The state of Tennessee should be one of hope, Gov. Bill Lee said Monday night.

In his third annual address to Tennesseans — a State of the State relocated from its traditional venue in the House chamber — Lee reflected on the devastation of 2020, a year that brought a night of fatal tornadoes to the central portion of the state just as the deadly coronavirus pandemic first reared its head.

Tennessee's year of tumult ended with a bombing in Nashville.

But the governor, acknowledging the loss of life, income and normalcy that families had experienced, cast a vision for new opportunities in 2021 in a state flush with cash even after dire economic predictions. 

New funding to help families, an expansion of broadband internet to most communities and resources for rural areas are all new initiatives Lee is championing as Tennessee's financial state remains positive, along with massive upgrades to state buildings and more funding to mitigate the coronavirus.

Continue reading at the Tennessean.