Tag: news
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We Always Rise to the Occasion During Difficult Times
Have you ever thought about the difference between a city and a community? A city is a legally defined, structured entity with the authority to enforce laws. It operates under a charter, with elected officials and public services focused on managing resources and the well-being of its residents. A city has taxing authority. And if…
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Kingsport-Bristol: Quietly Leading Tennessee’s Economy
The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) released its July 2025 report with a statistic that turned heads across the state. Kingsport-Bristol posted the highest retail sales tax growth in Tennessee at 3.57%, while Memphis, by contrast, recorded the largest decline at -2.76%. Overall, sales tax collections were down -0.1% statewide month-over-month, but up…
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Kingsport: Playing the Long Game
We often hyper-fixate on Kingsport’s ranking in Tennessee’s growth, but miss the context of cities that are closer than our state capital. When I first began my career, Sullivan was the fifth most populous county, but now it’s tenth, replaced by counties adjoining Nashville. But Nashville, like Austin and Charlotte, is a national phenomenon. It’s…
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Appalachian Poverty: Bad Data, Good Intentions
Recently, we published an article titled “Safer by Design, Not by Statistics” that shows why Tennessee’s crime rate isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison with other places—and how it’s often misused to suggest we’re less safe than we really are. You can read it at KingsportSpirit.com. Another misleading statistic is the poverty rate. Appalachia is “poorer” than…
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The Gentle Giant Behind Kingsport’s Transformation
Terry Cunningham was recently honored for his lifetime of partnership as Executive Director of the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority. I was asked to share my thoughts. Terry Cunningham is one of the best human beings I know. He’s a gentle giant who has worked mostly in the background to effect positive outcomes for our…
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Safer by Design, Not by Statistics
First in a Series When you search for crime rates in Tennessee, the numbers can seem surprising. Cities like Kingsport often appear “less safe” on paper than they feel in real life. But here’s the truth: Tennessee has been holding itself to a higher standard of honesty for decades, which makes the numbers look inflated…
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Kingsport, Johnson City named Best Places to Live 2025-2026
Kingsport and Johnson City are two of six Tennessee cities named to U.S. News’ Top 250 “Best Places to Live” list for 2025-2026. Tennessee cities making the Top 250 are (in order): Hendersonville, Franklin, Kingsport, Murfreesboro, Johnson City, and Nashville. Notable Tennessee cities and their suburbs not on the Top 250 list are Knoxville (Maryville,…
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Rate vs. Reality: The Real Math of Property Taxes
Explaining how property tax works is difficult at best. Today, in two separate publications from Tennessee and Virginia, I saw articles detailing rate changes. One was in Radford, Virginia, the other in Kingsport/Sullivan County, Tennessee. The articles state that Radford will increase it’s tax rate by almost 20% to $0.92, while Sullivan County’s preliminary certified…
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Kingsport’s Wage Gains in Context: When Paychecks Stretch Further
In assessing local prosperity, it’s tempting to focus on headline wage figures: “Knoxville pays $31 per hour,” or “Johnson City surged to $30.” But for Kingsport—a city long celebrated for its measured growth and community spirit—the real story lies in how those paychecks go further against local costs. By blending respectable nominal wage gains with…
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At The End of The Day, People Vote with Their Feet
I’ve come to realize that many states are trying to replicate what we have in Tennessee—no income tax, no personal property tax, and no inheritance or estate tax. At last count 15 states are trying, but it’s easier said than done because they’ve become accustomed to that revenue stream and rarely want to cut costs.…
Kingsport Spirit 