Author: Associated Press

Police make multiple arrests as protesters demand vote count

Police arrested more than a dozen people in Seattle and Portland, Oregon overnight during protests demanding a full tally of all votes in the US election. Dozens of supporters of President Donald Trump rallied at tabulation sites in closely contested…

Biden, Trump locked in tight races in battleground states

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are locked in tight races in battleground states across the country. It's the conclusion of an epic campaign that will shape America’s response to the surging pandemic and foundational…

Tennessee’s early voting period ends Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Time is running out to vote early ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. The 14-day early voting period ends Thursday. Secretary of State Tre Hargett's office says more than 1.9 million Tennesseans have voted as…

NFL fines Titans $350,000 for COVID-19 outbreak

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A person familiar with the discipline tells The Associated Press that the NFL has fined the Tennessee Titans $350,000 for violating protocols leading to the league’s first COVID-19 outbreak during the season. The Titans had 24…

Worsening opioid crisis overshadowed in presidential race

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The coronavirus outbreak and the Trump administration's response to the pandemic have been a dominating theme in this year's presidential race. That has overshadowed debate over how to handle the nation's drug overdose crisis, which has…

Trial in killing of Tennessee prison official moved to 2021

RIPLEY, Tenn. (AP) — The trial of a Tennessee convict charged with killing a corrections official before escaping prison on a tractor has been delayed until next year. Curtis Watson had been scheduled to face trial Oct. 26 in the…

Woman charged for feeding black bear in Tennessee

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Wildlife officers say a Virginia woman has been charged after they say she fed a black bear while on vacation in Tennessee. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Association said Friday that a video posted on social media…

Man shot by 3-year-old daughter in car; passenger charged

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A man has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a father by his 3-year-old daughter in a car in Memphis, Tennessee. Court documents say Allante Jones has been charged with reckless homicide in…

Trump, Biden to compete for TV audiences after debate plan nixed

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Joe Biden will compete for TV audiences in dueling town halls instead of meeting for their second debate as originally planned. They'll take questions in different cities on different networks Thursday night —…

Tennessee daycare owner sentenced in twins’ drowning deaths

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The owner of a Tennessee in-home daycare was sentenced to four years of state-supervised probation in the drownings of twin 2-year-olds under her care. News outlets report Jennifer Salley pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminally negligent homicide…

Federal judge rules Tennessee abortion law unconstitutional

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period law for abortions is unconstitutional. In a Wednesday ruling, U.S. District Judge Bernard Freidman says the law “substantially burdens women seeking an abortion in Tennessee." Friedman…

Tennessee judge reprimanded for sexting women in his robes

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge has been publicly reprimanded for engaging in sexually explicit communications with a woman who formerly had a child custody matter before him and another woman whose law firm does business with the judge’s…

In hurricane-ravaged Louisiana, residents dig out, again

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Louisiana residents are once again dodging overturned cars on the roads, trudging through knee-deep water to find their homes flooded and pledging to rebuild after Hurricane Delta blew through the besieged part of the state.…

Trump makes 1st public appearance since his hospital stay

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has made his first public appearance since returning to the White House after being treated for the coronavirus. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images: President Donald Trump speaks about law and…

Oct. 15 Presidential debate officially cancelled

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The second presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden is officially off. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates confirmed Friday that the Oct. 15 faceoff would be scrapped. The decision was made a day…

Next Trump-Biden debate thrown into uncertainty

WASHINGTON (AP) — The final debates between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden have been thrown into uncertainty. The campaigns are offering dueling proposals for remaining faceoffs that have been upended by the president’s coronavirus infection. The nonpartisan Commission…

President Trump aims for Monday release from hospital

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — President Donald Trump was hoping for a Monday discharge from the military hospital where he is being treated for COVID-19. This comes a day after he briefly ventured out while contagious to salute cheering supporters by…

Titans’ outbreak now 18, with Bills’ game possibly at risk

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The positive test results keep coming for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL’s first outbreak of COVID-19. One game already has been postponed and another rescheduled. If the positive results don’t stop, the Titans’ next game,…

Trump going to hospital on advice of doctors

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says President Donald Trump will spend a “few days” at a military hospital on the advice of his physicians after contracting COVID-19. Trump is to depart the White House by helicopter early Friday evening…

Oops! Tennessee puts virus test supplies on an auction site

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Officials say Tennessee accidentally listed 13 pallets of coronavirus testing materials and other supplies on an auction site. The Tennessean reports the state listed the items on GovDeals.com, a government liquidation website, but promptly removed them…

President Trump, Former VP Biden meet for first presidential debate

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden erupted in contentious exchanges Tuesday night over the coronavirus pandemic, job losses and how the Supreme Court will shape the future of the nation’s health…

Titans have NFL’s first COVID-19 outbreak with 8 positives

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have suspended in-person activities through Friday after the NFL says three Titans players and five other personnel tested positive for the coronavirus. The NFL says both the Titans and Vikings are suspending in-person…

Tennesseans with virus-susceptible roommates approved to vote by mail

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has ruled that Tennessee officials have already committed to let voters cast mail ballots if they live with people whose underlying health conditions make them more susceptible to COVID-19. On Friday, Davidson County Chancellor…

Trump picks conservative Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The move on Saturday caps a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation. He also hopes it will provide…

Tennessee forms commission to halt invasive Asian carp

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed an executive order establishing the Asian Carp Advisory Commission. According to a news release, the group will provide advice on mitigating the invasion of Asian carp into the state’s lakes…

Loaded guns found in carry-on bags at Tennessee airports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration says loaded guns were found at security checkpoints at every major Tennessee airport during a seven-day period. From Sept. 13 through Sept. 20, the TSA says eight guns were found in carry-on…

Trump backs proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in US

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s given his “blessing” to a proposed deal that would see the popular video-sharing app TikTok partner with Oracle and Walmart and form a U.S. company. Trump has targeted Chinese-owned TikTok for…

Efforts afoot to save South’s disappearing grasslands

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In the early 2000s, a harvest of pine trees on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau led to a remarkable discovery. Once sunlight hit the ground, native grasses and wildflowers that had lain dormant for decades began to spring…

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, has died at her home in Washington. She was 87. Ginsburg died of complications from metastatic pancreatic…

13-year-old charged in shooting of 11-year-old in Tennessee

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Police say a 13-year-old Tennessee boy has been charged in connection with the shooting of an 11-year-old boy. Chattanooga police say the teen was arrested Tuesday in the Sept. 2 shooting and charged with aggravated assault…

Pilot killed in plane crash identified as Memphis-area surgeon

JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities have identified the pilot of a small plane that crashed in a wooded area outside an airport in Jackson, Tennessee. The Madison County Sheriff's Office says Bryan Jackson, a surgeon from the Memphis suburb of…

3 dead, 3 wounded in violent rampage in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says a gunman killed himself after killing two people and wounding three others in a series of shootings and carjackings that ended with a high-speed police chase. The agency says 29-year-old…

Tennessee to use virus relief dollars to train more police

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee will funnel $300,000 of federal coronavirus relief dollars to help cover the cost of 90 additional police cadet scholarships as part of Gov. Bill Lee’s initiative to strengthen policing. The announcement comes as advocates across…

Zoo: Oldest African elephant in North America dies at 56

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The Memphis Zoo says the oldest African elephant in North America has died at the age of 56. Tyranza was the longtime matriarch of the elephant herd at the Memphis Zoo. She was put on hospice…

Explosion in Memphis caused by gas leak; 7 injured

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Fire officials say a natural gas leak from a water heater caused an explosion that injured seven people in a home in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis Fire Department Lt. Wayne Cooke said four adults and three children…

7 injured in explosion at Memphis home

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say seven people have been injured in an explosion at a home in Tennessee. News outlets report the explosion was reported Thursday night at a home in north Memphis. Fire crews arrived to find the…

Jack Daniel’s master distiller stepping down after 12 years

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Jeff Arnett is stepping down as master distiller after 12 years of leading production of the Jack Daniel's whiskey brand. Jack Daniel’s is the flagship brand of Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman. The brand is sold in more…

Can you get the coronavirus twice?

(AP) -- Can you get the coronavirus twice? It seems possible, though how often it happens isn’t known. Researchers in Hong Kong recently reported evidence of a person who got the coronavirus a second time, months after an initial infection.…

‘BLM’ and ‘Defund the Police’ tagged on Memphis landmarks

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say messages of Black Lives Matter and “Defund the Police” were spray painted on several tourist attractions in Tennessee on Monday night, including Graceland, the Elvis Presley estate. The graffiti phrases were found Tuesday morning…

Judge won’t block Tennessee mail voting signature match law

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge won't block Tennessee's implementation of a law that requires verifying signatures of voters looking to cast ballots by mail. U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson late last week rejected a request for a preliminary…

Lawsuit seeks to block Tennessee abortion reversal law

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Abortion rights groups have challenged newly enacted Tennessee law that would require women undergoing drug-induced abortions be informed the procedure can be reversed. The lawsuit, filed Monday, is the second legal battle targeting a sweeping anti-abortion…

‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer at 43

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel movies, has died of cancer. His representative says Boseman died Friday in Los…

Teen mother Megan Boswell pleads not guilty in death of toddler

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee teenager has pleaded not guilty to felony murder and other charges in the death of her 15-month-old daughter, whose disappearance prompted a search across three states. News outlets report 19-year-old Megan Boswell wore a…

Judge orders Tennessee to mention virus on mail voting form

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A judge has ordered Tennessee election officials to clearly communicate on absentee ballot applications that people can vote by mail if they think health conditions make voting in person too risky during the coronavirus pandemic. State…