Author: Associated Press

LEE COUNTY, Ala. (AP) -- A sheriff says the death toll is now at 23 from a large tornado that devastated an Alabama community. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WRBL-TV that "Unfortunately our toll, as far as fatalities, does stand…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee will be among eight states in a new project to expand and update a national broadband map. A news release from U.S. Sen Marsha Blackburn's office says the project by the National Telecommunications and Information…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Several Tennessee lawmakers are pushing to increase the minimum age to buy tobacco or vaping products from 18 to 21. During a news conference Monday, Republicans Sen. Shane Reeves and Rep. Bob Ramsey said the bill…

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) -- Authorities are searching for two people believed missing on waterways swollen by days of heavy rain in Alabama. Crews are looking along the Cahaba River near Birmingham for a woman who disappeared Sunday. A spokesman with…

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A Wisconsin man accused of helping a 14-year-old girl escape sexual abuse in exchange for video of her being raped has pleaded not guilty to sexually exploiting a child. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports 31-year-old Bryan Rogers…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee lawmaker says his bill to ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat has been detected does not include exceptions for situations involving incest or rape because he does not believe it's appropriate. Republican Rep. Micah…

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- Four former account representatives from nation's largest fuel retailer will serve probation for their roles in a plot to cheat trucking companies. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports ex-Pilot Flying J employees Holly Radford, Lexie Holden, Janet…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Fourteen people have applied for consideration to be appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals in the Western Division. The opening was created by the appointment of Brandon O. Gibson as senior adviser in the governor's…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee say the General Assembly should ban shackling pregnant women in detention, particularly during childbirth. Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Democrat from Memphis, said Tuesday she has a bill that would not only prohibit…

HARTSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee authorities say a former sheriff's deputy has been charged in the death of a man who drowned in the Cumberland River. News outlets cited a statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that says 47-year-old…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee nurse charged with reckless homicide after a medication error killed a patient has pleaded not guilty. The Nashville courtroom on Wednesday was packed with nurses in scrubs who came to support RaDonda Vaught during…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- More than a decade after the Southern Baptist Convention rejected the idea of creating a database of ministers credibly accused of sexual abuse, leaders say the possibility is on the table. The denomination already was looking…

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Police in Kentucky say a suspect shot and wounded a police officer during a robbery pursuit. Hopkinsville Police Chief Clayton Sumner says Officer Jeremy Davidson was shot in the head and arm Monday. Sumner says two…

ATHENS, Tenn. (AP) -- Police in East Tennessee say a man has died after trying to save a woman who had walked into deep water outside a home. McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy says in a statement the man was…

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --Police in Tennessee say a 3-year-old boy is hospitalized and in critical condition after being found unconscious in a hotel pool where two other youths have died in the past four years. Knoxville police say in a…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Nashville restaurant is facing multiple lawsuits after at least 20 customers reported becoming infected with salmonella. According to WKRN-TV, the four lawsuits are each seeking up to $1.5 million in damages from Milk and Honey…

CEDAR HILL, Tenn. (AP) - Law enforcement officials say a Robertson County home exploded after a woman attempted to light a water heater. According to the Robertson County Sheriff's office, the explosion occurred Friday after 34-year-old Brittany Elliott turned on…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- New state data show that nearly half of Tennessee students enrolled in higher education during the 2016-2017 school year needed some sort of remedial classes during their first year of college. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Doctors performing abortions on girls younger than 18 years old would be required to preserve a sample of the fetal tissue for law enforcement under a bill making its way through the Tennessee Statehouse. Currently the…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A federal judge has ordered a Middle Tennessee sheriff to stop jailing some people simply because they can't afford bail. The Thursday ruling pertains to misdemeanor offenders in Giles County who are arrested for probation violations…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Rapper Cardi B, blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., and rock mainstays The Killers and the Dave Matthews Band are among the acts scheduled to perform at the Beale Street Music Festival. The eclectic musical festival is…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A former student at a private Tennessee college has pleaded guilty to downloading exams and changing grades to preserve his scholarship. The U.S. attorney's office in Memphis said Tuesday that 20-year-old Michael Geddati has pleaded guilty…

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A former pastor in East Tennessee has been convicted of repeatedly raping one of his adopted daughters. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Monday that David Lynn Richards Jr., the former minister of My Father's House Church…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A prominent Tennessee businessman has been killed in a car crash in Costa Rica. News outlets report that according to representatives of his company, Memphis businessman 61-year-old Mike Bowen died Saturday. T-Shirt Champions confirmed the death…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Nashville Mayor David Briley is set to sign an executive order to help LGBT-owned businesses. Briley office says he will be joined on Monday by officials from the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Comcast and the…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennesseans could be banned from filing public records requests for one year under a new bill that would allow public agencies to ask courts to punish people for making too many requests deemed as harassment. The…

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities say Middle Tennessee deputies fatally shot a man when he exited a home brandishing a gun and making threats. News outlets report Rutherford County deputies responding to a domestic call at the home Wednesday night…

TULLAHOMA, Tenn. (AP) -- Two more people have been arrested in the death of a Middle Tennessee man found shot and hanging from a tree. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported Monday that Jamie Wilson Holland is charged with kidnapping…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Park officials say an autopsy found that a man whose body was discovered being eaten by a bear in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in September died of accidental methamphetamine intoxication, not a bear attack. A…

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (AP) -- Records in East Tennessee show a teacher and coach fired for fondling elementary school students and sexually harassing teachers was relicensed by the state and hired at another school where he now faces similar allegations.…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee's top two Republican lawmakers are supporting legislation to ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into pregnancy. House Speaker Glen Casada said Tuesday he thinks the restriction is a…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Great Smoky Mountains National Park has resumed regular operations after the end of the partial federal government shutdown. Park officials said in a news release Monday that visitor centers have reopened seven days a week and…

GOLDEN POND, Ky. (AP) -- A bison auction is being held next month at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. A statement from the Friends of Land Between the Lakes says the auction will be held Feb. 2 at…

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump says he'll sign legislation shortly to reopen shuttered government departments for three weeks — until Feb. 15. Trump's action would end what has become a record, 35-day partial shutdown. Some 800,000 federal workers have…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A West Tennessee woman has pleaded guilty to selling heroin to a man who died of an overdose. The U.S. attorney's office in Memphis said Thursday that 42-year-old Glenda Aldape has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Bill Lee's newly signed executive orders show that he will largely follow his Republican predecessor's footsteps when it comes to ethics disclosure, transparency and nondiscrimination. Lee announced Thursday that the executive orders underscore the current…

SPRING HILL, Tenn. (AP) -- General Motors says it plans to invest another $22 million in its Middle Tennessee manufacturing facility to build more engines. The automotive manufacturer made the announcement Thursday about the growth at the Spring Hill facility.…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis says it is starting an internet site that will contain stories about young patients and their families. The Memphis-based hospital said in a news release Wednesday that the St.…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Bill Lee is directing all state agencies to find ways to improve how they serve rural Tennessee regions as part of his first executive order. Lee announced Wednesday his administration is placing a high emphasis…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- New Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee says he's asking his state agencies to assess impacts of the federal government shutdown. Amid his first Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Lee told reporters he's monitoring impacts, particularly around services like…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee lawmakers say the state House has added a new feature to the online bill tracking process. They say the change will add more public transparency into tracking amendments to bills. House Speaker Glen Casada says…

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities say police in East Tennessee fatally shot a motorist who was driving toward officers. The Knoxville News Sentinel cited a statement from the Knox County Sheriff's Office that says a Knoxville police officer shot 30-year-old…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The NBA's Memphis Grizzlies are giving free tickets to federal employees who are furloughed because of the partial government shutdown. The Commercial Appeal reports furloughed government workers can attend Monday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Former Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says he'll take some time to consider his options before deciding whether to run for the U.S. Senate. The Tennessean reports Haslam said Saturday at the inauguration of his successor,…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Police say two men were caught at the Nashville International Airport with more than 150 pounds of marijuana in their suitcases. News outlets report 40-year-old Trung Tiey, of Philadelphia, and 56-year-old Tihn Tran, of Murphy, Texas,…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov.-elect Bill Lee says he'll continue to keep guns banned in the Tennessee Capitol when he takes over the top office later this week. Lee tells The Daily Memphian he won't change the current policy put…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee teacher who was on the run for weeks with a 15-year-old student has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Tad Cummins broke down crying during sentencing in a Nashville courtroom Wednesday as he…

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities in Middle Tennessee say a former dance instructor has pleaded guilty to sex charges involving a 14-year-old girl. The Tennessean reports 30-year-old Ross McCord of Brentwood will serve eight years in prison on two counts…