Author: Associated Press

Prosecutor asks pharmacies to watch for kidnapping suspect

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) - A prosecutor is asking pharmacy employees to be on the lookout for a 50-year-old Tennessee teacher who disappeared last month with a student. District Attorney Brent Cooper tells news outlets Tad Cummins takes medicine to control…

Traffic camera confidentiality bill withdrawn in House

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A bill that had sought to make the names of people who refused to pay traffic camera fines confidential has been withdrawn for the year. WTVF-TV reported (http://bit.ly/2p7XWaW ) that the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Andy…

Police: National search underway for fatal crash suspect

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities are searching for a man who left a hospital before a warrant for his arrest in a fatal drunken diving incident could be issued. Media outlets report 30-year-old Alan Jacob Mogollon-Anaya faces several charges, including…

1 of the victims shot outside Tennessee plant has died

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Police say a man who was shot outside an auto parts plant in Tennessee in what appears to be the result of domestic violence has died. Cookeville Police said Wednesday that 20-year-old Tyler Stults died Tuesday…

Ancestry.com helps family of dead boy find man posing as him

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Federal prosecutors say Ancestry.com helped the family of a baby who died in Texas in 1972 discover that a Pennsylvania man had assumed the child's identity. Forty-four-year-old Jon Vincent was arrested in Lansdale, near Philadelphia, on Monday.…

Full Senate to vote on Haslam’s transportation funding bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to boost transportation funding in large part through a hike in Tennessee's fuel taxes is headed for a full floor vote in the state Senate. The Senate Finance Committee voted 10-1 on…

Eastern New Mexico regents choose new president

PORTALES, N.M. (AP) - The Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents has chosen a new president from among five finalists. The regents voted unanimously Wednesday to offer J.S. "Jeff" Elwell of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga the post. Portales radio…

California keeps travel ban despite ‘bathroom bill’ repeal

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - California's attorney general says North Carolina's repeal of a strongly criticized "bathroom bill" doesn't protect LGBT people from discrimination. Consequently, he says the country's most-populous state will continue its ban on taxpayer-funded travel to North Carolina.…

Appeals court rules in favor of former Tennessee players

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An appeals court has ruled attorneys for former Tennessee football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams can issue subpoenas in an attempt to obtain social media communications from witnesses for their upcoming rape trials. The Tennessee…

TBI investigating shooting involving Rutherford deputy

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it's investigating a shooting in Rutherford County involving a law enforcement officer. TBI spokeswoman Susan Niland said in a news release the shooting Wednesday afternoon involved a deputy from the…

Nissan faces more labor law charges at Mississippi plant

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The National Labor Relations Board is leveling new charges that Nissan Motor Co. and a contract worker agency at Nissan's Mississippi plant are violating workers' rights. Filed March 31, the charges claim a supervisor illegally threatened…

Haslam to host annual Easter egg roll at governor’s mansion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam and his wife, Crissy, are hosting their seventh annual Easter egg role at the governor's mansion on Monday. About 50 children from Nashville Head Start centers are schedule to participate on the Tennessee…

School officials dismiss classes due to suspicious package

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (AP) - Officials say Mt. Juliet High School has dismissed classes after receiving a suspicious package that contained powder and paper clips. Wilson County Schools spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson told media that a staff member who opened the…

Inmate pleads guilty in 2 deaths in 1997, another in 2004

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A 52-year-old man in prison for kidnapping and rape has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges in the Chattanooga deaths of two brothers 20 years ago and a woman in 2004. District Attorney General Neal Pinkston's…

Prosecutor: Former mayor’s purchases ‘unwise,’ not criminal

MOUNT CARMEL, Tenn. (AP) - A former Tennessee mayor will not face criminal charges for unauthorized purchases following a state investigation. The Kingsport Times-News reports (http://bit.ly/2oYhuyi) that former Mount Carmel Mayor Larry Frost had been the subject of a state…

24 companies would reap half of tax savings in Haslam plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Twenty-four large companies would reap about half of the savings of a $113 million corporate tax cut proposed by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's administration. The Chattanooga Times Free Press obtained a Haslam administration analysis that said…

Officials: Inmates assault 3 Middle Tenn. correctional officers

CENTERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Officials say a Tennessee prison is on lockdown after three correctional officers were assaulted, including two who were stabbed, during a disturbance involving 16 inmates. The Tennessee Department of Correction says the inmates attacked the officers,…

Tennessee attorney general questions abortion-ban bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee's attorney general is questioning the constitutionality of a bill banning most abortions after 20 weeks. Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III is the top law enforcement official in Tennessee, a conservative Republican state. He also…

Potential witness in athlete’s death says he was targeted

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A potential witness in the fatal shooting of a high school football player in East Tennessee has testified he became a target after he was questioned by Knoxville police in the case. The Knoxville News Sentinel…

Tennessee school bus seat belt bill advances amid concerns

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A bill that would require seat belts on new school buses in Tennessee continues to advance in the Legislature, but lawmakers remain skeptical about the restraints. Questions about the cost of the measure and concerns about…

40 birds seized in possible Nashville cockfighting operation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville authorities have rescued more than 40 birds in a suspected cockfighting operation. Metro Animal Care and Control says it worked with Nashville police to remove the birds Tuesday with a search warrant of the property.…

Defendant in athlete death to be tried in witness shooting

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A man accused of fatally shooting a high school football player in East Tennessee is going on trial in another case in which he's charged with trying to murder a potential witness. The Knoxville News Sentinel…

Weather derails New Mexico governor’s trip to Tennessee

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Gov. Susana Martinez's quick trip Tennessee has been derailed by weather. The governor's office confirmed that Martinez was unable to make the trip to Nashville to speak at a law enforcement conference hosted by the…

Bill to expand Medicaid appears dead for the year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A plan by Democrats to expand the Medicaid program in Tennessee appeared dead Wednesday after the sponsor of the measure pulled the bill. House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, D-Ripley, told the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee…

Lawmakers advance reducing penalties for gun possession

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers have advanced a proposal to eliminate jail time for carrying a gun in public without a state-issued permit. Under the measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Jeremy Faison of Cosby, a violation would still be…

UN human rights chief says Trump torture talk unsettling

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The U.N. human rights chief says he's "amazed" by President Donald Trump's support for torture in interrogations, calling the prospect of reviving torture in the United States "profoundly unsettling." On Wednesday at Vanderbilt University Law School…

House speaker working on 11th-hour bid to halt gas tax hike

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - House Speaker Beth Harwell is working on an 11th-hour effort to make sweeping changes to fellow Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's road funding proposal to eliminate any increases in Tennessee's tax on gasoline. Harwell, who is mulling…

Tennessee bill to declare God as source of liberty advances

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers are considering legislation to amend the state constitution to say that God is the source of liberties for the state's citizens. The House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted Wednesday to advance the measure sponsored by…

Paraglider pilot killed in accident in east Tennessee

FARRAGUT, Tenn. (AP) - Police in east Tennessee say the pilot of a paraglider has died and a passenger was injured in a weekend accident. Media outlets report the crash occurred Sunday in woods near Farragut. The Knox County Sheriff's…

Ex-NBA owner Shinn donates record $15M to Lipscomb Univ.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Former Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn has made a record donation to Lipscomb University. The Nashville school announced Shinn's donation of $15 million Monday. The gift will build a new events center for Lipscomb's College of…

Prison inmate charged with cellmate’s death in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors say a prison inmate has been charged with first-degree murder in the beating death of his cellmate. The Shelby County district attorney's office says 36-year-old Danielle Smith, also known as Daniel Smith, is charged with…

Education Commissioner to release major plan for schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen is expected to announce on Tuesday a new education plan that will emphasize more accountability, especially when it comes to teaching traditionally underserved kids. The plan outlines how Tennessee will comply…

Rep. berates GOP over gas tax, colleague says don’t whine

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican Rep. Jerry Sexton is once again berating his colleagues on the House floor about what he calls rules violations and manipulations to advance Gov. Bill Haslam's transportation funding proposal that would include the state's first…

Immigrant tuition break gaining support in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A deeply conservative state, Tennessee voted overwhelmingly for President Donald Trump and his tough stance on immigration. And yet, some Republican lawmakers are pushing a proposal that would allow public colleges to offer in-state tuition rates…

Man convicted of human trafficking in Brentwood

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) - A Williamson County jury has convicted a man of human trafficking in what's believed to be the first trial of its kind in the county. The Tennessean reports (http://tnne.ws/2nS8Ykq) 26-year-old Eric Demarco Hamilton of Flint, Michigan…

Legal challenge over Fred Thompson’s estate concludes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A legal fight over the estate of actor-politician Fred Thompson has ended. The Tennessean reports (http://tnne.ws/2n55rSE ) that Dan Thompson and Tony Thompson dropped their lawsuit that claimed their father's widow, Jeri Thompson, had made changes…

Senate votes to double amount of money candidates can raise

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The state Senate has voted to double the amount of money candidates for the upper chamber of Tennessee General Assembly can raise for their campaigns. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports (http://bit.ly/2oVixyv ) that the measure…

Bill seeking closed primaries in Tennessee withdrawn

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The latest effort to end Tennessee's open primary system has been withdrawn for the year. The bill sponsored by Sen. Mae Beavers of Mt. Juliet and fellow Republican Rep. Mark Pody of Lebanon was removed from…

Tennessee Education Department announces evaluation plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A new plan released by the Tennessee Department of Education will make schools more accountable and give parents a better idea of how to evaluate their neighborhood schools. Under the plan released Tuesday, every public school…

Tennessee billboard law struck down on free speech grounds

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A federal judge struck down a law regulating outdoor advertising in Tennessee, citing it as an unconstitutional restriction of free speech. The Commercial Appeal reports (http://memne.ws/2nFWLP0 ) that U.S. District Judge Jon P. McCalla sided with…

Records: Slain deputy violated excessive force policies

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Records show an off-duty deputy who was fatally shot by police in Tennessee had violated excessive force policies three times in two years. Media cited the personnel file of Hamilton County Deputy Daniel Hendrix in reporting…

School bus seat belt bill barely clears committee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A bill that would require seat belts on Tennessee school buses has advanced barely as a child who was injured in a deadly Chattanooga bus crash looked on. Canasia Williams, an 11-year-old fifth-grader at Woodmore Elementary,…

Rallies planned on anniversary of MLK’s killing in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Activists claiming an imbalance in economic and social equality plan rallies across the United States on the 49th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Black Lives Matter and the Fight…

Plan for homeless village in Nashville prompts protest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A plan by a Tennessee nonprofit to house the homeless by building a village of micro homes near a church has prompted some neighbors to picket in protest. WTVF-TV reports protesters picketed property owned by Glencliff…

TVA seeks environmental comment on nuclear plant sale

HOLLYWOOD, Ala. (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority is seeking public comment on the environmental impact of selling an unfinished nuclear plant to a company that will make it operational. TVA announced Friday that it was seeking comment through May…

Tennessee judge facing federal charges resigns

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An embattled Tennessee judge who is facing charges after allegations surfaced that he helped a woman with her legal troubles in exchange for sex has stepped down from the bench. The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/2ns5GTU ) reports that…

Former Memphis officer gets 20 years for killing her wife

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A former Memphis police officer convicted of killing her wife in a domestic dispute has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Shelby County district attorney's office says 36-year-old Jaselyn Grant was sentenced by a…

Trade groups sue to block Tennessee online sales tax rule

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee is being sued by two trade groups seeking to block a requirement to collect state sales taxes for online purchases. The lawsuit has been filed by the American Catalog Mailers Association of America and the…