Author: Associated Press

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…

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…

McCormick recalls some seasonings due to salmonella concern

McCormick is voluntarily recalling some seasonings due to possible salmonella contamination. The company said this week that it’s recalling McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning, McCormick Culinary Italian Seasoning and Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Ranch Seasoning. No illnesses have been reported…

Ex-airman sentenced to 45 months for leaking drone info

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A former Air Force intelligence analyst has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for leaking top-secret information about the U.S. government’s drone strike program to a journalist. Daniel Hale told a federal judge he felt…

CDC changes course on indoor masks in some parts of the US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is changing course on some masking guidelines. The agency announced new recommendations Tuesday that even vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging.…

Records: State spent $11K on influencers for airfare promo

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee paid thousands of dollars for social media influencers to promote a contentious new initiative that uses $2.5 million in taxpayer dollars to offer flight vouchers largely to out-of-state residents. According to documents obtained through a…

Family: Last victim ID’d in Florida condo building collapse

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A relative says the last victim of the Florida building collapse has been identified. Ikey Hedaya told The Associated Press on Monday that his sister Estelle Hedaya, an outgoing 54-year-old, was the last victim of…

Tennessee museum to open Confederate bust to public

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee State Museum will soon allow the public to view the busts of three military leaders, including an ex-Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader. On Friday, officials removed a Nathan Bedford Forrest bust…

Official: 1960s civil rights activist Robert Moses has died

(AP) --- Robert Parris Moses, a civil rights activist who endured beatings and jail while leading black voter registration drives in the American South during the 1960s and later helped improve minority education in math, has died. He was 86.…

Average US price of gas rises 2 cents per gallon to $3.22

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline rose 2 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.22 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that gas supply is abundant, which could…

Fauci says US headed in ‘wrong direction’ on coronavirus

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci says the United States is in an ``unnecessary predicament” of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant. The nation's top infectious diseases expert tells CNN's “State of the…

Country star Morgan Wallen addresses his use of racial slur

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Disgraced country star Morgan Wallen said it was ignorant of him to use a racial slur. In his first interview in six months, Wallen talked to Michael Strahan on ABC's “Good Morning America.” Wallen was already…

Jackie Mason, comic who perfected amused outrage, dies at 93

NEW YORK (AP) — Jackie Mason, a rabbi-turned-jokester whose feisty brand of standup comedy got laughs from nightclubs in the Catskills to West Coast talk shows and Broadway stages, has died. He was 93. Mason died Saturday in Manhattan, the…

Unvaccinated snow leopard at San Diego Zoo catches COVID-19

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo has contracted COVID-19. The zoo says caretakers noticed that Ramil, a 9-year-old male snow leopard, had a cough and runny nose on Thursday. Two separate tests confirmed the…

Prosecutors air more claims in R. Kelly case; 1 involves boy

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors in R. Kelly’s sex trafficking case say he had sexual contact with an underage boy in addition to girls, and the government wants jurors in his upcoming sex trafficking trial to hear those claims.…

Man convicted in Tennessee toddler’s 2001 death

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man has been convicted in the 2001 death of a 15-month old boy. WTVF-TV reports that Christopher Lee Goodwin was found guilty Friday of first-degree felony murder stemming from aggravated child neglect in the…