Author: Associated Press

Tennessee death row inmate moved to death watch

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee inmate Edmund Zagorski has once again been placed on death watch in anticipation of his Thursday execution by electric chair. The Tennessee Department of Correction said Tuesday that inmates on death watch are placed in…

Company accused of selling overpriced jewelry to US troops

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York state has filed a lawsuit against a national jewelry retailer, claiming the company uses false and deceptive methods to dupe U.S. military members into illegal financing contracts for overpriced merchandise. Attorney General Barbara Underwood…

Paramedic accused of deliberately hurting patients, bragging

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- An East Tennessee paramedic is accused of intentionally hurting patients and then bragging about it online. The Tennessean reported Monday that state records say 43-year-old Gordon Brett Stokes in 2016 intentionally had a less-experienced first responder…

Muzzleloader, archery season for deer opens Saturday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The 2018 muzzleloader and archery season for deer in Tennessee opens on Saturday. According to a news release from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee's muzzleloader season always begins the third Saturday before Thanksgiving. Muzzleloading firearms…

Tennessee governor unveils upgrades to student assessments

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has unveiled new changes to improve the state's problem-plagued elementary and secondary school online testing process. Haslam announced Wednesday that TNReady will now produce faster test results, provide teachers with more resources…

Man’s lethal injection fight may lead him to electric chair

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Attorneys for a Tennessee death row prisoner were trying to spare him from lethal injection, and they succeeded — but not the way they hoped. Instead of getting the needle, Edmund Zagorski is scheduled to die…

Elvis group sues Memphis for Graceland plan approval delay

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Elvis Presley Enterprises has sued the city of Memphis over a delay in approval for expansion plans at Graceland. According to The Commercial Appeal , the federal lawsuit last week alleges illegal retaliation last month when…

Early voting nears 350,000 ballots in Tennessee election

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennesseans are voting in record numbers with close to 350,000 ballots cast in the first three days of early voting. According to vote totals on the Secretary of State's website 345,844 early and absentee ballots had…

Mega Millions numbers for $1B jackpot announced

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The Mega Millions numbers that could win an estimated $1 billion jackpot have been announced. They are 15 23 53 65 70 and Mega Ball 7. The jackpot is the second-largest lottery prize in U.S.…

Mega Millions jackpot reaches $1B as drawing nears

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to an estimated $1 billion, as the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. lottery history gets even bigger. Lottery officials increased the grand prize just hours ahead of the Friday…

Middle TN jail deputy suspended after enabling inmates’ escape

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Middle Tennessee sheriff's office has suspended an adult detention center employee for two weeks without pay for enabling two inmates to escape. According to a news release on Wednesday, Rutherford County Deputy Beth Miles —…

Deputy shot, suspect killed in Memphis shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities say a 19-year-old man was killed and a deputy was wounded in a shooting outside a Memphis apartment complex. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Shelby County Sheriff's Office deputies went to the complex early…

Sheriff: Middle TN woman, 4 children killed in murder-suicide

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) -- A sheriff says his detectives are trying to figure out why a mother would kill her four children and then herself at their home in Middle Tennessee. Maury County Sheriff Bucky Rowland told a news conference…

Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening in Kentucky

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) -- The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum is opening this week in Kentucky. The museum said in a news release its $15 million building in downtown Owensboro will celebrate with three days of music, Thursday…

1 dead, 1 wounded in shooting at naval base in West TN

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (AP) -- Police say one man has been killed and another has been wounded in a shooting at a West Tennessee naval base. WREG-TV reports Millington police say one man was arrested in the Sunday morning shooting at…

Tennessee, other states ask for action on illegal robocalls

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee's attorney general has joined several dozen other states to ask the federal government to take action on illegal robocalls. Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III's office said in a news release that a document signed…

Former officer sentenced for sex-related crimes with minor

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) -- A former sheriff's deputy in Tennessee has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sex-related crimes with a minor. The Tennessean reports 47-year-old Joseph Patton was sentenced Friday to a range of eight to 18…

Tennessee governor candidates remain cordial in final debate

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Democrat Karl Dean and Republican Bill Lee avoided throwing bombs and held back from taking swipes at each other during Tennessee's third and final gubernatorial debate. Instead, the two top candidates on Friday once again outlined…

Taylor Swift breaks political silence, backs Tennessee Dems

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Music superstar Taylor Swift says she's voting for Tennessee's Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen, breaking her long-standing refusal to discuss anything politics. Swift posted on Instagram Sunday evening acknowledging she's previously shied from voicing her political…

Manufacturer to invest $6.4m in Tennessee, create 80 jobs

LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. (AP) - A Canadian company has announced that it will set up its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Tennessee, an investment of $6.4 million expected to create 80 jobs. State economic development officials and Craig Manufacturing Ltd. announced…

Volkswagen could add 1,000-plus jobs in Tennessee

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Volkswagen officials say they plan to add a third shift to the automaker's Tennessee plant, a move that could add more than 1,000 workers. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press , Volkswagen Chattanooga plant chief…

Tennessee election chief warns voters of registration scams

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett says the public should be aware of misleading voter registration information as the deadline to register for the November general election nears. Hargett's office said Thursday it has received multiple…

Tennessee Supreme Court hears reporter defamation case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee's Supreme Court on Thursday took up the question of whether a reporter can be sued for defamation when reporting fairly and accurately on a public proceeding. Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk is suing a…

Haslam still weighing clemency of Tennessee death row inmate

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Bill Haslam says he is still deciding whether to grant clemency to a Tennessee inmate scheduled to be executed next week. Haslam said Thursday he hopes to make a decision soon, but declined to say…

‘Suge’ Knight sentenced to 28 years in prison

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A judge has sentenced Marion "Suge" Knight to 28 years in prison nearly four years after the former rap mogul killed a man with his truck. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen handed down the…

Brad Paisley, wife to help open free grocery store in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Country singer Brad Paisley and wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are partnering with Belmont University to open a free grocery store in Nashville. The Tennessean reports in a Tuesday story that the store will be set up…

Media asks Tennessee high court to boost press protection

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A group of Tennessee publishers and broadcasters is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn precedent and strengthen protections for the press. The request comes in a defamation case against Nashville television reporter Phil Williams. At…

ATF: Hundreds of guns stolen in Memphis seized near Chicago

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Federal authorities say most of the roughly 400 guns stolen from a United Parcel Service facility in Tennessee have been recovered in the Chicago area. Authorities say they seized about 365 Ruger .22-caliber and .380-caliber firearms…

Tennessee’s Dean strongly supports universal pre-K in debate

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Karl Dean said he supports making pre-kindergarten education universally available in the state as he took part in the first debate of the governor's race. Dean, a Democrat, faced Republican businessman Bill Lee…

US Supreme Court won’t hear Tennessee abortion case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- In a victory for opponents of abortion, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in a case that has made it easier to restrict abortion in Tennessee. Abortion-rights supporters had hoped to overturn…

New, more interactive, $160M Tennessee State Museum opening

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Conestoga wagon that brought early settlers from Virginia in the 1800s, the hat Andrew Jackson wore to his presidential inauguration in 1829 and an 1863 Civil War cannon are several familiar artifacts that will be…

Memphis civic leader, former Pinnacle Airlines CEO shot dead

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A civic leader and former airline executive was alone when he was fatally shot in downtown Memphis, and authorities are investigating whether he was killed in a robbery or as part of a "personal vendetta," police…

Man found not guilty of child rape in 2015 accused again

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A former Tennessee teacher's aide who was found not guilty of child rape three years ago has been accused of raping another boy last year. The Leaf-Chronicle cites Clarksville police spokesman Jim Knoll in a Wednesday…

Police release names of 3 officers in Memphis shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Police in Tennessee have released the names of three officers who are part of an investigation into a man's shooting. The Memphis Police Department said Wednesday that 26-year-old Officer Jamarcus Jeames shot 25-year-old Martavious Banks on…

Some question force used on protesters of Memphis police shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Activists are questioning the level of force used by police officers to arrest people protesting the Memphis Police Department's shooting of a black man who was left in critical condition. The Commercial Appeal reports a video…

Tennessee woman sentenced for stealing kids’ meal money

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee woman has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for stealing $162,000 from a government program that provides funding for summer meals for poor children. Shelby County prosecutors say Jeannette Jives-Nealy was found guilty…

Son charged in father’s slaying in Tennessee

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) -- Police in Tennessee say a man has been arrested in the fatal shooting of his father. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office says in a news release 25-year-old Tanner Lancaster was charged with first-degree murder in Friday…

Man found guilty in 2017 fatal stabbing of Tennessee nurse

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A man has been found guilty in the fatal stabbing of a Tennessee nurse in her home. News outlets report a jury found 26-year-old Christopher McLawhorn guilty on all charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, in the…

Student accused of threats charged with making false report

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities say a student who allegedly made threats against a Tennessee high school has been charged with making a false report. News outlets report Rutherford County Schools investigated the threat when administrators were notified late Thursday…

US appeals court gives expelled lawmaker’s lawsuit hope

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A federal appeals court is reviving a lawsuit filed by an expelled Tennessee lawmaker seeking to recoup lost lifetime health care and pension benefits. The Tennessean reports a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge wrote…

Haslam: Tennessee unemployment rate remains low

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee officials say the state's unemployment rate continues to remain near historic low levels. According to preliminary numbers released Thursday, Tennessee's unemployment rate was 3.6 percent for August or about 0.1 percent higher than it was…

Tennessee man gets 15-month sentence for postal worker bribe

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee man who pleaded guilty to bribing a postal worker to deliver a package later found to contain marijuana has been sentenced to 15 months in prison. U.S. Attorney Donald Cochran's office says 28-year-old Mark…

6 arrested while protesting police shooting in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Police in Memphis say they've arrested six protesters following a police shooting this week that left a man in critical condition. The Memphis Police Department said in a statement that officers responded to a report Wednesday…

State investigating Memphis police shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it is investigating the shooting of a man by a police officer during a traffic stop in Memphis. Memphis police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph says 25-year-old Martavious Banks is in critical condition…

Lee: Faith-based group could reduce TN prison population

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee says a Nashville faith-based prison nonprofit could provide the model for reducing Tennessee's recidivism rate. Lee said on Tuesday that organizations like Men of Valor — where he has served as…

Pence, Blackburn to attend conservative conference in Knoxville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Vice President Mike Pence will be one of the top guests at a conference for conservative leaders in Tennessee. An event invitation says Pence will join Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and NRA lobbyist Chris Cox…

Funeral held for Tennessee World War II pilot

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The remains of a Tennessee World War II pilot have been laid to rest at his family's cemetery. The Tennessean reports a funeral was held Saturday for Navy Reserve Ensign Harold P. DeMoss in Nashville. He…