Author: Associated Press

‘Nothing’s safe’ as wildfire tears through California town

GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Staff at the Feather River Land Trust in Northern California have been working to restore the lush natural habitat around Lake Almanor and protect indigenous artifacts there amid wildfires. [field59_video account="WBBJ" key="2af02f26f11b7e5a2648f929e2fbbec964baf9bf" vtitle="'Nothing's safe' as wildfire…

Biden nudges Senate over ‘historic’ $1T infrastructure bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is praising the Senate for edging the bipartisan infrastructure plan closer to passage. Biden on Friday compared the “historic investment” to building the transcontinental railroad or the interstate highway system — lofty themes he…

Pause on student loan payments extended through January

The Biden administration has announced that federal student loan payments will remain suspended through January 2022, extending a pause that was scheduled to expire next month. The Education Department says this will be the final extension. Borrowers will not have…

Tennessee man convicted of killing girlfriend, her mother with ax

WINCHESTER, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man has been convicted of killing his girlfriend and the woman’s mother with an ax. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports jurors deliberated for more than four hours Thursday before convicting 47-year-old Robert Joe…

Officer shoots, injures man carrying knife in Tennessee

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says a police officer shot and injured a man who was armed with a knife outside a grocery store. The TBI says the man was hospitalized Thursday with non-life-threatening injuries.…

Hiroshima marks 76th anniversary of US atomic bombing

TOKYO (AP) — Hiroshima has marked the 76th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing with the city's mayor urging global leaders to unite to eliminate nuclear weapons, just as they have united against the coronavirus. Mayor Kazumi Matsui also…

Today in History: August 6

Today’s Highlight in History: On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb code-named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in…

Preserving history inside the White House

White House tours are still on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, but efforts to preserve historical items and the public rooms inside the two-century old building have continued from one administration to the next. The effort started in 1961…

Apple to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse

Apple is planning to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse, drawing applause from child protection groups but raising concern among some security researchers that the system could be misused by governments looking to surveil their citizens. The…

Budget office: Infrastructure bill adds $256B to deficits

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are wrapping up work on the bipartisan infrastructure plan, with talks underway Thursday to expedite consideration of the nearly $1 trillion proposal. A much anticipated analysis of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office concludes that…

IndyCar’s Nashville invasion takes winding road through city

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — IndyCar is ready for its debut race through Nashville's city streets. There's an 11-turn, a 2.17-mile temporary street course race that stretches past city landmarks Nissan Stadium and the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge. City officials expect…

Man found guilty of murder in shooting of Tennessee deputy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A jury has convicted a man of first-degree premeditated murder for fatally shooting a Tennessee sheriff’s deputy in 2018 before setting fire to his patrol car with his body inside. On Thursday, jurors found Steven Wiggins…

Appeals court upholds Tennessee’s abortion waiting-period

A federal appeals court has upheld Tennessee's 48-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions. Justices on Thursday argued that opponents had failed to identify instances where a woman had been significantly burdened by the requirement. The decision comes after a…

Apple’s Top 10 Movies in the U.S. this week

Movies US charts: 1. F9: The Fast Saga 2. A Quiet Place Part II 3. Wrath of Man 4. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard 5. Nobody 6. Peter Rabbit 2 7. The Paper Tigers 8. Midnight at the Switchgrass 9.…

August 5th: Today in Entertainment History

(AP) -- Today in Entertainment History On Aug. 5, 1957, “American Bandstand,” with host Dick Clark, debuted on ABC. The first act to appear was The Chordettes, who later had a hit with the song “Lollipop.” In 1962, actor Marilyn…

Water park chemical leak hospitalizes dozens; 200 join lawsuit

SPRING, Texas (AP) — A Texas water park says a chemical exposure that sent dozens of people to hospitals was caused by “improper installation” of a water filtration system. Six Flags officials said Wednesday that a third-party service company improperly…

Italy wins US case as it seeks to reclaim marble statue

MILAN (AP) — Italy has won a legal victory in its bid to reclaim an ancient marble statue it asserts was stolen after it turned up in the possession of a New York antiquities dealer. A U.S. district court in…

US plans to require COVID-19 shots for foreign travelers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is taking the first steps toward requiring nearly all foreign visitors to the U.S. to be vaccinated for the coronavirus, a White House official says. The requirement would come as part of the administration’s…

Grammys commit to more hiring diversity for 2022 show

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Grammy Awards will adopt an inclusion rider that will require producers to recruit and hire more diverse candidates backstage and in front of the camera for next year’s ceremony. The Recording Academy announced Wednesday that…

Tennessee eyes broadband for $500M in federal recovery cash

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials plan to use $500 million in federal COVID-19 recovery money to boost broadband internet access and subsidize some low-income subscribers. At a meeting Wednesday, the state's Financial Stimulus Accountability Group announced plans to use…

Haslam joins Tennessee push for ‘right to work’ amendment

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former Gov. Bill Haslam will serve as a prominent backer of a campaign to put Tennessee's law prohibiting a company and a union from requiring workers to pay union dues or fees into the state Constitution.…

CDC issues new eviction ban for most of US through Oct. 3

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new moratorium on evictions that would last until October 3. The Biden administration is trying to quell intensifying criticism that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose…

Garth Brooks reassessing stadium tour because of COVID surge

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country star Garth Brooks says he will be reassessing whether to continue future dates on his stadium tour in light of the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the country. Brooks said in a statement that…

How to chop remodeling costs when wood prices are high

Wood prices have skyrocketed over the last year, leaving would-be home renovators deciding whether to wait out the high costs or move forward on a project that’s more expensive than it would have been a year ago. By mid-July, prices…

Tennessee won’t incentivize COVID shots but pays to vax cows

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Despite having some of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country, Tennessee isn’t planning to offer any incentives for people to get the shot. But it’s a different story when it comes to cattle, where…

TN data shows widespread decline in academic proficiency during pandemic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's office says the first Tennessee state-level data showing student academic achievement since the COVID-19 pandemic began shows declines in proficiency through all subjects and grades. Lee says the results indicate the pandemic…

Today in History: August 3

On August 3, 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the first of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he took the 100-meter sprint. On this…

Children stopped at border likely hit record-high in July

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A U.S. official says the number of children traveling alone who were picked up at the Mexican border by U.S. immigration authorities likely hit an all-time high in July. Preliminary government data released Monday by a…

Saginaw Grant, noted Native American character actor, dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Saginaw Grant, a prolific Native American character actor and hereditary chief of the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma, has died. He was 85. Grant's publicist, Lani Carmichael, says Grant died peacefully in his sleep of…

I-40 bridge linking Arkansas, Tennessee re-opened

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities on Saturday night reopened the Interstate 40 bridge linking Arkansas and Tennessee that had been closed ever since a crack was discovered in the span in May. The Hernando DeSoto Bridge reopened to the public…

2 women shot in parking lot of Tennessee water park

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Police say an altercation in the parking lot of a Tennessee water park led to a shooting that wounded two women. Sevierville Police Department spokesman Bob Stahlke told news outlets that officers responded Saturday evening to…

Florida breaks record with more than 21,000 new COVID cases

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Federal health officials say Florida has reported more than 21,600 new cases of COVID-19, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic. The state has become the new national epicenter for the virus,…

To get shots in arms, governments turn to money in pockets

(AP) --- Millions of people in the U.S. who haven’t gotten the COVID-19 vaccine could soon have a new reason to roll up their sleeves: money in their pockets. President Joe Biden is calling on states and local governments to…

TVA demolishes 50s-era Johnsonville coal plant

NEW JOHNSONVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority has demolished a coal plant that began generating electricity in the 1950s. The implosion early Saturday destroyed a 600-foot smokestack and 10 boilers at the former Johnsonville Fossil Plant. The TVA…

Man wanted in Tennessee assault case arrested in Florida

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The U.S. Marshals Service says a man wanted in Tennessee for attempted murder and other charges has been arrested in Florida. Marshal Tyreece Miller said in a news release that Jonathan Funches faces charges of criminal…

Tennessee woman’s remains found in Ky. in 2001 identified

FRANKLIN, Ky. (AP) - Authorities have identified the remains of a Tennessee woman found in Kentucky 20 years ago. Kentucky State Police say the remains were confirmed to be Dawn Clare Plonsky Wilkerson of Nashville. She was 45 at the…

Don’t let them eat this cake

LONDON (AP) - How much would you pay for a 40-year-old slice of cake? It's a serious question some people will have to answer. That's because a slice of one of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cakes is being…

Bacon may disappear in California as pig rules take effect

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A California law taking effect Jan. 1 could make pork harder to find and more expensive. Voters in 2018 overwhelmingly approved the law, which requires more space for breeding pigs, egg-laying chickens and veal calves.…

Ammunition shelves bare as U.S. gun sales continue to soar

SEATTLE (AP) — A shortage of ammunition in the U.S. is having an impact on law enforcement agencies, people seeking personal protection, recreational shooters and hunters. And it also could deny new gun owners the practice they need to handle…

Walmart mandates vaccines for workers at headquarters

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is requiring that all workers at its headquarters as well as managers who travel within the U.S. be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 4. The retailer based in Bentonville, Arkansas, is also reversing its mask…

EXPLAINER: Will Tennessee do enough to limit evictions?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The end of some tenant protections has raised concerns that tens of thousands of Tennessee residents will be unable to afford their rent and face eviction. A federal freeze on evictions expires Saturday. The federal government…

Senate advances nearly $1 trillion infrastructure plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has advanced a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure plan with a bipartisan group of senators helping it clear one more hurdle on Friday. They are now bracing to see if support can hold during the next…

Lawsuit filed over Lee dropping federal unemployment aid

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Seven unemployed Tennessee residents have filed a lawsuit over Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to opt out of the federal unemployment benefits programs earlier this year. News outlets report the plaintiffs say in a federal complaint filed…

Infrastructure deal: Senate ready to move ahead on $1T bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators have reached a deal over major outstanding issues in a $1 trillion infrastructure bill. An evening test vote is possible. The infrastructure measure is a key part of…

First sign of animal life on Earth may be a sponge fossil

WASHINGTON (AP) — A geologist has discovered rocks in Canada that may contain sponge fossils dating back 890 million years — potentially making them the earliest fossil record of animal life on Earth. Photo courtesy: Harquail…