Author: Associated Press

Michael Constantine of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ dies at 94

(AP) --- Michael Constantine, an Emmy Award-winning character actor who reached worldwide fame playing the Windex bottle-toting father of the bride in the 2002 film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” has died. Michael Constantine was 94. He made appearances on…

Tennessee sees chronic wasting disease in deer in 9th county

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials say a ninth county has a confirmed case of chronic wasting disease in deer. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says tests confirmed the condition in Henry County in a 3 1/2-year-old doe that was…

Federal judge acquits Tennessee professor with ties to China

A federal judge has thrown out all charges against a University of Tennessee professor accused of hiding his relationship with a Chinese university while receiving research grants from NASA. Anming Hu was arrested in February, charged with wire fraud and…

Woman who admitted to Slender Man attack to be freed Monday

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin woman who admitted to helping stab a classmate to please the horror character Slender Man will be freed Monday from a mental health institution. A judge ruled Friday that 19-year-old Anissa Weier will be…

Appeals court blocks Tennessee Down syndrome abortion ban

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A panel of federal judges has reversed course and blocked a Tennessee restriction that outlaws abortions because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, or because of the race or gender of the fetus. The 6th…

20 years later, fallout from toxic WTC dust cloud grows

NEW YORK (AP) — Two decades after the collapse of the World Trade Center, people are still coming forward to report illnesses that might be related to toxic dust that billowed over the city after the terror attack. To date,…

Queen representative says royals back BLM movement

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family back the Black Lives Matter movement, one of her senior representatives has said in a television interview to be broadcast later Friday. Philanthropist Kenneth Olisa, the first Black Lord Lieutenant…

EPA eyes West Tennessee site for toxic chemical cleanup

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen says the federal Environmental Protection Agency wants to add a former west Tennessee munitions factory to a list of prioritized Superfund toxic cleanup sites. The Memphis Democrat says the EPA has proposed…

Justice Dept. sues Texas over state’s new abortion law

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Justice Department is suing Texas over a new state law that bans most abortions, arguing that it was enacted “in open defiance of the Constitution.” [field59_video account="WBBJ" key="63aa9e63cca47d320b9d6814f3958aa89e75a648" vtitle="Justice Dept. sues Texas over state's new…

Sweeping new vaccine mandates for 100 million Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant. The government's expansive new rules, announced…

AP source: Biden to require federal workers to get COVID shot

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is toughening COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers and contractors as he aims to boost vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant that is killing thousands each week and jeopardizing the nation’s economic recovery.…

Chris Stapleton, Eric Church share top CMA nominations

(AP) -- Country stars Chris Stapleton and Eric Church will go toe-to-toe with each other at this year’s Country Music Association Awards, vying in the same top five categories. They both join Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Luke Combs in…

Tennessee offering free tree seedlings for reforestation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s forestry office is now taking orders for tree seedlings for planting throughout the state, The state Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry said it is offering tree and shrub seedlings for reforestation and conservation projects…

What is the mu variant of the coronavirus?

The mu variant of the coronavirus was first identified in Colombia in January and has since caused isolated outbreaks in South America, Europe and the United States. The World Health Organization last month listed it as a “variant of interest”…

Yankees star Derek Jeter inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Former Yankees shortstop and captain Derek Jeter, Colorado star Larry Walker, Ted Simmons of the Cardinals and Brewers, and the late labor executive Marvin Miller were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jeter missed by…

Australian court rules media liable for Facebook comments

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s highest court has made a landmark ruling that media outlets are “publishers” of allegedly defamatory comments posted by third parties on their official Facebook pages. The High Court on Wednesday dismissed an argument by some…

Suits draw mixed rulings for Tennessee school mask opt-out

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Lawsuits have drawn mixed results in opposite ends of Tennessee for Gov. Bill Lee’s order that lets parents opt out of school mask requirements. On Tuesday, a federal judge in East Tennessee declined to temporarily block…

Report: Solar could power 40% of US electricity by 2035

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new federal report say solar energy has the potential to power up to 40% of the nation’s electricity within 15 years — a 10-fold increase over current solar output. But it would require massive changes in…

Britney Spears’ father files to end court conservatorship

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears' father has filed to end the court conservatorship that has controlled the singer's life and money for 13 years. James Spears filed his petition to end the conservatorship in Los Angeles Superior Court on…

West Nile case in Shelby County Tennessee’s 3rd this year

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Health officials say a person who contracted West Nile virus in Shelby County is Tennessee’s third case of the illness this year. In a news release Friday, the Shelby County Health Department did not identify the…

Contenders face problems galore in NASCAR playoffs

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — There were problems galore from some of the top contenders to start the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Kyle Busch cursed and ran over some cones heading to the garage. Chase Elliott told his crew chief simply,…

Over 200 evacuated after gas leak at Tyson Foods facility

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Officials are investigating a release of toxic ammonia gas at a Middle Tennessee chicken processing plant that led to the evacuation of more than 200 residents. The Tennessean reported that fire officials said the gas release…

September 6th: Today in Entertainment History

(AP) -- Today in Entertainment History On Sept. 6, 1969, after a concert in Memphis, James Brown announced that he was going to retire from touring the following summer. He did cut back on touring but didn’t retire. In 1974,…

Biden looks to get agenda on track after unrelenting summer

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a summer of unrelenting crises, President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page and refocus his presidency this fall around his core economic agenda. From the chaos in Afghanistan to the spread of the coronavirus…

Al Capone’s Florida house faces demolition

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The South Florida house gangster Al Capone owned for nearly two decades is facing the wrecking ball. The Miami Herald reports the new owners of the house in Miami Beach plan to demolish the place,…

The Latest: Top Republican says Taliban holding Americans

WASHINGTON — The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee says some Americans who have been trying to get out of Afghanistan since the U.S. military left are sitting in airplanes at an airport ready to leave but the…

7 people hurt when gunman opens fire in Georgia college town

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Police say seven people were hurt after a gunman fired into a crowd of people in Georgia. Athens-Clarke County police say the shooting happened early Sunday morning in downtown Athens after a large fight broke out.…

US Navy IDs 5 killed in helicopter crash off California

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. Navy has identified five sailors who died when a helicopter crashed in the Pacific Ocean off of Southern California. The MH-60S helicopter crashed on Aug. 31 about 70 miles off San Diego during what…

Jesse Jackson’s wife headed home from hospital after COVID

CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s wife will be released from a Chicago hospital where she has been treated for COVID-19. A statement Friday from Jonathan Jackson, one of the couple’s five children, doesn't specify when his 77-year-old mother,…

‘Shang-Chi’ blasts Labor Day records debuting with $71.4M

NEW YORK (AP) — On what’s traditionally one of the sleepiest weekends at the movies, the Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” smashed the record for Labor Day openings with an estimated $71.4 million in ticket…

Florida gunman killed 4, including mom still holding baby

(AP) --- Four people are dead including a mother who was still cradling her now-deceased baby in what Florida sheriff’s deputies are calling a massive gunbattle with a suspect they said was “ready for battle.” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd…

Cleanup boats on scene of large Gulf oil spill following Ida

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday that cleanup crews are responding to a sizable oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following Hurricane Ida. The spill, which is ongoing, appears to be coming from a source underwater…

River closes after California family dies nearby

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mysterious deaths of a Northern California family of hikers and their dog have led federal officials to close 28 miles along the Merced River. The closure on Friday came after test results of water samples…

ABBA’S back!

LONDON (AP) - It's a case of back to the future for ABBA. The Swedish pop group is releasing its first music in four decades - and is launching a new concert series that will be done in digitized form.…

Man arrested after MSNBC reporter covering storm is accosted

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Federal marshals have arrested an Ohio man accused of accosting an MSNBC journalist doing a live report by a Mississippi beach after Hurricane Ida. The U.S. Marshals Service says 54-year-old Benjamin Dagley of Wooster, Ohio, was…

The Latest: German man attacks health workers giving shots

BERLIN — A man has injured two members of a vaccination team in eastern Germany after he demanded a vaccination certificate without wanting to get vaccinated and was denied it. German news agency dpa reported that the man, whose identity…

Civil rights museum honors Michelle Obama, grassroots group

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Former first lady Michelle Obama and The Poor People’s Campaign have been chosen to receive Freedom Awards from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The museum said Wednesday that Obama and the campaign’s leaders,…

Cattle producers have a beef with 35-year marketing campaign

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — It’s one of the nation’s most iconic marketing slogans, but today the checkoff program that created the “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” campaign is under attack by cattle producers who fund it. The beef checkoff…

Judge blocks Tenn. gov’s mask opt-out order in Shelby County

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee from allowing parents to opt out of school mask requirements in Shelby County, the state’s largest county that includes Memphis. U.S. District…

Keith Urban’s tour production manager, 72, dies from fall

PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio (AP) — The longtime tour production manager for country star Keith Urban has died after falling from a stage while preparing for an Ohio concert. The Port Clinton News-Herald reports 72-year-old Randy “Baja” Fletcher died Aug. 27 at…

Biden moves to declassify documents about Sept. 11 attacks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed an executive order directing the FBI to declassify documents related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The order Friday is a supportive gesture to victims’ families who have long sought the…