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The SOFHA Highlands Family Medicine facility on East Watauga Avenue in Johnson City closed Tuesday, Jan. 6, as noted by letters sent to patients and posted on the facility’s door. It is one of several SOFHA offices closing this month.

This story has been updated with statements from State of Franklin Healthcare Associates and Ballad Health. At least three State of Franklin Healthcare Associates facilities are closing, according to information given to patients. Letters independently verified by Six Rivers Media confirm that SOFHA’s OB/GYN Specialists of Kingsport and Pediatrics of Bristol offices are both closing Jan. 31. Highlands Family Medicine in Johnson City already closed Tuesday. At least two providers from the group will join Ballad Health. Other physicians will move to different SOFHA offices, transition into different health care roles or have not yet notified the health care group of their plans. In an emailed statement to Six Rivers Media, Ballad Health affirmed that it “is not involved in the operational, staffing or practice-location decisions of State of Franklin Healthcare Associates, which remain solely under the direction of SOFHA’s physician leadership and governing board.”

SOFHA is directing affected patients to its other providers or separate private health care offices in the region. “In light of this change, we want to assure you that your care remains our priority,” a letter posted on the Highlands Family Medicine office states. In a statement, SOFHA said it communicates directly with affected individuals when changes occur. The group added that public notices are issued in specific communities where a clinic closure occurs and that the group “follows all applicable legal and ethical requirements for patient notification.” READ- SOFHA statement after recent closures.pdfSkye Twitty, a Bristol resident whose children have gone to SOFHA Pediatrics in Bristol for more than 10 years, said she received her letter Saturday. She’s now looking for new doctors, but said she’s only found a few in Bristol. One of the doctors recommended by SOFHA doesn’t take her insurance, she added. “Our kids deserve continuity of care,” she said. “[I’m] just concerned, where are the doctors going? Will my kids have a doctor if they get sick?”The closures follow months of financial struggle for the physician-led primary care group. The group sued Summit Medical Group in September, alleging that the Knoxville-based group “orchestrated a scheme” to turn SOFHA’s employees against them and “destroy” the business. The lawsuit was filed amid ongoing confusion over whether some SOFHA physicians would renew their contracts. “To the detriment of [SOFHA’s] patients, physicians and employees, [SMG’s] scheme is working,” SOFHA’s complaint, filed in Washington County Circuit Court, states.A hearing for the case is scheduled for Feb. 3. In December, Ballad announced it would lend financial support to SOFHA so the group could resolve some of its accumulated debt. In a press release at the time, Ballad emphasized that all organizational decisions remained in the hands of the employee-owned group. “Neither Ballad Health nor SOFHA has considered an acquisition of SOFHA by Ballad Health, and both strongly prefer for SOFHA to remain independent,” OB-GYN and President of SOFHA Dr. Grover May said in the release.Twitty, who works in health care, said the changes at SOFHA reflect a nationwide problem with rural health. She added that smaller offices closing creates a bigger problem. “I think everybody deserves access to care, and it shouldn’t just depend on your zip code or income level,” Twitty said. “Our kids just deserve stability and access to care closer to home.”

For over 20 years, East Tennessee State University’s campus community has been working together to efficiently and effectively recycle. Through campus wide initiatives, ETSU recycles more than 500,000 pounds of materials a year. Our success is driven in large part by ETSU’s Sustainability Ambassadors, who engage students through education and outreach initiatives centered around recycling.At ETSU, recycling is engraved into our campus culture and embraced by our students, who are diligent recyclers. Across campus, recycling bins are placed alongside every trash bin, making recycling an easy choice. We are proud to partner with local organizations such as Eastman and OmniSource to keep our materials within the region, strengthening regional recycling efforts and supporting local jobs.East Tennessee is leading the way by showcasing what solutions look like in practice. In addition to the great work happening at ETSU, municipalities throughout the region are showcasing innovation. In June 2025, Sullivan County celebrated the grand opening of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), a major step forward for East Tennessee and Tennessee’s recycling efforts.MRFs receive recycled materials then separate and sort those materials to be sold to end users. Sullivan County's $3.5 million, 16,000-square-foot, county-run MRF proves that local governments can drive real solutions. But Tennessee needs more than individual counties driving on solutions. We need a roadmap, one that works for all of Tennessee.Tennessee should look at existing statewide models that work. South Carolina and Indiana have implemented recycling market development programs, a way to connect waste generators with manufacturers that use recyclable materials. In South Carolina, the recycling industry contributes $13.6 billion to the state's economy annually. Indiana’s Recycling Market Development Board has helped create more than 1,000 jobs and established a grant program that advances recycling infrastructure statewide.Here in East Tennessee, we have already positioned ourselves as leaders in recycling innovation and solutions. Eastman Chemical Company’s groundbreaking molecular recycling facility opened in Kingsport in 2024 and has drawn national attention. Molecular recycling breaks plastic into their basic chemical building blocks, purifies those molecules, and those molecules are then reassembled into polymers that can be utilized for new plastic products. This transforms post-consumer plastics into brand-new, usable materials.What’s true in East Tennessee and in other states can be true for the rest of Tennessee — recycling can drive economic growth and development. With the right investments and partnerships between the public and private sectors, Tennessee has the opportunity to become a national leader in recycling solutions. This is especially urgent given the solid waste capacity crisis occurring in Middle Tennessee that will inevitably impact all parts of the state.East Tennessee is setting a strong example for the future of recycling; it is time for Tennessee to do it together.Taylor Brooks is the sustainability coordinator for the East Tennessee State University Department of Sustainability. Brooks is from Jonesborough and holds a degree in plant sciences with a concentration in public horticulture, as well as a minor in food and agriculture business, from the University of Tennessee. Brooks is responsible for managing the Campus Sustainability Fee, Sustainability Ambassadors, and collaborating with other departments to improve ETSU's environmental footprint.

The Washington County Planning Commission voted 4–2, with one abstention, to recommend denying BWXT’s proposed rezoning after a packed public hearing driven by resident concerns.

The Washington County Planning Commission denied the request of BWXT’s rezoning expansion in a four to two vote with one abstaining.A divided Washington County Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend denial of BWXT’s proposed zoning expansion, capping a crowded public hearing marked by resident concerns.The commission met to hear concerns of local residents during a public hearing before the vote on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at the George Jaynes Justice Center. The decision comes after the rezoning request was tabled until a bigger venue was available to accommodate the public and those interested.The original rezone request was a proposed 128 acre rezoning of property owned by BWXT Ordnance Tennessee in Jonesborough for a planned expansion of depleted uranium manufacturing.After some pushback, BWXT said it resubmitted its request to rezone approximately 55 acres of the 128 originally requested.The zone is currently listed as agriculture and residential, and the proposal to the Washington County Planning Commission was to change it to high-impact manufacturing. The BWXT facility is currently a provider of Department of Defense special alloy components including depleted uranium (DU) with depleted and natural uranium purification capabilities. BWXT purchased the former Aerojet Ordnance Tennessee, located at 1367 Old State Route 34, Jonesborough, from L3Harris last year.Many concerned groups such as Neighbors of BWXT and Protect Jonesborough had emerged along with many local residents who posed several questions to the commission in the meeting. After the public hearing, commissioners discussed the topic and posed questions to both Angie Charles, the Washington County planning director, and Allyson Wilkinson, the county attorney.Charles said county planning staff recommended approval, saying the request aligned with the county’s land use plan and existing industrial activity on the property.“The county’s land use plan includes development goals that say it is essential to retain and expand the industrial development base to provide for the essential employment needs in the county,” Charles said. “From the staff's view, it is consistent with the comprehensive plan. It is not an introduction of a new zoning district to the area. It is the expansion of an existing district.”Charles said that rezoning does not authorize construction and that no buildings could be built without a separate site plan review by the commission.“The rezoning would be the first step in the process,” the planning director said. “Nothing, construction would not take place on the property prior to site plan approval.”Questions from commissioners focused on floodplain issues, stormwater regulations and whether approving the rezoning could allow other industrial uses if BWXT did not move forward with its plans.“If this committee did not proceed with construction, or if there was a change in ownership, before any structures would be built on the property, they would still require site plan approval from this body,” Charles said. “We would be looking to see whether those uses were in conformity with the zoning district.” Wilkinson also addressed circulating claims that tax incentives were tied to the request.“There is no tax incentive currently on the table or being considered by the county with respect to this property, this property owner or this company,” Wilkinson said. “Those statements would be misinformation.”As the discussion turned toward public trust, Commissioner Ken Huffine said the volume of public response weighed heavily.“I have had countless emails and phone calls, which I truly appreciate,” Huffine said. “I can’t represent people unless I know what they think.”He described a call from a young family considering leaving the area because of health concerns.“They love this area, but they’re concerned about this issue,” Huffine said. “They’re actually looking for other properties right now because they want to maintain the health of their children.”Before making the motion, members of the commission urged both residents and the company to focus on facts ahead of the County Commission vote later this month.“There’s a big lack of trust between the community, residents and the company,” Huffine said. “Obtain all the facts. You make a fact based decision, and 99.9 percent of the time it’s going to be the right decision.”The motion brought forward was to recommend denial of the rezoning request to the full County Commission. After a roll call vote, the motion passed.The recommendation now moves to the Washington County Commission for final consideration later this month.BWXT released a statement following the meeting, stating that while they don’t agree with the decision, they look forward to providing additional information to the County Commission."This project is vital to national security and the new state-of-the-art facilities will provide long-term, good paying jobs for Washington County," the statement read. "BWXT remains committed to ensuring we protect the people and the environment of the communities where our employees live and work."