Author: Associated Press

Ex-Knox schools supervisor stole district money to gamble

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A former Knox County Schools supervisor has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $10,000 from the district during a five-month period. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/2cr5Haf) Roger Underwood was fired in October after admitting to…

FedEx to build $190M distribution center in Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - FedEx has announced plans to build a $190 million distribution center in Murfreesboro. The Daily News Journal reports (http://on.dnj.com/2bVr2Fs ) that the Memphis-based shipping company will add the equivalent of 200 full-time positions to work at…

Timber salvage sale proposed at Land Between the Lakes

GOLDEN POND, Ky. (AP) - Officials at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area are accepting comment on a proposed timber salvage sale stemming from storm damage in July. Land Between the Lakes supervisor Tina Tilley says more than 200…

Property manager, mom charged with stealing tenants’ rent

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors say an apartment property manager and her mother have been charged with stealing more than $8,000 in rent payments from tenants. The Shelby County district attorney's office said Wednesday that 40-year-old Candace Monie and her…

Family of man who died during dive sues Florida dive shop

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - The wife of a Tennessee man who died during a scuba dive in the Florida Panhandle is suing the dive shop. The News Herald (http://bit.ly/2cf2TbT ) reports the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Panama City claims…

Police: Jack in the Box employee may have been in on robbery

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Nashville Jack in the Box employee has been accused of setting up a robbery at the fast food restaurant. Citing a police report, news outlets report that 23-year-old Senquoia Miles was charged with aggravated robbery…

Suspects in fatal student shooting plead not guilty

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Two men have pleaded not guilty to fatally shooting a 19-year-old after a dice game at Tennessee State University last year. The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/2bJMlrh ) reports that on Wednesday, 20-year-old Robert Tunstall and 20-year-old Chris Gatewood…

Police: 14-year-old shot, wounded near Memphis high school

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a teenager has been shot and wounded near a Memphis high school. Memphis Fire Department senior operator Gerald Wilks tells local news organizations that the 14-year-old boy was shot in the leg Wednesday afternoon…

Sept. 19 arraignment for 6 Explo Systems owners, executives

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Arraignment is scheduled Sept. 19 for owners and officials of a company charged with conspiracy involving 7,800 tons of potentially explosive artillery propellant eventually abandoned at a Louisiana facility. They're accused of lying to get contracts…

Haslam announces retirement of longtime state museum head

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says the longtime director of the Tennessee State Museum is retiring. Lois Riggins-Ezzell, who has led the state museum since 1981, will step down at the end of the year. After that, she…

Ex-high school coach asks for charges to be dropped

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - An ex-basketball coach for three Tennessee high school students who were convicted of assaulting their teammate has asked a judge to dismiss charges against him. Media outlets report Andre Montgomery asked Wednesday that his four charges…

Baptist hospital groups in Mississippi and Memphis may merge

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Leaders of two Baptist hospital systems say they're exploring a merger. Officials with Jackson-based Mississippi Baptist Health Systems and the larger Baptist Memorial Health Care of Memphis, Tennessee made the announcement Thursday. They say a merger…

Volkswagen files appeal of UAW ruling at Tennessee plant

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Volkswagen is appealing a National Labor Relations Board ruling allowing a small group of employees at the German automaker's lone U.S. plant to be represented by the United Auto Workers union. Volkswagen filed an appeal Thursday…

Labor board orders Volkswagen to begin bargaining with UAW

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The National Labor Relations Board is ordering Volkswagen to engage in bargaining with a group of skilled trade workers who voted to be represented by the United Auto Workers union at the German automaker's lone U.S.…

Feds indict 2 Explo Systems owners, 4 officials

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal prosecutors in northwest Louisiana have unsealed a 32-count indictment against owners and officials of a company accused of leaving 7,800 tons of potentially explosive artillery propellant at a Louisiana National Guard facility. A news release…

Mississippi man convicted in Memphis pastor’s shooting death

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors say a Mississippi man has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of a Memphis minister. The Shelby County district attorney's office said 25-year-old Roger Reed Jr. was convicted Friday…

Milestone completed in demolition of Manhattan Project plant

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) - Demolition workers in Tennessee have taken down the last building in a massive Oak Ridge uranium enrichment complex built more than 70 years ago as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. The Knoxville News Sentinel…

Police: 3-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in wrist

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Police in Nashville say a 3-year-old boy has been taken to the hospital after he accidentally shot himself in the wrist. Multiple news agencies report that Metro Nashville police say officers were flagged down near Interstate…

Tennessee man drowns while swimming on SC coast

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (AP) - Authorities say a Tennessee man has drowned along the South Carolina coast amid warnings of rip currents because of a tropical depression offshore. Local news outlets report 64-year-old Dwight Smith of Knoxville, Tennessee, died…

Ex-Upper Cumberland Development District boss pleads guilty

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The former head of the Upper Cumberland Development District has pleaded guilty to federal theft charges. Media outlets report that 55-year-old Wendy Askins entered her plea Tuesday and will receive a sentence of 18 months behind…

Officials: Federal inmate escaped from detention center

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a federal inmate has escaped from the Washington County Detention Center in Jonesborough. The Johnson City Press (http://bit.ly/2cce99d ) reports that 37-year-old Timothy England escaped from the facility early Tuesday. The Washington County Sheriff's…

Authorities investigating fire at nuclear power plant

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities are investigating a fire that broke out at a nuclear power plant in Spring City. Local news outlets report that crews responded to the fire at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tuesday night and extinguished the…

Volkswagen stakes hopes of US sales revival on new SUV

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Volkswagen's new SUV comes with a feature that automatically controls braking to each wheel as the seven-seater descends on slippery off-road terrain. The German automaker is staking its hopes on the new model being just as…

Troopers say alcohol involved in Vanleer firetruck wreck

DICKSON, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Highway Patrol says alcohol was involved in the wreck of a firetruck that overturned on its way to house fire. The Tennessean reports that the tanker truck carrying three Vanleer volunteer firefighters missed a…

Judge rules in high school basketball rape case

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A person familiar with the case says one Tennessee high school basketball player has been found guilty of aggravated rape and two others were found guilty of aggravated assault against a freshman teammate. The person spoke…

Ex-school bus driver faces capital murder in woman’s death

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - A former school bus driver from Alabama is awaiting extradition from Tennessee on capital murder and other charges in the shooting death of a 72-year-old woman whose car police say he stole. Huntsville police say 27-year-old…

Under Armour warehouse to employ 1,000 at steel mill site

DUNDALK, Md. (AP) - Under Armour is planning to open a distribution warehouse at the site of a former steel mill east of Baltimore. According to The Baltimore Sun, (http://tinyurl.com/jt77kfa) the Baltimore-based sports apparel company will employ 1,000 people at…

Man with weeks to live fulfills wish by marrying girlfriend

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A terminally ill man with weeks to live has fulfilled a dying wish by marrying his girlfriend. The Daily News Journal reports (http://on.dnj.com/2bXAdqr ) Chris Ford and Nicole Wismer had planned to marry in October but…

Prosecutors: 15-year-old boy fatally shoots soldier on leave

HARRIMAN, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors in Roane County say a 15-year-old boy has shot and killed a soldier who was visiting his girlfriend between deployments. The office of the 9th Judicial District said in a statement that the teen fatally…

Brinks guard shot during robbery at Memphis bank

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Police say an armored truck guard has been shot during an attempted robbery at a bank in Memphis. Memphis police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph says a Brinks guard was taken to a hospital in critical condition after…

Volkswagen plans expansion of test track at Tennessee plant

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Volkswagen is planning to expand the test track at its Chattanooga plant so it can better evaluate the new SUV that is scheduled to be built at the facility later this year. The Chattanooga Times Free…

Hearing held in Tennessee high school basketball rape case

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Three Tennessee high school basketball players are in juvenile court to face charges that they raped a freshman teammate in an apparent hazing incident. The Sevier County Juvenile Court clerk's office confirmed a hearing for the…

12 sentenced for sending meth to Tennessee from California

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors say 12 members of an organization that trafficked methamphetamine from California to Tennessee have been sentenced to more than 83 years in prison combined. The U.S. attorney's office said Monday that 12 defendants have been…

Shop sells shirts to raise $40K for fallen officer’s family

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee sporting goods store has raised $40,000 by selling thousands of T-shirts to benefit the family of a fallen police officer. Maryville Officer Kenny Moats was shot in the neck just above his bulletproof vest…

Judge orders Nashville police to provide accident reports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A judge has ordered that the Metropolitan Nashville Police make accident reports available to inspection within three days of the end of the shift of the officer who created the report. The Davidson County Chancery Court…

UT Institute of Agriculture begins chancellor search

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has begun searching for a new chancellor. According to the school, a search committee met on Friday and set a timeline to have the new leader in place during…

Tennessee Valley Authority operations chief retiring

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority says its chief operating officer will retire at the end of the year. Chip Pardee joined TVA in April 2013. According to a Monday news release, Pardee's contributions include improvements to the…

Shelby County abortions fall by nearly 37 percent

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The number of abortions performed in Shelby County has fallen sharply during the past five years. The Commercial Appeal reports (http://memne.ws/2bUCIcZ) that abortions in the county declined by 36.6 percent between 2011 and 2014, the most…

Mr. Fuji, former star wrestler and manager, dies at 82

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - World Wrestling Entertainment says former star wrestler and manager Harry Fujiwara, better known as Mr. Fuji, has died. He was 82. An obituary on WWE's website says Fujiwara died Sunday morning. A WWE spokesman tells The…

Taylor Swift dismissed from Nashville jury pool

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Nashville judge has dismissed pop star Taylor Swift as a potential juror in an aggravated rape and kidnapping case. Davidson County District Attorney General's Office spokesman Ken Whitehouse says Swift told the judge on Monday…

Former Millington reserve officer sentenced for child porn

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a former Millington reserve police officer has been sentenced to 26 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to child pornography charges earlier this year. The U.S. attorney's office says 67-year-old Rickie Friar…

Astronaut to speak to Southern seminary leader from space

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A NASA astronaut will speak live from space with Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr. this week. Jeff Williams and his crewmates are staying 172 days aboard the International Space Station. They launched into…

Woman fatally struck by car while looking at snake in road

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Officials say a Georgia woman has been fatally struck by a vehicle after getting out of her car to look at a snake in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Multiple news agencies report that…

Police: Man threw Molotov cocktails in ex-girlfriend’s home

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A man has been arrested after being accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into his ex-girlfriend's Memphis home, causing a fire. Police tell WMC-TV that David McShan was taken into custody and charged with aggravated arson after…

Tennessee Valley Authority approves $10.37 billion budget

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority has approved a $10.37 billion budget for fiscal year 2017. President and CEO Bill Johnson has made diversifying TVA's energy generation fleet a priority. According to a news release from the utility,…

Officer killed while responding to 2nd domestic call at home

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a police officer who was fatally shot in eastern Tennessee was responding to the second domestic disturbance in the same day at the home. Blount County Sheriff James Berrong said officers lacked probable cause…

Nonprofits donate $100K to fight bat-killing fungus

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Two nonprofits will donate $100,000 to fight a fungus that's killing cave bats in many places, including Kentucky. The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/2bFQxIE ) reports that Bat Conservation International and the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature…

Jury rules Chattanooga failed to give officers pay raises

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A jury in Hamilton County has ruled that the city of Chattanooga failed to give police officers promised raises and to maintain fair conditions of employment. The Chattanooga Times Free-Press (http://bit.ly/2cfNnRc ) reports that on Thursday…

Court approves $1.6 million settlement of air-pollution suit

BALTIMORE (AP) - A judge has approved a $1.6 million settlement of a 16-year-old air-pollution lawsuit against a western Maryland paper mill. U.S. District Judge Marvin Garbis signed the consent decree Friday involving the mill in Luke, currently owned by…

Guard gets diversion in Memphis bus passenger’s death

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors say a security guard has been placed on a special type of probation in the death of a Memphis city bus passenger. Shelby County's district attorney's office says 52-year-old Adicus Mitchell was placed Friday on…