaval, sleep deprivation, and hormonal fluctuations postpartum—when the incident occurred.

The trial is expected to take several weeks.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

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Elyse Hershon, a Boston criminal defense attorney and legal analyst, said the verdict will likely depend on how the jury views Clancy’s “intent and mental capacity.”

“Whenever there are deaths of children, it rattles emotions. Because these actions are incomprehensible and the outcome so horrific, people tend to want to hold someone responsible,” Hershon said. “Some people naturally will identify and sympathize with Clancy and her postpartum depression, and others will not be able to understand how one could end their children’s lives, and demand responsibility.”

While postpartum depression is fairly common among women who have given birth, postpartum psychosis is estimated to afflict only 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, mood changes and thoughts of harming yourself or others. Most women who have the condition, however, do not wind up harming their children.

Prosecutors say Clancy strangled her children — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months — on Jan. 24, 2023, after sending her then-husband, Patrick, out for some errands. She then used multiple methods to try to end her own life and was paralyzed from the waist down after jumping from the home’s second-story window.

At the time, she had been getting psychiatric care for about four months. On the day of the killings, she said she heard voices telling her, “This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself,” according to her lawyer.

If convicted of murder, Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty due to a lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.

The case has parallels to several others involving mothers accused of killing their children.

In 2001, Andrea Yates drowned her five children in a bathtub in Texas. Her attorneys said she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis and, in a delusional state, believed Satan was inside her and that killing the youngsters would save them from hell.

Her initial murder conviction was overturned, and in a retrial she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state mental hospital.

Another Texas mother, Dena Schlosser, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2006 after she killed her 10-month-old daughter by cutting off her arms.

Nicole Cirino, the director of the division of reproductive psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, who has been an expert defense witness in infanticide cases, said many of the women who harm their children while in the grip of postpartum psychosis believe their actions are helping the child.

In their own minds, “they may be saving their children from damnation,” Cirino said.

Clancy and her former husband, Patrick Clancy, filed lawsuits accusing her medical providers of failing to properly diagnose and treat her condition.

Awareness about postpartum psychosis has grown since the Yates case, but Cirino and other maternal mental health advocates said prosecutors rarely consider a mother’s mental state. Illinois is the only state with a law allowing for undiagnosed or untreated postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis to be a mitigating factor in sentencing.

“Women who kill their children in the throes of this medical illness, postpartum psychosis, are seriously and profoundly mentally ill. They are not evil,” said Dr. Catherine Birndorf, the CEO and founder of The Motherhood Center in New York City, which treats mothers with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

“To me it’s illness until proven otherwise,” she continued. “The fact that we consider it criminal until proven otherwise is problematic.”

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – The University of Illinois Athletics is set to break new ground by introducing a jersey patch initiative for the first time, beginning with the 2026-27 sports season.

In an exclusive collaboration, Illinois has teamed up with Busey Bank, which will see its brand featured prominently as the sole jersey patch sponsor across a range of sports, including Illinois football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, as well as men’s and women’s golf.

“The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) is delighted to announce the strengthening of its enduring alliance with Busey Bank,” Illinois Athletics declared in a recent online statement. “This partnership is deeply rooted in over 150 years of shared heritage, community engagement, and a steadfast commitment to excellence.”

Moreover, the Busey Bank logo will grace the sideline attire of Illinois coaches, including noted figures such as Bret Bielema, Shauna Green, and Brad Underwood, further highlighting its presence within the university’s athletic domain.

“As we usher in enhanced corporate presence on uniforms and coaching gear, it was crucial to select a partner that resonates closely with our student-athletes, staff, and the Fighting Illini brand,” stated Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman in a formal release. “For nearly 160 years, the University of Illinois and Busey Bank have been intertwined in a shared narrative that has helped shape the local community. Both institutions are witnessing significant growth in stature, reputation, and success. We are thrilled to accelerate our respective missions through this landmark partnership,” he added enthusiastically.

“This is more than a sponsorship—it’s an investment in the future of Illinois Athletics and in the students and alumni who carry the University’s impact beyond campus,” Van Dukeman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Busey Corporation said in a statement from Illinois Athletics. “Rooted in Champaign-Urbana, Busey and the University of Illinois were founded just three months apart, and we’re proud to continue that shared legacy through a partnership grounded in excellence and community. Together, we’re creating opportunities that will benefit student-athletes, students, alumni, fans and the communities we serve for generations to come.”

In January of 2026, the NCAA approved jersey patches for college sports starting in the fall of 2026.

Illinois is not the first Big Ten school to announce plans to add a company’s logo to its uniforms. Wisconsin announced a partnership with Culvers in late June.

In addition to the jersey patch sponsorship, Busey Bank will maintain its title sponsorship of the Illinois Athletics Fighting Illini radio network and continue supporting several Illini-centered events including Busey Bank FamILLy Movie Night at Gies Memorial Stadium, which is scheduled to show Air Bud on Aug. 8.

“This is a milestone day for our program, and for Fighting Illini Athletics, partnering with Busey Bank as we enter the newest chapter in the rapidly changing college sports environment,” Illiniois head men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood said in a statement from Illinois Athletics. “Busey is a forward-thinking organization and like-minded partner. There is great alignment between these community-based institutions, and we are excited to strengthen our relationship for years to come.”

The news of the slight change to Illini uniforms is far from the only recent notable Illini Athletics development.

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