Author: Associated Press

Tennessee flood deaths rise to 6 with more rain coming

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee emergency officials say a sixth person died in flash flooding over the weekend, and four of the six deaths involved cars. A vehicle driven by Donna Adams was swept into Big Creek in Hawkins County…

Pence lays groundwork for potential 2024 run without Trump support

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump recently rattled off the names of those he viewed as future leaders of the Republican Party, including Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Conspicuously absent from the…

Gov. Lee receives first dose of COVID vaccine

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says he has received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Asked by a reporter Monday, the Republican said he had the initial Pfizer shot Saturday and will get the second dose…

Tennessee lawmakers sending gov permitless carry gun bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee will soon be able to sign off on his proposal to let most adults 21 and older to carry handguns — concealed or openly — without a license that presently requires a…

Ban on renter evictions during pandemic is extended

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is extending a federal moratorium on evictions of tenants who've fallen behind on rent during the coronavirus pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday moved to continue the pandemic-related protection, which…

Tennessee man searches for unmarked graves of veterans

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — A retired Air Force veteran and historian with several East Tennessee veterans groups has made it his mission to find and document the unmarked and undermarked graves of local veterans, no matter how old. The…

Finally free: Cargo ship no longer blocking Suez Canal

SUEZ, Egypt (AP) — A canal service provider says workers have successfully set free a colossal container ship that for nearly a week has been stuck sideways across the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most crucial arteries for trade.…

Record rains cause flash flooding in Tennessee; 4 dead

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) —Heavy rain across Tennessee has flooded homes and roads, prompting officials to carry out numerous rescues. The flooding is being blamed for at least four deaths. Metropolitan Nashville Police say the body of a man whose car…

Rain swamps Bristol dirt track; NASCAR to try again Monday

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — NASCAR will try to run its first Cup Series race on dirt since 1970 on Monday after heavy rain swamped Bristol Motor Speedway. The converted track already was facing challenges before torrential overnight rain flooded the…

Eddie Murphy inducted into NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eddie Murphy was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame at the organization’s show that highlighted works by entertainers and athletes of color. After Murphy accepted the induction award Saturday night, the actor-comedian said…

Smokies offering Storybook Trail for families this spring

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — A trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be lined with pages from children’s storybooks this spring. Beginning April 3, families can walk the Storybook Trail of the Smokies to see a story unfold.…

Osbourne off ‘The Talk’ after inquiry into racism discussion

LOS ANGELES (AP) — CBS says Sharon Osbourne will no longer appear on its daytime show “The Talk” after a heated on-air discussion about racism earlier this month. The network said Friday Osbourne had decided to leave the show following…

Children’s author Beverly Cleary dies at age 104

(CNN NEWSOURCE) Literary legend Beverly Cleary has passed away at the age of 104. Cleary wrote dozens of popular children's books including the "Ramona Quimby" series and "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" trilogy. CNN's…

US waives FBI checks on caregivers at new migrant facilities

HOUSTON (AP) — The Biden administration is not requiring FBI fingerprint background checks of caregivers at its rapidly expanding network of emergency sites to hold thousands of immigrant teenagers. That alarms child welfare experts who say the waiver compromises safety.…

Police: 2 dead in Virginia Beach oceanfront shootings

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Police in Virginia Beach say two people died and eight people were injured in overnight shootings along the city's oceanfront. The wounded were shot late Friday and their conditions ranged from serious to life-threatening. In…

Regents name new president for colleges in Paris, McKenzie

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Board of Regents has named Willie Huffman president of the Colleges of Applied Technology in Paris and McKenzie. The board that oversees Tennessee’s community colleges and applied technology colleges appointed Huffman at its meeting…

Former GOP Chairman, Tennessee Sen. Bill Brock dies at 90

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Bill Brock, a former Tennessee senator and Republican chairman who rebuilt the party after the Watergate scandal, has died at age 90. Family friend Tom Griscom says Brock died on Thursday morning. Brock was an official…

New attempts planned to free huge vessel stuck in Suez Canal

SUEZ, Egypt (AP) — Authorities are preparing to make new attempts to free a giant container vessel stuck in Egypt's Suez Canal for a fifth day and reopen a crucial east-west waterway for global shipping. Plans are in the works…

Tennessee Lottery must reinstate sports betting license

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Nashville judge has ruled that Tennessee Education Lottery officials must reinstate the license of a sports betting company that was accused of lacking the proper safeguards to stop debit card fraud. During an emergency hearing…

Tennessee’s governor signs transgender athlete bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed a law banning transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports. I signed the bill to preserve women's athletics and ensure fair competition. This legislation responds to damaging federal policies…

Colorado shooting suspect makes first court appearance

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Three days after he was led away in handcuffs from a Boulder supermarket where 10 people were fatally shot, the suspect appeared in court for the first time and his defense lawyer asked for a mental…

TN bill would allow parents to shield students from LGBT curriculum

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee Senate panel has advanced legislation requiring school districts to alert parents of any instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, allowing them to opt their student out of such instruction. Supporters of the bill…

Dr. Fauci: Not turning corner yet on coronavirus

WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci isn’t ready to say the nation has turned the corner on the coronavirus pandemic, despite about 2.5 million Americans getting vaccinated each day. The government’s top infectious disease expert says he often gets asked that…

Massive cargo ship becomes wedged, blocks Egypt’s Suez Canal

ISMAILIA, Egypt (AP) — Officials say a skyscraper-sized container ship has become wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal and blocked all traffic in the vital waterway. The ship's stranding is threatening to disrupt a global shipping system already strained by the…

Tennessee to get $4.9M in national surgical mesh settlement

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's attorney general says the state will receive $4.9 million from a $188.6 million multistate settlement over deceptive marketing claims against a maker of surgical mesh products. Attorney General Herbert Slatery's office announced Tennessee's share Tuesday…

Tennessee man’s lost $1M lottery ticket found in parking lot

SPARTA, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man was able to turn his luck around after finding his missing $1 million winning lottery ticket in a parking lot. The Tennessee Education Lottery says Sparta resident Nick Slatten learned on March 11…

Justin Timberlake opens TN restaurant

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Justin Timberlake will open a three-level restaurant in downtown Nashville next month. The Nashville Tennessean reports Timberlake teamed with restaurateur Sam Fox to open the Twelve Thirty Club on Apr. 14. The first level will be…

Biden administration tries to get control of border, story

WASHINGTON (AP) — As migrants surge at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Joe Biden’s administration has been caught on its heels and is now scrambling to manage a humanitarian and political challenge that threatens to overshadow its ambitious agenda.   The…

2 Royal Caribbean lines to resume Caribbean cruises in June

MIAMI (AP) — Two Royal Caribbean lines will resume cruises in the Caribbean in June, ending a yearlong hiatus. Passengers 18 and older will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before getting on the ships. The company’s Celebrity Cruises…

LeBron James sprains right ankle in loss, out indefinitely

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James left in the second quarter with a high right ankle sprain that the Lakers said will sideline him indefinitely, and Los Angeles went on to fall 99-94 to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Two…

CDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are relaxing social distancing recommendations for schools, now saying students can sit as close as 3 feet to each other in classrooms. The new Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, announced Friday,…

TVA: Mississippi solar project to provide power to Facebook

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) — A company will develop a solar farm in Mississippi to provide power for two Facebook data centers in the southeastern United States. Florida-based Origis Energy will own and operate a 150-megawatt solar and 50-megawatt battery storage…

Facebook working on Instagram for kids under 13

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Facebook says it is working on a version of its Instagram app for kids under 13, who are technically not allowed to use the app in its current form due to federal privacy regulations. The…

Study looks at Black participation in clinical trials

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A study being conducted in three Southern states is part of an effort to determine why more Black people aren’t involved in clinical trials involving lung cancer research. The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Augusta University…

Siblings charged with murder in mother’s death

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say siblings in East Tennessee have been charged with killing their mother. A statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said 40-year-old Michael Murray and 45-year-old Karen Murray were indicted Thursday by a Washington…

House OKs Dems’ immigration bills for Dreamers, farm workers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to open a gateway to citizenship for young Dreamers, immigrant farm workers and other migrants who fled to the U.S. from war or natural disasters abroad. [field59_video account="WBBJ" key="ef87b48d702ea5ee9e49fe901217d8b48b640403" vtitle="House OKs Dems' immigration…

Tennessee Senate advances ‘permitless carry’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Senate has advanced legislation that would allow most adults 21 and older to carry firearms — concealed or openly — without a license that now requires a background check and training. The proposal must…

Tennessee man charged in beating death of girlfriend’s child

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Tennessee man has been charged in the beating death of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter. The Shelby County district attorney’s office said Wednesday that 28-year-old Victor P. Williams has been indicted on charges including…

IRS pushes tax deadline to May 17

(AP) -- The IRS will delay the traditional April 15 tax filing due date until May 17 to cope with added duties and provide Americans more flexibility. The IRS announced the decision Wednesday and said it would provide further guidance…

‘Go get your shot’: Trump assures supporters vaccine is safe

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is again urging people to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. In an interview Tuesday night with Fox News, Trump acknowledged that people are free to decide for themselves and that many of…