Author: Associated Press

Volkswagen staffing agency hiring 200 workers in Tennessee

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A staffing agency for the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee is holding job fair to hire more than 200 production workers at the factory. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports (http://bit.ly/2rSyyKF) the new vacancies are in addition…

Teen dies in apparent drowning at Tennessee campground

MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. (AP) - Police in Tennessee say a teenage girl has died in an apparent drowning at a campground. Wilson County Sheriff's Lt. Scott Moore tells media outlets the 17-year-old girl was on top of a buoy when…

GOP health plan could be costly for those with coverage gaps

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Republican health care bill making its way through Congress could be costly for people who let their coverage lapse. Under the bill, those who go without insurance for a couple of months - whether because…

Prosecutors to drop charges in Stanley Cup dead catfish toss

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Prosecutors are dropping charges filed against a Tennessee man for throwing a catfish onto the rink in Pittsburgh during the opening of the Stanley Cup Final. Thirty-six-year-old Jacob Waddell was charged in Allegheny County with disorderly conduct,…

Tennessee officials urge patience in storm’s aftermath

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Officials are asking for patience from thousands of Memphis residents whose homes remain without power after a weekend storm lashed the Tennessee city with winds of up to 105 mph. Two state House members who represent…

Kellogg shutters distribution centers, lays off workers

NEW YORK (AP) - Kellogg Co. is shuttering distribution centers across the nation and cutting more than 1,000 workers, as it follows through with a cost-cutting plan amid falling sales. The company notified agencies in several states of the closures…

Kentucky man sentenced in jail kickback scheme

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - An 80-year-old Kentucky businessman who pleaded guilty in a conspiracy involving jail construction has been sentenced to probation. U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell sentenced Michael Homra of Fulton County to two years' probation Wednesday in…

Amid Trump orders, Nashville mulls sanctuary city-like rules

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville officials are proposing sanctuary city-like standards in response to President Donald Trump's policies on immigration. Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge announced their legislation in a news conference Wednesday. Unless required under federal or…

Love letter to pizza lands Tennessee teen Ivy League admission

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee teen's love for pizza has delivered acceptance at Yale University to her door. The Tennessean reports Ravenwood High School graduate Carolina Williams was accepted to the Ivy League school in March, with an admissions…

GOP health plan could be costly for those with coverage gaps

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Republican health care bill making its way through Congress could be costly for people who let their coverage lapse. Under the bill, those who go without insurance for a couple of months — whether because…

Smokies officials advise precautions while bears are active

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - It's an active time of year for bears, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials say visitors should take precautions to keep themselves and bears safe. Park Wildlife Biologist Bill Stiver says there have been reports…

Urban forestry proposals being accepted through June 23

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Groups interested in submitting urban forestry tree planting project proposals may do so through June 23. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry said local governments, private nonprofit organizations and educational institutions are eligible to…

Haslam signs bill reducing costs of wiping criminal records

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a law that will make it easier for people convicted of mostly low-level offenses to get their criminal records wiped clean. The law reduces the costs of expunging criminal record convictions…

Murfreesboro, MTSU explore joint policing effort

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Following a spate of crimes at nearby apartment complexes, a proposed plan would allow the Middle Tennessee State University police department to work off-campus at the request of the Murfreesboro Police Department. The Daily News Journal…

Tennessee men charged with fishing over the legal limit

ERIN, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say two Tennessee men face several charges after they were found in possession of fish well beyond the legal limit. The Leaf Chronicle reports (http://leafne.ws/2rQjZar ) authorities responding to a trespassing report arrested 35-year-old Mark…

Utility: 64,000 still without power in Memphis area

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - About 64,000 customers in the Memphis area remain without power following severe weekend storms. Memphis Light, Gas & Water provided the outage figures on its website Tuesday. Company President Jerry Collins has said it will take…

Alpha selling coal, gas operations in West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Alpha Natural Resources has announced the sales of a coal mining complex and a natural gas operation in West Virginia. The company, which emerged from bankruptcy reorganization last year, says its Green Valley mining assets in…

Man denied movie popcorn charged with assaulting officer

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee man is accused of throwing a popcorn container at a movie theater worker because he was irate that the concession stand was closed, then punching and biting a police officer. Clarksville police spokesman Jim…

Green puts off public announcement of gubernatorial plans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican state Sen. Mark Green says he has made up his mind about whether to rejoin the governor's race in Tennessee, but he doesn't want to make his decision public until later this week. The Ashland…

Man dies after falling from top of Tennessee waterfall

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - The National Park Service says a 37-year-old man has died after falling from the top of a 100-foot high waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park officials says the man was hiking alone and…

Poll: 2 in 3 Tennessee voters favor immigrant tuition break

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A poll by Vanderbilt University says about two of three registered voters in the state think Tennessee students whose parents brought or kept them in the country illegally should be eligible for in-state tuition rates at…

Teacher who ran away with teen student to plead not guilty

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee teacher who led police on a nationwide manhunt after running away with a 15-year-old student says he will plead not guilty to federal charges. Tad Cummins filed paperwork with a federal court in Nashville…

64,000 still without power in Memphis area

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- About 64,000 customers in the Memphis area remain without power following severe weekend storms. Memphis Light, Gas & Water provided the outage figures on its website Tuesday. Company President Jerry Collins has said it will take…

Utility: 125,000 storm-related power outages in Memphis area

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis officials say about 125,000 customers are still without power following severe weekend storms. Thunderstorms swept through portions of Tennessee Saturday night and early Sunday. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Memphis Light, Gas &…

Work as cop molded view of prosecutor key to US crime review

WASHINGTON (AP) - A longtime prosecutor who played a key role in writing the Justice Department's new policy encouraging harsher punishments for criminals is now turning to fighting violence in cities. Steve Cook says his hardline views on criminal justice…

DNA match offers hope in 1998 slaying of mother, daughter

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. (AP) - A new clue has emerged in the killings of a southeast Missouri woman and her daughter nearly 20 years after their deaths. The bodies of 37-year-old Sherri Scherer and 12-year-old Megan Scherer were found inside their…

8 Tennessee sites make National Register of Historic Places

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Eight sites in Tennessee have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Tennessee Historical Commission says three places in Shelby County were recently added to the register. They are the Rock of Ages…

Nashville police: Texas men brought 270 pounds of marijuana

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nearly three hundred pounds of marijuana seized by police in Tennessee from the vehicle of a Texas father and son has led to the pair being charged. WSMV-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2rOz1JU ) Tomball, Texas residents 53-year-old David…

Former lawyer pleads guilty to stealing $800K from estates

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) - A disbarred Tennessee lawyer who stole nearly $800,000 from clients has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Bristol Herald Courier reports (http://bit.ly/2qKqTwp ) 71-year-old Don W. Cooper of Bristol was sentenced after pleading guilty…

2 convicted sex offenders are arrested at Arizona border

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector say they have arrested two previously convicted sex offenders. Ajo Station agents arrested 32-year-old Jose Pineda-Torres of Honduras for entering the United States illegally. Authorities say that during processing,…

Judge sets release date for officer-involved shooting report

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A judge is ordering the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report into the shooting death of a black man by a white Nashville officer to become public on June 9. According to The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/2qSH9fn ), Davidson…

At least 3 shot in Memphis during vigil

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A vigil held in remembrance of a shooting victim in Memphis was interrupted by gunfire. Memphis Police Lt. Col. Mike Jones tells local media that at least three people were injured during the Monday night vigil…

Vanderbilt treats numerous ATV accident victims so far this year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center officials are warning that doctors are already treating numerous people injured in accidents involving all-terrain vehicles and it's not even the peak trauma season of summer yet. VUMC officials say staff has…

Witness key in white Tennessee officer shooting of black man

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A white Tennessee police officer who shot a black man to death during a pursuit was cleared of charges based largely on the testimony of a witness. Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk says without Stefanie…

Federal committee examining health risks from surface mines

LOGAN, W.Va. (AP) - A federal science committee studying the health risks for people living near surface coal mines has scheduled a public meeting this week in southern West Virginia. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine committee plans…

Perry tours Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, Oak Ridge

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry is touting the roles of the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as central to the country's national defense and economic development goals. Perry said Monday that…

1 remains at large after 2 inmates escape Kentucky jail

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say one inmate remains at large after two escaped from a Tennessee jail Saturday night. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/2qNKOcr ) that 30-year-old Michael Teal was back in custody after escaping Hamblen County Jail,…

Justices won’t hear appeal over release of federal mug shots

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from the Detroit Free Press that asked the government to release mug shots of federal criminal defendants in Michigan and three other states. The justices on Monday left in place…

Tennessee State University to get $500K for goat meat study

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee State University is receiving almost a $500,000 federal grant to expand its goat meat research. The university says the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the grant this week. TSU says agriculture researchers have noted a…

Toddler wounded after shooting himself in face with gun

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Police have charged a Tennessee man after his 18-month-old son accidentally shot himself in the face with a gun left on a bed. The Tennessean reports (http://tnne.ws/2rhQ1M8 ) 31-year-old Tommy Washington was charged with aggravated child…

Report reveals low faculty morale at Nashville State

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An internal report on Nashville State Community College has found that professors feel they work in a climate of fear and hostility, engendered by top administrators. The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/2qwsy96 ) obtained a copy of the report…

Children safely removed from buses trapped by high water

WESTMORELAND, Tenn. (AP) - Heavy rains just north of Nashville, Tennessee had emergency crews scrambling to safely evacuate students from three school buses that became trapped by high water. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency until noon…

Eastbound I-40 at Tennessee line closed due to tanker spill

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A tanker truck has overturned and spilled its load of tar on Interstate 40 near the Tennessee line, leading transportation officials in North Carolina to close the eastbound lanes. According to a news release from the…