Author: Associated Press

FedEx, in online pivot, backs away from holiday surcharges

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- FedEx will forego special charges for most packages shipped during the chaotic holiday season this year as it squares off against rival UPS in a fight for a larger share of the millions of items now…

Plaque honoring Aretha Franklin to be placed at former home

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The mayor of Memphis is scheduled to dedicate a plaque honoring soul singer Aretha Franklin at her childhood home. Mayor Jim Strickland and other city officials are scheduled to unveil the plaque on Wednesday morning. Franklin,…

Gorilla-masked man’s intimidation charges could be dismissed

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) -- A former East Tennessee State University student accused of civil rights intimidation during a Black Lives Matter demonstration could have the charges dismissed. The Johnson City Press reported Sunday the ex-student's attorney filed a motion…

Financial personality Dave Ramsey eyes new Tennessee headquarters

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) -- Financial personality Dave Ramsey has broken ground on a new corporate headquarters in Tennessee. Ramsey Solutions celebrated the groundbreaking Thursday at the Franklin site where its more than 223,000 square-foot building will stand. The estimated move-in…

Bible verse to be removed from East Tenn. police department

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A biblical passage that has long been displayed at an East Tennessee city's police headquarters will be removed following a complaint. Local news outlets report on Wednesday that Knoxville City Law Director Charles Swanson says the…

Land Between the Lakes offering solar eclipse events

GOLDEN POND, Ky. (AP) -- The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky is offering prime viewing spots for the upcoming total solar eclipse next month. The park is planning a series of programs to educate about…

Activists say federal agents arrested West Tenn. immigrants

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Local activists say federal immigration agents have arrested a large number of people in Tennessee. The Commercial Appeal reports 25-year-old activist Jose Salazar says beginning Sunday morning, agents made several arrests at three Memphis apartment complexes.…

Life prison sentence for man in 4-state robbery hostage case

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal judge in Knoxville has sentenced a Pennsylvania man to life in prison for a multistate bank robbery-kidnapping spree. U.S. Attorney Nancy Stallard Harr announced Tuesday that Michael Benanti of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, received four…

Tennessee education coalition focuses on teacher diversity

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A new report released by a group of Tennessee educator preparation programs focuses on eliminating the barriers preventing diverse candidates from choosing teaching as a career. The Tennessean reports the Trailblazer Coalition is led by Lipscomb…

Alpha conveying permits, equipment, reserves in 4 states

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Alpha Natural Resources says it has agreed to convey 280 permits, reclamation equipment, royalty payments and 100 million tons of coal reserves in four states to Lexington Coal Co. According to Alpha, Lexington will get $204…

State awarding grants to 2 applied technology schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has awarded grants to a pair of Tennessee College of Applied Technology institutions in West Tennessee. Haslam's office says in a news release Wednesday that Community Development Block Grants have been awarded to…

Police: Tennessee mother tried to smother son in hospital

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee woman is charged with attempted murder after authorities say she tried to smother her son at a hospital. News outlets report 22-year-old Alexis Bagwell was arrested Monday after a Metro Nashville Police investigation found…

Officials investigating high toxin levels at Memphis plant

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Health and environmental officials say they are investigating how high levels of arsenic and lead were found in groundwater under a Tennessee coal power plant. Shelby County Health Department director Alisa Haushalter said in a statement…

Trump taps Tennessee Senate leader, 3 more to judgeships

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - President Donald Trump has nominated Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris and three others to federal district court judgeships. On Thursday, Trump nominated Norris for judge in western Tennessee. The Collierville Republican was first elected to…

New captain to take command of West Tenn. Navy base

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (AP) -- A new captain is set to take command of a Tennessee Navy base. Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington says in a news release that a change of command ceremony is scheduled on Friday at the…

Lawyers for Titans teammates call suit ‘blatant money grab’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Lawyers for Tennessee Titans teammates Tajae Sharpe and Sebastian Tretola say a lawsuit filed against their clients is a "blatant money grab." Dante Satterfield said in a lawsuit filed earlier this year that Sharpe assaulted him…

Gov. Haslam opens alternative high school equivalency program

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Bill Haslam has opened an alternative residential program operated by the Tennessee National Guard that gives some teens a chance to earn a high school equivalency diploma outside a traditional school setting. The governor's office…

40 rescued, 1 missing after flash flooding in Middle Tennessee

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Authorities in Middle Tennessee say a woman is still missing after Jackson County officials rescued about 40 people who became stranded in flash flooding at Cummins Falls State Park. Jackson County officials tell local news outlets…

Search continues for Middle Tenn. boy missing in river

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The search for a 9-year-old boy who was swept away in a river below a Middle Tennessee dam has entered its second day. Local outlets report that Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing says the boy was…

Charges dropped for 2 youths in East Tenn. wildfires

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Two juveniles are no longer charged with starting the East Tennessee wildfires that killed 14 people in November. In a statement Friday, District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn said prosecutors can't prove the youths were responsible because…

West Tenn. preacher sentenced to 52 years for rape of child

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee preacher has been sentenced to 52 years in prison for the sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl. The Shelby County district attorney's office said in a news release that 29-year-old Jarvis Gray was sentenced…

Alleged gang members from California, Tennessee indicted

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors say 22 members and associates of street gangs in California and Tennessee have been indicted on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The U.S. attorney's office in Memphis said in a news release Wednesday…

Longtime trainer of Vols’ ‘Smokey’ mascot dies at 91

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Earl Hudson, who owned and trained Tennessee's live canine "Smokey" mascots for over two decades, has died. He was 91. Bill Whedbee, funeral director at Stevens Mortuary, confirmed Wednesday that Hudson died Saturday at Fort Sanders…

2 Vandy players shot in attempt to recover stolen phone

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Two Vanderbilt football players have been shot in what police are calling an "ill-conceived plan" to recover a teammate's stolen cellphone. Nashville police say Tae Daley suffered a "noncritical gunshot wound" to his leg and Frank…

Former Senate Speaker Ramsey to lobby former colleagues

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (AP) - Former Tennessee Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey is plotting a return to the hallways of the state Capitol complex. The Kingsport Times-News reports that the Blountville Republican has been hired by the firm Farrar and Bates, which…

Suspect in wife’s death, daughter succumb to fire injuries

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee father and daughter have died of injuries sustained in a fire police believe the man set after killing his wife. Local news outlets report that 55-year-old Gary Daugherty died Friday night and 9-year-old Crystal…

Tennessee Capitol evacuated after tunnel fire, no injuries

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee state Capitol has been evacuated over concerns about smoke from a fire that broke out in a tunnel being built beneath the building. WKRN-TV reports that the fire was extinguished by Monday afternoon. It's…

Ex-Vanderbilt football player convicted of rape

NASHVILLE, Tenn.-A jury has convicted a former Vanderbilt University football player charged in the 2013 rape of an unconscious female student. After deliberating for about 15 hours, the jury on Friday evening found Brandon Banks guilty of aggravated rape and…

Jury considering ex-Vanderbilt football player’s rape case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A jury will return to continue deliberating on a verdict for the third of four former Vanderbilt University players charged in the 2013 rape of an unconscious female student. After 5.5 hours of deliberation Thursday, the…

Man pleads guilty to selling heroin that led to overdose

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee man faces 25 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to selling heroin that led to a person's overdose. The U.S. attorney's office in Memphis says 49-year-old Marvin Foster entered a guilty plea…

Crash in Tennessee causes chemical leak

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A semitractor-trailer hauling sulfuric acid has crashed in Tennessee prompting evacuations of businesses in the Hendersonville area. Media outlets report officials say the semitrailer carrying more than 3,100 gallons of sulfuric acid and about 100 gallons…

Inmates accused of killing prison guards face murder charges

EATONTON, Ga. (AP) - Two Georgia inmates accused of killing two prison guards during an escape from a prison bus last week face charges including murder. Multiple news outlets report that Donnie Russell Rowe and Ricky Dubose appeared in Putnam…

Woman testifies against ex-football player in rape trial

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A woman who was raped while unconscious in a college dorm room has testified that her appearance at an ex-Vanderbilt football player's trial marks the first time she has seen the defendant face to face. The…

Chattanooga’s broadband, television provider ranked among best in nation

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- Consumer Reports magazine has ranked Chattanooga's EPB Fiber as the country's best television service provider and fourth-best among internet providers. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the municipal utility EPB has more than 90,000 customers…

Retired THP sergeant pleads guilty to smuggling woman into US

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A retired Tennessee Highway Patrol sergeant has pleaded guilty to transporting a woman into the country illegally. Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith says 70-year-old Ronald Edward Strickland pleaded guilty Tuesday in Nashville federal court. Court documents…

Tennessee auto parts supplier to lay off 160 workers

DAYTON, Tenn. (AP) - An auto parts supplier says it will lay off 160 people in Tennessee as it moves some business operations to another plant in the Midwest. International Automotive Components spokesman David Ladd tells the Chattanooga Times Free…

City responds after man’s fatal drowning at Tennessee quarry

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Following a man's drowning death at a Tennessee quarry, the City of Knoxville is making changes to prevent people from jumping off the cliffs. Media outlets report 27-year-old Dezayas Smith has been identified as Sunday's drowning…

Land Between Lakes offers safety tips for visitors

GOLDEN POND, Ky. (AP) - Officials at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area want visitors to be safe while having fun this summer and are offering some suggestions. U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Patrol Capt. Duane Cameron says following…

Trial of 8 ex-Pilot employees likely moving to another city

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal trial will likely move to another Tennessee city in the case against eight ex-employees of the truck stop chain owned by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam…

Judge dismantles jury, postpones trial of truck driver

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A judge has postponed the trial of a truck driver charged with killing six people in a 2015 interstate crash and ordered the selection of a new jury, following the revelation of new evidence. News outlets…

Sovereign citizen sentenced in deadly July 4 fireworks crash

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) - A self-proclaimed sovereign citizen who drove through a crowd during a fireworks show, killing one and hurting eight, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. News outlets report Judge Paul Summers sentenced 67-year-old Lee…

Police: Man killed by deputy after car chase in Tennessee

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a man by a deputy after a stolen car chase in Tennessee. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said agents responded to an officer-involved shooting near Interstate 65 in Williamson…

3rd man charged with murder of Tennessee teen billed as hero

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A third man has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Tennessee high school football player who shielded two girls from the gunfire. The Knoxville Police Department said in a news release…

Player testifies against 3rd ex-teammate on trial in rape

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A teammate has testified against a third former Vanderbilt football player on trial in the 2013 dorm room rape of an unconscious female student. On Tuesday, Jaborian "Tip" McKenzie confirmed a video showed his friend and…