SUMMARY: A grieving family in Columbia has put up three billboards to honor their murdered son, BJ Gisham, whose death last September in Murray County left them devastated. BJ was shot in the back of the head by Michael Van Dobs, who is now jailed. BJ’s father, Harold Gisham, wants justice and feels investigators aren’t doing enough, noting missing personal belongings, including a sentimental watch meant for BJ’s daughter. Van Dobs, with a lengthy criminal record, is awaiting trial. The family hopes the billboards raise awareness and ensure Van Dobs remains behind bars, while prosecutors seek to schedule a trial date.

Three billboards have been put up throughout Columbia.

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SUMMARY: NOAA forecasts a 60% chance of an above-normal 2025 hurricane season, predicting 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes, and 3-5 major hurricanes, exceeding average counts. Warm Atlantic ocean waters and weak wind shear, with no El Nino to disrupt storm growth, contribute to this outlook. The West African monsoon will shift north, strengthening tropical waves moving west. Names will start with Andrea and end with Wendy. Though Tennessee isn’t coastal, hurricanes can cause severe inland flooding and tornadoes, as seen with past storms like Helen and Frederick, impacting Tennessee and nearby states with deadly floods and infrastructure damage.

NOAA is predicting another very active hurricane season.

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SUMMARY: Oscar Franklin Smith was executed on May 22, 2025, at Tennessee’s Riverbend Maximum Security Institution for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife and her two teenage sons. The execution began 15 minutes late and was witnessed by seven media representatives, including Tori Gessner. Smith lay restrained on the table, wore a yellow gown, and was given pentobarbital under Tennessee’s new single-drug protocol. Before his death, Smith criticized Governor Bill Lee for not stopping the execution, claiming the justice system is broken and asserting his innocence. He died at 10:47 a.m., showing no visible distress during the process.

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