Author: Associated Press

Former bus driver convicted in fatal crash charged with rape

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A former Tennessee school bus driver convicted in a crash that killed six children now faces aggravated statutory rape charges. Johnthony Walker, 25, was arrested Thursday in Nashville, where he was free on bond while appealing…

5 executives sentenced in ‘Made in USA’ boots scheme

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Several former executives of a one-time leading manufacturer of boots for the U.S. military have been sentenced in a "Made in USA" scheme. The Kingsport Times-News reports the former Wellco Enterprises Inc. executives sold boots falsely…

12 Tennessee counties eye further education for residents

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A dozen rural Tennessee counties faced with a low number of college-educated workers are digging into how their residents can further their education. The Tennessean reported Sunday that the counties are organized into five regional councils…

After vandalism, cleaned Andrew Jackson tomb unveiled

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A ceremony has been held in Tennessee to unveil the restored tomb of President Andrew Jackson, six weeks after profanities were painted on it. Officials posted on The Hermitage's Facebook page the cleaned tomb was presented…

Woman accused of driving children in kennels to be arraigned

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A West Tennessee woman accused of driving her two young grandchildren around in pet kennels is scheduled to appear in court. Leimome Cheeks will be arraigned Monday on child endangerment charges. A Memphis police affidavit says…

Man hospitalized in May 30 attack at Tennessee car wash dies

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Police in Tennessee say a 71-year-old car wash attendant has died less than two weeks after he was attacked. Clarksville police spokesman Jim Knoll says in a news release the victim died Saturday night. The statement…

Race for Tennessee Senate seat takes shape on Trump, tariffs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- President Donald Trump's popularity with Tennessee voters and how his trade policies will affect them have become campaign weapons for both sides in a key U.S. Senate match up. Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn's Senate campaign supporters…

The Latest: Suspect in deputy killing faces federal charges

DICKSON, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee man charged with killing a sheriff's deputy is now facing federal charges in addition to his state murder case. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a joint announcement with U.S. Attorney Donald Cochran on…

Person dies at Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee

MANCHESTER, Tenn. (AP) -- Officials say a person has died while attending the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee. News outlets report Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves confirmed a body was found Friday morning at a festival campground. Coffee…

Suspect accused of impersonating deputy after killing him

DICKSON, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee man charged with killing a sheriff's deputy is also accused of trying to impersonate him and burning his body and vehicle. A judge read off 12 counts against Steven Joshua Wiggins during his arraignment…

Chefs shocked, saddened by Anthony Bourdain’s death

Shocked and heartbroken are some of the reactions to the death of American TV celebrity and food writer Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain was found dead Friday morning in France while working on his CNN series. CNN confirmed the death, saying the…

East TN pastor accused of sexually touching 12-year-old

PALMER, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities say a pastor in East Tennessee has been arrested after he was caught by deputies inappropriately touching a 12-year-old girl. WTVC-TV quotes Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum as saying William E. "Tim" Smith Jr. is…

UT students trying to make Tennessee River more accessible

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A group of students and professors from the University of Tennessee are working to make the Tennessee River more accessible. WBIR-TV reports it took two years for students in a landscape architecture class to create a…

Memphis students awarded with bikes for perfect attendance

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Dozens of children with perfect attendance in a West Tennessee school district are getting a gift to enjoy on summer break: A bicycle. The Shelby County district attorney's office in Memphis says more than 150 students…

Authorities search lake in Collierville for missing teen swimmer

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities are searching for a 15-year-old boy who disappeared while swimming in a West Tennessee lake. A search and rescue team with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office is helping authorities in the Memphis suburb of Collierville…

New leader takes control of Tennessee Highway Patrol

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The new leader of the Tennessee Highway Patrol has assumed his new role with the agency, succeeding Col. Tracy Trott, who retired after 40 years in the post. Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner David W. Purkey…

Report: 110 Confederate monuments removed in US since 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- It took generations to erect all the nation's Confederate monuments, and a new report shows they're being removed at a pace of about three each month. A study released Monday by the Southern Poverty Law Center…

Man killed in Tennessee River boating accident

LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (AP) -- A North Carolina man was killed when a fishing boat was forced underwater in the Tennessee River. Three men were in the boat around 10 a.m. Saturday when it was pulled into water being discharged…

Tennessee woman convicted of killing grandson’s mother

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee woman has been convicted of killing her grandson's mother in 2016. The Greeneville Sun reports that a Greene County Criminal Court jury found 52-year-old Vonda Star Smith guilty Friday of one count of first-degree…

Tennessee jail on lockdown for lack of trained officers

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (AP) -- A local jail in Tennessee has put inmates on lockdown and has suspended all ministry programs because the facility does not have enough officers to ensure safety. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the Bradley County…

Tennessee court dismisses lawsuit to null marriage laws

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Court of Appeals has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate all of the state's marriage laws. The Tennessean reports the lawsuit was filed by a group of conservative Williamson County residents. They argued the…

Tennessee judge pleads guilty to scheming to plant drugs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors say that a former Tennessee judge has admitted to multiple corruption charges, including scheming to have drugs planted on a woman who claimed she traded sexual favors in exchange for his help with her…

Newly adopted 1-year-old dies after being left in hot truck

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities say a recently adopted 1-year-old girl has died after her father left her in a hot truck. News outlets cite a release from Metro Nashville police saying the adoptive father "reportedly forgot" about the child…

2 injured in Indiana middle school shooting

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (AP) -- Authorities say two victims in a shooting at a suburban Indianapolis middle school are being taken to a hospital and the lone suspect is in custody. Bryant Orem, a spokesman for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office,…

DEA acknowledges it raided Tennessee family’s house by mistake

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (AP) -- The Drug Enforcement Administration has acknowledged to an East Tennessee family that agents erroneously raided their house. News outlets report DEA agents and the Bradley County Sheriff's Office served a federal search warrant at the wrong…

Explore Bike Share launches in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Explore Bike Share has launched with a celebration touting the benefits of 600 rental bikes stationed throughout Memphis. The Commercial Appeal of Memphis reports Explore Bike Share launched Wednesday with the celebration that touted the health,…

Fed panel: 2 deadly school bus crash drivers unfit for job

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A federal panel says drivers in the November 2016 deadly school bus crashes in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Baltimore shouldn't have been behind the wheel. The National Transportation Safety Board discussed its report Tuesday. Authorities say Johnthony…

Gov. Haslam: Sanctuary bill to become law without signature

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says he's allowing legislation billed as a push against sanctuary cities to become law without his signature, saying it has stirred up irrational fear on both sides. Haslam told reporters Monday that…

Fourth former Vanderbilt player gets probation in rape

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A former Vanderbilt football player who testified against three of his former teammates in a campus rape has been sentenced to 10 years' probation as part of a plea deal. Jaborian "Tip" McKenzie pleaded guilty Monday…

President Trump to hold campaign rally in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- President Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally in Tennessee later this month on the same day he will headline a fundraiser for Rep. Marsha Blackburn in her Senate bid. The rally will take place on…

Shooting of 10-year-old boy investigated in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Nashville police are investigating the shooting of a 10-year-old boy. Metro Nashville Police spokeswoman Kristin Mumford says Youth Services detectives are handling the apparent accidental shooting of the boy allegedly by his father. Mumford says the…

Woman faces charges in 2017 death of West Tennessee man

COVINGTON, Tenn. (AP) -- A woman arrested in Mississippi faces first-degree murder charges in the 2017 death of a West Tennessee man. Tipton County sheriff's deputies tell local media that 33-year-old Amber Whitehead was arrested in Saltillo, Mississippi, on Wednesday.…

Some Tennessee agencies are violating public record laws

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A newly released audit shows that some government agencies across Tennessee are making it difficult for citizens to access public records and are even violating state law. The audit by the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government…

Waffle House suspect denies mental health issues

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A man accused of killing four people at a Tennessee Waffle House denies he is suffering from mental health problems and says he wants to represent himself in court in the murder cases. WTVF played an…

Sheriff: Up to 10 fatalities in Texas school shooting

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) -- The local sheriff says as many as 10 people may have been killed during a shooting at a high school near Houston, most of them students. Harris County Sherriff Ed Gonzalez said there "could be 8…

UT reportedly lobbied to keep details of investments secret

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Records show that the University of Tennessee has pumped millions from its endowment into private investment funds, including many in the Cayman Islands. The USA Today Tennessee Network reports that the school successfully lobbied state lawmakers…

Families of victims meet hero in Waffle House shooting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Families of victims of a mass shooting at a Tennessee Waffle House got a chance to thank a man who wrestled an assault-style rifle away from a gunman. Officials at Tennessee State University said a private…

Lawsuit filed against gunman’s dad in Waffle House shooting

PEKIN, Ill. (AP) -- The family of one of the four people killed in a shooting at a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville is suing the suspected gunman's father, accusing the Illinois man of negligence. The (Peoria) Journal Star reports…

University of Memphis plans to freeze tuition again

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Officials say the University of Memphis is going to give students a break and freeze tuition for the 2018-19 academic year. U of M school officials say theirs will likely be the only university in Tennessee,…

Abuse, neglect claims investigated at 460 Tennessee schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- An analysis has found Tennessee's Department of Children's Services investigated 647 allegations of child abuse or neglect involving students at more than 460 schools during a recent 20-month period. Data obtained by USA Today's Tennessee Network…

Officer in East TN shoots, kills man ramming police car

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities say a man who was shot by an officer in East Tennessee has died. News outlets cite a statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that says a Morristown police officer fired at 46-year-old Kenneth…

Gubernatorial forum is this week at UT Martin

MARTIN, Tenn. (AP) -- A gubernatorial forum this week is focusing on issues important to West Tennessee. The event is taking place Thursday at the University of Tennessee at Martin and will be moderated by West Tennessee native Meg Kinnard,…

Analysis: Smoky Mountains visitors spent nearly $1B in 2017

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park spent nearly $1 billion in nearby communities last year. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports an analysis conducted by U.S. government economists shows the spending in 2017 supported almost…

Tennessee agency cites FedEx for workplace fatality

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee regulators have cited FedEx and proposed a $7,000 fine after a fatality at a hub in Memphis last year. The Commercial Appeal reported Monday that the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the serious…