Author: Associated Press

Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer to receive Summitt award

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Former Southeastern Conference Commissioner Roy Kramer is the 2017 winner of the Pat Summitt Lifetime Achivement Award from the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. The hall announced the award Monday. Kramer will be honored June 3…

Memphis mayor, police chief decry weekend killings of 5

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The city's mayor and police chief are speaking out against a rash of gun violence in Memphis over the weekend that left five dead, including two 15-year-old boys. Mayor Jim Strickland's office issued a statement Monday…

3 charged with murder in Memphis drive-by shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis police have arrested three people in a drive-by shooting that killed one teenager and wounded two others. Media outlets report 21-year-old Demarcus Johnson, 19-year-old Frederick Wilson and 20-year-old Otha Ray each were charged with one…

McNally adds new staff to speaker’s office, keeps spokesman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Newly-elected Tennessee Senate Speaker Randy McNally has announced more staff changes in his office at the state Capitol. The upper chamber of the General Assembly earlier this month elected McNally to succeed longtime Speaker Ron Ramsey,…

Chattanooga police: Woman shot man in self-defense

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Chattanooga police say a woman who shot and wounded a man was defending herself and others. Police said in a news release that 30-year-old Dieshunn Lindsey was trying to assault the woman and others Sunday morning…

Tennessee highway lanes closed after sinkhole opens

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities have closed all northbound lanes of a highway in east Tennessee after a 15-foot deep sinkhole opened up. Blount County Emergency Manage Agency spokesman Lance Coleman told news outlets that the sinkhole, which was reported…

Tennessee State Museum under audit after director gets raise

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State officials have authorized a special audit of Tennessee State Museum operations after its executive director received a 26 percent pay raise. The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/2joW0rr ) reports that museum officials announced the audit last…

Police fear removal of speed cameras will strain manpower

MOUNT CARMEL, Tenn. (AP) - Mount Carmel's police chief is not happy that speed enforcement cameras on a two-mile stretch of highway are going to be deactivated at the end of March when a contract expires. Police Chief Jeff Jackson…

Tennessee governor taps Barnes to head Human Services

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is tapping Danielle Whitworth Barnes as the state Department of Human Services commissioner. A news release says Barnes will assume the post Feb. 6. The 41-year-old currently serves as deputy commissioner and…

Tennessee preliminary unemployment rate up in December

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee's preliminary unemployment rate for December rose slightly to 4.9 percent compared with November. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development says total nonfarm employment in the state grew by 6,000 jobs over the month.…

Manning, Jimmy Haslam to assist in Tennessee’s AD search

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam are part of a search committee helping Tennessee in its search for an athletic director. Tennessee announced Friday that it has hired the Turnkey Sports…

School board considers taking over busing after fatal crash

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Hamilton County school officials are considering bringing busing in-house and expanding the role of its pool of independent bus drivers in the wake of a bus crash in which six children were killed last year. News…

Crystal Gayle to be inducted into Grand Ole Opry

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Country music legend Crystal Gayle is being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, nearly a half-century after she first walked onto its stage to perform as a teenager.…

State giving $1 million to 29 communities for tourism

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State officials say 29 Tennessee communities will receive more than $1 million in grants to improve tourism infrastructure. Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd said Thursday that the Tourism Enhancement Grants…

Tennessee officials suspend new patients at nursing home

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee health officials are suspending new admissions at a Puryear nursing home because of its financial woes. A state Department of Health news release says Benchmark Healthcare was banned from adding new residents starting Jan. 10.…

Nashville teen gets 15 years for killing 14-year-old

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Nashville teen has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing a 14-year-old girl. The Tennessean reports that 19-year-old Antwana Smith - who had turned 18 one week before she shot and killed Treyonta…

School board considers taking over busing after fatal crash

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Hamilton County school officials are considering bringing busing in-house and expanding the role of its pool of independent bus drivers in the wake of a bus crash in which six children were killed last year. News…

Manning, Jimmy Haslam to assist in Tennessee’s AD search

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam are part of a search committee helping Tennessee in its search for an athletic director. Tennessee announced Friday that it has hired the Turnkey Sports…

Trump protesters who chained themselves to Tennessee Capitol arrested

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- State troopers have arrested six protesters who had chained themselves to the doors of the Tennessee Capitol at a protest of President Donald Trump's inauguration. Troopers and firefighters used shears to cut the protesters loose from each…

Major crime up in Memphis; homicides surged 42 percent in 2016

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Newly released statistics show the major crime rate in Memphis increased in 2016. Data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation compiled by the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission released Wednesday shows the rise in major crime was…

Gov. Haslam proposes 7-cent Tennessee gas tax hike

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is proposing to raise Tennessee's tax on each gallon of gasoline by 7 cents while cutting the state's sales tax on groceries and income from earnings on stocks and bonds. Haslam says average…

Man killed by Fulton, Ky., police was reportedly armed with knife

FULTON, Ky. (AP) -- Authorities say a man who was killed by a western Kentucky police officer earlier this week died of two gunshot wounds. Kentucky State Police Lt. Kyle Nall says preliminary autopsy results show that 43-year-old Charles Christopher…

Georgia man receives life in prison for meth distribution

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A Georgia man faces a sentence of life in prison on methamphetamine distribution charges. A news release from the U.S. District attorney in eastern Tennessee says 59-year-old James Hedelsky of Bartow County, Georgia, received the life…

Board to review historic sites for national register

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A state board has scheduled a meeting to review proposed nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. The Tennessee State Review Board is planning to meet Jan. 25 at the Tennessee Historical Commission in Nashville.…

Panel to review how fire spread from park to Tennessee town

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - A fire review team in Tennessee is going to investigate the fires that tore through Gatlinburg and killed 14 people. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash tells the Knoxville News-Sentinel (http://bit.ly/2k19vRT ) that a…

Haslam to unveil top legislative priority on Wednesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is scheduled to unveil his top legislative priority on Wednesday as state lawmakers await details on his plan to boost transportation funding in Tennessee. Lawmakers are largely sympathetic to Haslam's arguments that…

Postal worker who hid piles of mail in home gets probation

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A former Tennessee postal worker who kept nearly 2,700 pieces of undelivered mail inside her home won't have to spend time behind bars. The Kingsport Times-News (http://bit.ly/2k1gP00 ) reports that a Greeneville federal judge recently sentenced…

White deputy in Tennessee suspended for using racial slur

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A white sheriff's sergeant in Tennessee has been suspended after he used a racial slur while talking to a black deputy. The Chattanooga Times Free-Press reports (http://bit.ly/2iDqbKc) Sgt. George Jackson received a three-day suspension and must…

Authorities investigating 2 deaths in Middle Tennessee

BRADYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say they are investigating an incident in Middle Tennessee that left two people dead and another hospitalized. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Susan Niland told media that a man died from an apparent gunshot wound…

Man convicted of murder in crowbar beating death of student

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey man accused of using a crowbar to fatally beat a college student from Tennessee three years ago has been convicted on murder charges. A Middlesex County jury also convicted Timothy Puskas on…

Report: Investigation into deadly school bus crash continues

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A preliminary report says federal transportation safety officials are still investigating what caused a Chattanooga school bus crash that killed six students. The National Transportation Safety Board report released Tuesday says on Nov. 21, a 24-year-old…

Obama commutes Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is commuting the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst who leaked classified documents. The White House says Manning is one of 209 inmates whose sentences Obama is shortening. Manning is…

AP Source: GM to announce $1B factory investment, new jobs

DETROIT (AP) - A person briefed on the matter says General Motors will announce a $1 billion investment in its factories that will create or keep around 1,000 jobs. The investment will be announced Tuesday. The person tells The Associated…

Police: 12 arrested in protest at Valero refinery in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Police say 12 people have been arrested during a protest at the Valero refinery in Memphis. Memphis police spokesman Louis Brownlee says protesters used 55-gallon drums to block the south Memphis refinery's truck loading entrance on…

Tenn. Congressman Steve Cohen to boycott Trump inauguration

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee congressman says he'll boycott President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration to support his Democratic colleague, John Lewis, who became embroiled in a feud with the incoming Republican president. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen chose the site of…

Feds change horse regulations aimed at stopping soring

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Federal officials have made regulation changes aimed at stopping the practice of soring among Tennessee walking horses and similar breeds. The Tennessean reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced changes Friday to the Horse Protection Act.…

Memphis celebrates King’s legacy on MLK Day

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Residents of Memphis, the city where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, are honoring his legacy with neighborhood events and a daylong celebration at the National Civil Rights Museum. Volunteers on Monday fanned…

Former conjoined twins leave Tennessee hospital

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - One-year-old formerly conjoined twin girls from Nigeria have been released from a Tennessee hospital. The Commercial Appeal  reports Le Bonheur Children's Hospital released Miracle and Testimony Ayeni on Tuesday and they are staying with their parents…

Nashville journalist told to release documents in libel case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Nashville television reporter has been ordered to hand over documents from his investigation of a district attorney. The Tennessean reports a judge in Nashville on Friday ruled WTVF-TV reporter Phil Williams must release the documents…

Nashville police: 2 Teens charged in shooting deaths

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville police say two 16-year-old boys have been charged in the shooting deaths of two other teenagers at a home. Metropolitan Nashville Police say in a news release the suspects were charged with two counts each…

Great Smoky Mountains National Park hits 2016 visit record

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - Great Smoky Mountains National Park says it welcomed a record 11.3 million visitors in 2016 despite a deadly wildfire that began in the park. A news release from the park says that the attendance numbers amount…

Tennessee lawmakers face Feb. 9 deadline to file bills

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers have until Feb. 9 to file legislation they want to have considered during this year's legislative session. The House and Senate on Thursday completed their organizational sessions that involved electing the speakers, assigning committees…

Clayborn Temple in Memphis gets $400k grant for preservation

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The National Park Service has awarded Memphis a $400,000 grant for preservation of the historic Clayborn Temple, which served as the home base for the sanitation workers strike that brought civil rights leader Martin Luther King…

Loretta Lynn, Shania Twain, Jason Aldean get museum exhibits

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will feature exhibits on Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Loretta Lynn and Shania Twain in 2017. The museum announced Friday their slate of exhibitions for the…

Tennessee traffic stop ends with police shooting 2 people

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a traffic stop in Tennessee ended with state police troopers firing at two people. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Leslie Earhart told WYCB-TV the two Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers fired their guns Thursday evening…

Man appointed to be interim replacement for jailed sheriff

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Rutherford County officials have appointed an interim sheriff while the county's sheriff remains in jail on charges that he profited from the sale of e-cigarettes to inmates. News outlets report that the Rutherford County Commission voted…

Pipeline reopens near Chattanooga after gasoline leak

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A pipeline in Chattanooga has reopened less than a week after it was closed because of a gasoline leak. Colonial Pipeline spokesman Aaron Smith tells news outlets that the affected portion near Signal Mountain was repaired…

Newly-elected Tennessee Senate speaker names top staffer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Newly-elected state Senate Speaker Randy McNally isn't wasting much time in reshaping the leadership of his office. McNally, who took over the chamber's top post earlier this week, on Friday named longtime adviser Rick Nicholson to…