Archives: 2021

U.S. News

California hiker dies in Death Valley, heatstroke suspected

Associated Press,

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a San Francisco man died while hiking in Death Valley National Park, where temperatures can be among the hottest on Earth. Park officials say 60-year-old Lawrence Stanback died Wednesday while hiking near Red Cathedral along the Golden Canyon Trail. That day temperatures reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Officials say park rangers received a report…
U.S. News

Some governors use federal virus aid to expand school choice

Associated Press,

(AP) —  Some Republican governors are using federal pandemic assistance to promote school choice programs, including charter schools and vouchers for private schools. The money comes with few strings attached, and it lets them sidestep legislative approval. In Tennessee, the governor used some of the money to help launch new charter schools that will not open until at least next…
News, Tennessee News

Tennessee doctors ask governor to reconsider mask opt-out

Associated Press,

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee doctors have presented Gov. Bill Lee with a petition from 5,400 medical professionals urging Lee to drop an executive order that lets parents opt their children out of school mask requirements. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the doctors on Friday cited an alarming rise in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations among teens and younger children….
Obituaries

Kirmet Sykes, Sr.

WBBJ Staff,

Graveside service for Kirmet Sykes, Sr., age 78, will be Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at Hurts Chapel Cemetery. Mr. Sykes died Sunday, August 15, 2021 at Jackson General Hospital. Visitation for Mr. Sykes will be Monday, August 23, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m at Mercer Brothers Funeral Home. For additional information, contact Mercer Brothers Funeral…
U.S. News

8th graders lead effort to pardon wrongly convicted ‘witch’

Associated Press,

BOSTON (AP) – A woman convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death at the height of the Salem Witch Trials may finally be exonerated in Massachusetts. Lawmakers are considering a bill inspired by a curious eighth-grade civics class that called attention to the need to formally clear Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s name. The effort comes 328 years after Johnson…
U.S. News

Neil Young bows out of Farm Aid

Associated Press,

UNDATED (AP) – Neil Young is dropping out of playing Farm Aid because he’s concerned about the surge in COVID-19 cases. Young writes on his website he “can’t shake the feeling that it might not be safe for everyone.” He says he stands with those who feel that it’s not safe to go to a concert, and he does not…
News, World News

Polish Olympian auctions silver medal to help sick child

Associated Press,

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – An Olympic athlete from Poland auctioned her silver medal from the Tokyo Games to raise money for a life-saving operation for an infant boy and then was told by the buyer that she could keep her prize.   Maria Andrejczyk is a 25-year-old javelin thrower who overcame bone cancer and a shoulder injury to compete at…
News, Tennessee News

Country singer Tom T. Hall dies; wrote ‘Harper Valley PTA’

Associated Press,

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall, who composed “Harper Valley P.T.A.” and sang about life’s simple joys as country music’s consummate blue collar bard, has died. He was 85. His son, Dean Hall, confirmed the musician’s death Friday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. Hall was known as “The Storyteller” for his unadorned yet incisive lyrics. He composed…