Author: Associated Press

Death toll from Alabama tornado rises to 23

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…

Tennessee among 8 states in broadband mapping project

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…

Tennessee bill would limit tobacco, vape sales to 21 and up

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…

Searchers look for 2 missing people after flooding in Alabama

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…

Wisconsin man pleads not guilty in case of abused TN teen

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…

Fetal heartbeat abortion bill advances in Tennessee

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…

4 ex-Pilot Flying J workers get probation in fraud plot

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…

14 apply for Tennessee Court of Appeals vacancy

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…

Former Middle TN deputy charged in man’s drowning death

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…

Nurse charged in fatal drug-swap error pleads not guilty

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…

Southern Baptist president says database of abusers possible

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…

Ky. police officer shot during pursuit; 1 suspect arrested in TN

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…

Child hospitalized after hotel pool incident

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…

Restaurant sued after salmonella outbreak

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…

Gas explosion hospitalizes woman and children

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…

Report: Nearly half of Tennessee students not college ready

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…

String of anti-abortion bills proposed in Tennessee

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…

Middle TN sheriff must stop jailing some poor offenders

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…

Cardi B headlining Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis

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…

Former Memphis college student pleads guilty to changing grades

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…

Ex-Tennessee pastor found guilty of raping adopted daughter

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 T-shirt company CEO killed in Costa Rica car crash

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 mayor to sign order to help LGBT-owned businesses

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…

Tennessee bill would allow public records requests bans

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…

DA: Nurse charged in fatal drug-swap override safeguard

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A spokesman for the district attorney's office in Davidson County, Tennessee, is explaining why prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a former hospital nurse accused of mistakenly killing a patient. He says it's because she overrode…

6 now arrested in man’s hanging death in Middle TN

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…

Autopsy: Man in Smokies died from meth, not bear attack

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…

East TN teacher fired for sex misconduct was relicensed, rehired

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.…

Tennessee’s top GOP lawmakers back heartbeat abortion ban

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…

Report: Tennessee needs $50B for infrastructure needs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee's annual estimated cost for its needed public infrastructure improvements is now nearly $50 billion, marking an increase for the third straight year. According to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, that estimate is up…

Smoky Mountains park back to normal operations post-shutdown

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…

Bison auction next month at Land Between the Lakes

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…

President Trump announces deal to end record-long shutdown

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…

West TN woman pleads guilty to selling fatal heroin dose

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…

Gov. Lee signs 3 executive orders on ethics, transparency

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…

General Motors to invest $22M more in Spring Hill facility

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.…

St. Jude starting website to tell stories about patients

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.…

Gov. Lee issues first executive order, focuses on rural areas

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…

Gov. Lee asks Tennessee agencies to assess shutdown impacts

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…

Tennessee House adds feature to online bill tracking process

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…

Sheriff: Knoxville police shot man driving toward officers

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 Grizzlies offer free tickets to furloughed federal workers

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…

Ex-Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam says he’ll mull Senate options

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,…

Police: 150 pounds of pot found in bags at Tennessee airport

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,…

Gov.-elect Lee: Capitol gun ban to remain in place

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…

Tennessee teacher who fled with student gets 20 years

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…

Ex-dance teacher in Franklin pleads guilty to sex charges

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…