Author: Associated Press

Tennessee father indicted in death of 2-year-old son

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors say a Tennessee man is charged with first-degree murder for the beating death of his 2-year-old son.   Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich announced the grand jury indictment Friday against 36-year-old Antonio First from…

Police: Attacker wounds 13 in Austin shooting and escapes

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Authorities say someone opened fire in a busy entertainment district in downtown Austin, wounding 13 people before getting away. The city's interim police chief, Joseph Chacon, said at news conference that investigators are looking into what…

Body of Nathan Bedford Forrest removed from Memphis park

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Workers have removed the remains of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife from a Tennessee park, marking another step in the process of moving their bodies out of Memphis and to a museum hundreds…

Tennessee judge in mail voting ruling won’t seek reelection

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A longtime Tennessee judge who drew backlash from Republican lawmakers for ordering an expansion of absentee voting during the COVID-19 pandemic won’t seek reelection next year. This week, Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle informed members…

Senators eye $579B in new infrastructure spending, $1T plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of senators is eyeing an infrastructure deal with $579 billion in new spending as part of a $1 trillion total package. That's according to people briefed on the plan. Negotiators are trying to strike…

Homes evacuated after heavy rains in north Mississippi

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Emergency officials in north Mississippi told residents to evacuate several homes Wednesday after heavy rain created concern about a dam on a small lake. Crews from the Lafayette County Fire Department were pumping water out of…

Keystone pipeline canceled after Biden had blocked permit

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The sponsor of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline says it's pulling the plug on the contentious project after Canadian officials failed to persuade the Biden administration to reverse its cancellation of the company's permit. Calgary-based…

Closed cold case murder tied to ousted Tennessee governor

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Law enforcement officials have announced that a former Tennessee governor’s administration helped fund a contract murder of a key federal witness decades ago while embroiled in the state’s largest political scandal. Investigators in Hamilton County have…

US drops Trump order targeting TikTok, plans its own review

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House dropped Trump-era executive orders that attempted to ban the popular apps TikTok and WeChat and will conduct its own review aimed at identifying national security risks with software applications tied to China. A new…

Senate passes bill to boost US tech industry, counter rivals

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has overwhelmingly approved legislation aiming to boost semiconductor production in the U.S. The bill is a bid to protect economic and national security in the face of growing international competition, most notably from China. Lawmakers…

Free Fishing Day to be held Saturday, June 12

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s annual free fishing day is Saturday. Each year, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency offers one day when anglers can fish without a paid license in the state’s public waters, agency-owned and -operated lakes and state…

Supreme Court rules against immigrants with temporary status

WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court has ruled that thousands of people living in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons are ineligible to apply to become permanent residents. Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court Monday that federal immigration law…

US has recovered ransom payment made after pipeline hack

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has recovered the majority of a multimillion-dollar ransom payment to hackers after a cyberattack that caused the operator of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline to halt its operations last month. The operation to recover…

Boater attempts to save teen girl in Tennessee lake; both die

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities in Tennessee say a teenager on a personal watercraft was killed in an accident on a lake, and a pontoon boat operator died trying to save her. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says the teen’s…

2 Tennesseans charged in Capitol riot face hearings this week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two Tennessee men face hearings this week after their recent arrests on charges related to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Federal prosecutors accuse Matthew Baggott and Stewart Parks of entering the building together.…

VP Harris’ plane forced to return due to `technical issue’

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AP) — A technical issue that involved “no major safety concerns” forced Vice President Kamala Harris’ plane to return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland about 30 minutes after she had left Sunday on a trip…

Oldest male chimpanzee in US dies at San Francisco zoo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The oldest male chimpanzee living in an accredited North American zoo died Saturday at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. He was 63. The chimpanzee, named Cobby, had been a hand-reared performing chimpanzee before he was…

Richard Robinson, longtime Scholastic CEO, dead at 84

NEW YORK (AP) — The longtime head of the children’s publishing giant Scholastic Inc. who presided over such bestsellers as J.K. Rowling’s  “Harry Potter” novels and Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” series along with a wide range of educational materials,…

‘Gone Girl’ actor in critical condition after hit-and-run

NEW YORK (AP) — “Gone Girl” and “Cocktail” actor Lisa Banes remains hospitalized in critical condition after being injured in a hit-and-run accident in New York City. That's according to her manager, David Williams. Williams told The Associated Press on…

Ex-child actor Drake Bell accused of child endangerment

CLEVELAND (AP) — One of stars of the popular Nickelodeon children's show “Drake & Josh” faces criminal charges regarding a girl he had met online and attended a 2017 concert of his in Cleveland when she was 15. [caption id="attachment_499462"…

Biden turns to Obama to help boost health care enrollment

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden has turned to his old boss for help encouraging Americans to sign up for the Obama-era health law during an expanded special enrollment period in the pandemic. Biden is using his weekly address for…

Bus driver for group of Nashville Freedom Riders dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Trailways bus driver for the 1961 group of Nashville Freedom Riders has died, his family confirmed. Jimmy Allen Ruth was 83. According to his family, driving the Freedom Riders from Nashville, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi…

Does America have a drinking problem?

(CNN Newsource) -- Over the past year, nearly a quarter of the country reported increased drinking to deal with stress, according to the American Psychological Association. CNN's Michael Smerconish examines America's drinking habits and…

WEB EXTRA: Dewey the Reading Rabbit

(CBS Newspath) -- MEET DEWEY: Students at an elementary school in Arkansas have a very special reading buddy during story time. Take a look at how Dewey is encouraging the children to…

Facebook suspends Trump for 2 years, then will reassess

(ASSOCIATED PRESS) -- Facebook says it will suspend former President Donald Trump's accounts for two years following its finding that he stoked violence ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. Facebook also plans to end a contentious policy championed by…

TN constable charged with using seized drugs for dog training

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say a Tennessee constable has been charged with using drugs seized during traffic stops to train drug detection dogs. Hawkins County Constable William Creasy has been indicted on charges including official misconduct and drug possession.…

Buttigieg visits closed Interstate 40 bridge in Tennessee

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg came to Tennessee to learn how the closure of the Interstate 40 bridge connecting that state and Arkansas has affected freight movement since it was shut down more than…

Tennessee eyes $44M more for businesses in federal relief

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee state panel is proposing another $44.6 million in federal COVID-19 relief aid to increase the payouts businesses can receive for their losses due to the pandemic. Officials announced the proposal at a meeting Wednesday…

Trial starts for Tennessee man accused in 5-year-old’s death

CHARLOTTE, Tenn. (AP) — The trial for a Tennessee man who is accused of killing his 5-year-old son gets underway Thursday in Dickson County. Joe Clyde Daniels was reported missing April 4, 2018. His father, Joseph Daniels, is charged with…

Teacher training bill enacted but gov won’t sign; cost cited

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has let a bill expanding school district training program options for current teachers become law without his signature because of a discrepancy over its cost. The Republican last week returned the bill…

Report: Nashville police could have done more with bomb tip

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A report concludes that police could have done more in their response to a 2019 tip about bomb-making activity by the man who later detonated an explosive in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The review released Wednesday found…

Workers remove Nathan Bedford Forrest remains from TN park

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Workers in Memphis, Tennessee, have begun the process of digging up the remains of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. The remains of the former slave trader and his wife are being moved to a museum hundreds…

Pot users welcome: Amazon won’t test jobseekers for cannabis

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon says it will no longer test jobseekers for marijuana use. The e-commerce giant, which is the second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind Walmart, is making the change as several states legalize cannabis. In March,…

Biden marks Tulsa race massacre in emotional, graphic speech

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — An emotional President Joe Biden has marked the 100th anniversary of the massacre that wiped out a thriving Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Biden spoke in Tulsa on Tuesday of the hundreds of Black people killed…

Officer who tackled Boston Marathon bomber retires

WATERTOWN, Mass. (AP) — A suburban Boston police officer who became a national hero in 2013 when he tackled one of the Boston Marathon bombers has retired from the only job he ever wanted. Watertown police Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese retired…

Biden commemorates war dead at Arlington National Cemetery

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Joe Biden has laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to honor America's war dead on Memorial Day, and he extolled their sacrifices for the pursuit of democracy. (Photo courtesy: U.S.…

Kentucky men returned for burial 80 years after Pearl Harbor

CENTERTOWN, Ky. (AP) — The remains of two Kentucky men who died 80 years ago during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor were returned to the commonwealth this week for burial. The Daily News reports the remains of U.S. Navy…

‘Hooked on a Feeling’ singer B.J. Thomas dies at 78

One of the country’s most popular and versatile singers, B.J. Thomas, has died. He was 78. Thomas was a Grammy-winning singer who enjoyed success on the pop, country and gospel charts with such hits as “I Just Can’t Help Believing,”…

Genetically modified salmon head to US dinner plates

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The inaugural harvest of genetically modified salmon began this week after the coronavirus pandemic delayed the sale of the first such altered animal cleared for human consumption in the United States. The company's CEO says several tons…

Amazon buys MGM Studios to bolster streaming offerings

NEW YORK (AP) - You could say MGM Studios used to be the Amazon of Hollywood - renowned for hits like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind” - and its sprawling California movie lot. It doesn't own…

Postal Service looks to raise first-class stamp to 58 cents

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service wants to raises rates on first-class stamps from 55 cents to 58 cents as part of a host of price hikes and service changes designed to reduce debt for the beleaguered agency. The…

CVS offering Super Bowl Tickets as part of vaccine plan

(AP) WOONSOCKET, R.I. - CVS is offering its customers the chance to bring home more than just their merchandise and a long, coupon-laden receipt. The drugstore chain says those getting COVID-19 vaccines can win a chance to go to the…