Tennessee kindergarten through 12th-grade students will be facing new and tougher curriculum standards this year in an effort to get them on par academically with their peers nationwide.

Many Loudon County visitors, lured by a host of water-based activities, are unaware that the Tellico Lake region is also home to one of the most important American Indian historical monuments.

Knoxville's reputation as an outdoor town rests largely on its close proximity to the mountains, most notably the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most highly visited national park in the U.S.

The national housing market has been battered in recent months, and while the road has been smoother for Knoxville residents, it's still been a bumpy ride.

Just as Knoxville was a major player on the frontier in westward expansion, the city today stands as a center for a wide range of outdoor activities, including fishing, hiking, walking, biking, and the simpler joys of bird watching.

Knoxville is surrounded by water, much of it in the form of reservoirs created by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Despite one of the worst droughts on record, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park still drew more than 9 million visitors in 2007.

NORRIS - For avid anglers, the secret's been out for some time. Fishing for species other than stripers - also called rockfish - is back with a vengeance at Norris Lake.

The greater Knoxville area isn't the all-you-can-golf buffet that is Myrtle Beach, S.C. But its menu can whet and satisfy an appetite.

Planning for a new research campus, a pilot biofuels refinery, and continuing the search for a chancellor at the Knoxville campus mark some of the biggest challenges facing the University of Tennessee this year.

Listing of events

MARYVILLE - Beyond question, Maryville, carved out of a wilderness before Tennessee was even a state, has evolved into a municipality that faces big-city issues, even though its population remains only about 26,000.

OAK RIDGE - For a former secret city with a relatively brief history, residents savor and celebrate Oak Ridge's storied past, and visitors come to learn about it.

In 2008, the Knoxville Zoo features animals such as exotic red pandas, poisonous frogs and fluttering butterflies.