Author: Associated Press

Nashville JCC to hold security forum after threats

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville's Gordon Jewish Community Center is holding a security forum in the wake of a number of bomb threats it has received since January. Federal officials have been investigating more than 120 threats against Jewish organizations…

Trial begins for former Knox deputy accused of raping girl

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Trial is underway for a former Knox County sheriff's deputy accused of raping a girl. News media outlets report that Dennis Mills Jr. was charged with raping the girl over a two-year period while he was…

Former teacher accused of recording girls pleads not guilty

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A former teacher accused of secretly recording girls changing clothes inside a closet at a Nashville elementary school has pleaded not guilty. Media report 30-year-old Jarrett Jones was arraigned Wednesday and his attorney, Bobby Ballinger, entered…

Council seeks purchase of officer body cams after shooting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville's Metro Council is calling for the "immediate purchase" of police body cameras after the fatal shooting of an armed black man by a white officer last month. News outlets report the council voted 30-5 Tuesday…

Historic site of Nashville sit-ins to be restored as eatery

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The site of civil rights sit-ins in 1960, the Woolworth building in downtown Nashville, will reclaim its historic look as it becomes a soul food restaurant with live music. At Wednesday's news conference inside the under-construction…

Tennessee school bus driver indicted in deaths of 6 children

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A Chattanooga school bus driver has been indicted on six counts of vehicular manslaughter in a crash last November that killed a half-dozen children. The Chattanooga Times Free Press (http://bit.ly/2n01TAy ) reported Wednesday that 24-year-old Johnthony…

Bathroom bill delayed in Tennessee amid federal actions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee lawmaker is stalling a transgender bathroom bill for a week or two amid recent federal actions. Republican Rep. Mark Pody said his bill was delayed in committee Tuesday to allow time to re-evaluate the…

Senate panel defeats Tennessee pot decriminalization bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A bill seeking to reduce the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana in Tennessee has been extinguished in a state Senate committee. The Judiciary Committee voted 6-3 on Tuesday against the measure sponsored by Sen.…

Berke elected to 2nd term as Chattanooga mayor

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Democrat Andy Berke has been elected to a second term as Chattanooga mayor. The former state senator earned 64 percent of the vote, compared with 26 percent for his closest of three challengers, City Councilman Larry…

Milder bird flu found at Jennie-O farm in Wisconsin

BARRON, Wis. (AP) - Officials confirm a low-pathogenic bird flu strain has been detected in a Jennie-O Turkey Store operation in western Wisconsin. The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted notice of the case to the Organization for Animal Health's website…

House panel parks Haslam transportation bill for a week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's transportation funding proposal has been parked for another week in the House after lawmakers argued about the best timing to vote on the measure. The governor's plan involves raising taxes on gasoline…

Groundbreaking for proposed Bill Monroe museum set for May

ROSINE, Ky. (AP) - Officials in western Kentucky say a proposed museum dedicated to bluegrass music pioneer Bill Monroe is getting closer to reality. Ohio County Judge-Executive David Johnston told the Messenger-Inquirer (http://bit.ly/2lUGDbB) that a groundbreaking for the facility has…

Tennessee banker gets 3-year sentence in $1m embezzlement

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee bank manager was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling about $1 million and using it to gamble online and pay personal debts. A U.S. attorney news release in Eastern Tennessee says Kenneth…

Tennessee businessman pleads guilty in Kentucky jail case

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - A Tennessee business owner has pleaded guilty to fraud in a conspiracy that allegedly involved a former western Kentucky county jailer and others. The U.S. attorney's office said 42-year-old Daniel C. Larcom of Union City pleaded…

Greeneville man sentenced to 10 ½ years in crack conspiracy

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Greeneville man has been sentenced to serve ten and a half years in prison for his leadership role in a crack cocaine drug conspiracy. Officials said U.S. District Court Judge J. Ronnie Greer handed down…

5 people arrested in Tuscaloosa prostitution sting

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Authorities say five people have been arrested as part of a prostitution sting in Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa police Lt. Teena Richardson said the operation was carried out on Friday by the department's Code Enforcement Division. Richardson tells…

Co-founder of Georgia-based Waffle House chain dies at 97

ATLANTA (AP) - Waffle House co-founder Joseph Wilson Rogers Sr., who went from short-order cook to co-founder of one of the nation's largest restaurant chains, has died. He was 97. Georgia-based Waffle House said Rogers died Friday. No cause was…

Suspect in Delaware car wash killing captured in Tennessee

BEAR, Del. (AP) - A man wanted in a 2015 fatal shooting at a car wash in Delaware has been captured in Tennessee. The News Journal of Wilmington reports (http://delonline.us/2lYl5dT ) Chattanooga, Tennessee police officers arrested 33-year-old Bobby L. Taylor…

Berke up for re-election as Chattanooga voters head to polls

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to give Andy Berke another term as Chattanooga mayor. Berke is a former state senator who was first elected mayor with more than 70 percent of…

Legislature considers expanding voucher-like program

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers are considering a sweeping expansion of a voucher-like program that is estimated to cost $71 million. Supporters of the new proposal say it gives parents unprecedented choice and allows them to customize their children's…

Private prisons reach deal with women forced to show tampons

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An agreement has been reached between the nation's largest private prison operator and female visitors who said they had to undergo strip searches to prove they were menstruating. A federal court order on Monday dismissed claims…

Health care company loses Indiana contract, to lay off 700

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A company that provided health care services at Indiana's prisons plans to lay off nearly 700 workers after losing its state contract. Brentwood, Tennessee-based Corizon Health had held a contract with the Indiana Department of Correction to…

Mother pleads guilty to killing 7-week-old baby

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A Memphis mother who led police on a massive search for her 7-week-old daughter has admitted to killing the infant. The Shelby County district attorney's office announced that Andrea Walker pleaded guilty Monday to reckless homicide…

Nashville launches youth jobs initiative

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The city of Nashville has launched a summer job program that officials say will help young people ages 14 to 24 find meaningful job and internships. Mayor Megan Barry announced the new initiative, which is called…

Tennessee hiring wildfire victims with $5.8m federal grant

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee officials are using a federal grant to provide cleanup work to people who lost their jobs after deadly wildfires. The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development and Walters State Community College have begun distributing…

Former Sen. Douglas Henry, longest-serving lawmaker, dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally says in a Facebook post that former Sen. Douglas Henry, a larger-than-life former state lawmaker with the longest tenure in the history of the Tennessee General Assembly, has died. He was…

Bird flu found at Tyson Foods chicken supplier

NEW YORK (AP) - Tens of thousands of chickens have been destroyed at a Tennessee chicken farm due to a bird flu outbreak, and 30 other farms within a six-mile radius are being quarantined. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says…

Republican Boyd joins Tennessee governor’s race

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd is joining the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Bill Haslam next year. The Republican tells The Associated Press he is running on a platform of creating job opportunities for Tennesseans through education.…

Amish man in Kentucky convicted of violating federal laws

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- A federal jury has convicted a Kentucky Amish man of misbranding his homemade cosmetics with cancer-curing claims and impeding a federal investigation. Bath County farmer Samuel Girod was convicted in Lexington, Ky., last week on 13…

Tennessee man wounded by officers charged with assault

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee man has been arrested on assault charges in connection with a traffic stop that ended with troopers shooting and wounding him. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release Friday that…

St. Louis jury rejects lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A St. Louis jury has rejected a woman's claim that Johnson & Johnson baby powder contributed to her ovarian cancer. The 11-1 verdict came Friday in a lawsuit filed by 55-year-old Nora Daniels, of Columbia, Tennessee,…

Memphis man faces sentencing in 2012 killing of officer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Sentencing has been delayed for a man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer in Memphis, Tennessee, during a chaotic raid of his home. Judge James Beasley on Friday postponed the sentencing of 25-year-old Treveno Campbell…

Haslam orders election to replace lawmaker who resigned

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has issued a writ of election to replace former Republican state Rep. Mark Lovell, who resigned amid a sexual harassment investigation. The Shelby County Election Commission has scheduled the primary for April 27…

Fall Creek Falls Park contract postponed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Haslam administration has postponed the deadline for private companies interested in running Fall Creek Falls State Park to submit proposals. State Department of Environment and Conservation spokesman Eric Ward told local media Wednesday that the…

Justice Department halts its review of Memphis police

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department says it's halting a review and reform process of the Memphis Police Department. In October, Justice Department officials launched the comprehensive review of Memphis police after citizens criticized the department's use of…

Teen with CPR training saves toddler

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) - Officials say a Tennessee teenager who learned CPR at school used the training to save the life of an unresponsive toddler. Kaela Eads said she was just finishing her shift at a fast-food restaurant in Bristol…

Nashville Zoo welcomes rare baby clouded leopard

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Nashville Zoo is welcoming the birth of a clouded leopard, a rare, mysterious cat native to Asia. Zoo officials say the cub was the first clouded leopard to be conceived through artificial insemination with cryopreserved…

Constitutional amendment to say liberty come from God fails

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A proposal to amend the state constitution to say that God is the source of Tennesseans' liberties has failed in the House. The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Micah Van Huss of Jonesborough received a 3-3…

Appeals court sides with decision to fire trooper

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A state appeals court has sided with a lower court's decision that upheld the firing of a state trooper who drove past a fatal wreck. Court records show former trooper Charles Van Morgan was fired from…

Nissan faces safety fine in Mississippi as union rally looms

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A federal workplace safety agency wants to fine Nissan Motor Co. more than $21,000, saying the company's Mississippi plant should have better trained a maintenance worker who lost three fingers in July. The citations were issued…

Lawyers want civil claims in deadly bus crash put on hold

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Lawyers for a man accused of causing a Tennessee bus crash that killed six school students say they want civil litigation against their client put on hold to protect his constitutional rights during his criminal case.…

Former EMS supervisor accused of stealing drugs, forgery

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a former Cumberland County EMS used his position to steal drugs and forged records to cover it up. Multiple news outlets report that 47-year-old Randy Davidson was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts…

Haslam: Return gas tax element to transportation proposal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam is lauding lawmakers for advancing his plan to begin tackling Tennessee's more than $10 billion backlog in road and bridge projects, but the Republican wants to see his bill returned to its original…

Man admits to running $54M green-energy Ponzi scheme

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Georgia man has admitted he ran a $54 million Ponzi scheme built on false promises of green energy technology and real estate. Troy Wragg pleaded guilty in federal court in Philadelphia on Thursday to conspiracy and…

Tenn. AG says abortion bill may not stand up in court

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee's state attorney general says bills in the General Assembly that would outlaw abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected by ultrasound may not be able to stand up in court. However, the opinion written by…

Haslam transportation plan survives key House vote

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's sweeping transportation funding proposal has survived a key vote in the state House but without a provision to hike the state's gas and diesel taxes. The proposal advanced on a 5-4 vote…

Family of snowboarder sues ski resort after fall from lift

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The family of a snowboarder who suffered broken bones and frostbite after falling 30 feet off a ski lift to avoid freezing to death has sued a North Carolina ski resort. The Charlotte Observer reports (http://bit.ly/2lApd3Q)…