Author: Associated Press

State officials asking hunters for more info on deer herds

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Hunters in Kentucky this upcoming season will be asked to provide additional information about harvested deer and elk. All deer and elk taken by hunters in the state must be reported to the Kentucky Department of…

Man held in 5 slayings blames massacre on drugs

CITRONELLE, Ala. (AP) - A man held in the slayings of five people in rural Alabama says drugs are to blame for the killings. Derrick Dearman made the comments Monday as he was led to jail in shackles by law…

Officer resigns after suspension over Snapchat image

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis police say an officer has resigned after an investigation into an image posted on a social media site showing a gun pointed at a cartoon drawing of a black boy. News media report Michael Malone,…

Nashville-to-Memphis flights coming; first time since 2013

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Travelers going between Nashville and Memphis will have the opportunity to fly commercial for the first time in three years beginning next month. Southern Airways says in a news release it will fly between the two…

Memphis counseling service billed for $300k in fake services

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The owner of a Memphis counseling service has pleaded guilty to defrauding TennCare of more than $300,000 by billing for services that were never performed. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in…

Thrill-ride accidents spark new demands for regulation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - In some parts of the U.S., the thrill rides that whirl kids around are checked by state inspectors before customers climb on. But in other places, they aren't required to get the once-over. A boy's death…

DUI, possession charges dropped against bus driver in crash

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A judge has dropped charges against a former Knox County school bus driver suspected of being intoxicated during a crash. News outlets report that Judge Geoff Emery on Monday granted prosecutors' motion to dismiss charges of…

Democrats hit jackpot with Tennessee Powerball winner

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Democrats have hit the jackpot with a Tennessee Powerball winner. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/2bAh7Gq ) that Roy Cockrum, who won a $154 million lump sum payout in 2014, has since then given more than…

Court: 2013 lockout of Memphis Kellogg’s employees was legal

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A federal appeals court has ruled that a 2013 lockout of unionized workers at a Memphis Kellogg's plant was legal. The Commercial Appeal reports (http://bit.ly/2bcbPS8) the appeals court on Friday overturned a National Labor Relations order…

Tennessee scrambles to avoid losing $60M in road money

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee officials are scrambling to avoid losing $60 million in federal road funding because of a new state law that runs afoul of zero-tolerance standards for underage drivers who have been drinking. Federal guidelines suggest a…

Kentucky man accused of selling stolen textbooks

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - University of Kentucky police have arrested a Lexington man after textbooks were discovered missing from campus offices. University police say in a news release that 30-year-old Anthony Shields was charged Saturday with third-degree burglary and possession…

Exhibit on giant fish to open at Chattanooga aquarium

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Aquarium plans to open a National Geographic exhibit on giant fish next month. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the exhibit titled "Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants" will be coupled…

Body found believed to be missing Tennessee college student

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a woman who was found dead near Knoxville is believed to be a missing East Tennessee State University student. Media outlets reports investigators from the Greene County Sheriff's Office found 20-year-old Diana Guzman's car…

Bulldog who was MSU mascot dies just short of 11th birthday

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - A bulldog who roamed the sidelines as the Mississippi State University mascot has died. The university says Bully XX (Bully 20) died Sunday of complications of congestive heart failure. The dog also known as Champ would…

Alcohol vote set for next month in Pineville

PINEVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Voters in a southeastern Kentucky town will decide next month whether to expand alcohol sales in the community. WYMT-TV reports the city of Pineville already allows alcohol to be sold in restaurants, but if the ballot…

Police bust ‘Barn Burner’ attended by 300 partygoers

WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. (AP) - Authorities arrested three men while busting a party attended by hundreds of people that they say included underage drinking. Whitley County sheriff's deputies tell news outlets that they received information that underage drinking was occurring at…

Prosecutor: Father charged in girl’s death fails drug test

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A prosecutor says a Tennessee man accused of fatally shooting his 11-year-old daughter has failed a drug test after bonding out of jail. Sumner County District Attorney Ray Whitley tells news outlets that he was notified…

3 companies owe Lowndes County $411K in back taxes

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - Lowndes County is hoping to recover more than $400,000 in owed taxes from three companies. The Commercial Dispatch reports the board of supervisors granted permission to Tax Assessor Greg Andrews the week to pursue the taxes,…

Suit against Southaven police dismissed

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. (AP) - A lawsuit against Southaven police filed by the family of a man killed in 2014 has been dismissed. In an order entered Aug. 10 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, The Commercial…

Judge lowers bond in Saucier bank robbery case

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A judge has reduced bond and stipulated help for a 29-year-old Saucier woman accused in the robberies of two banks using butcher knives and wearing a disguise. The Sun Herald reports Brittnei Farmer faced a $100,000…

Ex-substitute teacher gets 10 years in prison for child porn

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - A former Kentucky substitute teacher will spend 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. The Daily News of Bowling Green reports a U.S. District judge sentenced 50-year-old Leon W. Lussier of…

Knoxville state Rep. Martin Daniel booked on assault charge

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican state Rep. Martin Daniel of Knoxville has been booked on an assault charge stemming from an altercation with a primary opponent during a candidate forum. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Daniel was booked on…

Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart announces retirement

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart is retiring effective June 30. The school announced the decision Thursday. Hart said in a statement he decided this would be a good time to step down "as I thought about…

Appeals court affirms dismissal of ex-college players’ suit

CINCINNATI (AP) - An appellate court has affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by 10 former college athletes who said television networks and college conferences profited from their names and likenesses without permission. The U.S. District Court of Appeals…

ACLU settles lawsuit over ‘Some People Are Gay’ T-shirt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has settled a federal lawsuit sparked by a student's T-shirt in support of gay rights. The Tennessean reports (http://tnne.ws/2bnLYas) the lawsuit was filed in November on behalf of a…

Tennessee revokes church status of ministry, issues $5K fine

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The state of Tennessee has revoked the church status of a Williamson County ministry and fined it $5,000. The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/2bLi54h) reported on Thursday that the Secretary of State's office imposed the civil penalty against Wayne…

Judge spares Aretha Franklin house from demolition – for now

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A judge has seen enough progress on the dilapidated home where singer Aretha Franklin was born to keep it from being demolished. News outlets report that Shelby County Environmental Court Judge Larry Potter on Thursday gave…

Police: Man refuses to stop, crashes car, ditches daughter

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee man is in custody after police say he refused to stop for a police officer, crashed his car and fled, leaving behind his 7-year-old daughter. The Leaf-Chronicle (http://leafne.ws/2bAJEKs) reports the incident happened Wednesday in…

Man pleads guilty in shooting of former Metro councilman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A man accused of shooting former Nashville Metro councilman Loniel Greene has pleaded guilty to an aggravated assault charge. The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/2bBEQ9G ) reports that 20-year-old Brandon Hunt-Clark was placed on supervised probation for three years…

Woman rescued after falling off bluff in Tennessee

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a woman who fell 50 feet off a bluff on Raccoon Mountain in Tennessee has been rescued and airlifted to a hospital. Chattanooga Fire Department Battalion Chief Ashley May tells news outlets that the…

Man who stole watches from outlets must serve time in prison

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A man who committed a string of outlet store break-ins that targeted watches in Connecticut and elsewhere will have to serve time in prison. Forty-year-old Cuban national Alionis Perez pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in May…

Lawsuit: Beale Street cover charge is double taxation

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A merchant has filed a lawsuit against the city of Memphis over a $10 cover charge to enter Beale Street. The Commercial Appeal reports that Lucille Catron filed the lawsuit Friday against the city and several…

Nashville marijuana decriminalization bill goes to committee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A proposal to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in Nashville has cleared its first hurdle in the Metro Council. Media outlets report that Tuesday evening the Metro Council voted to advance a bill that…

Volkswagen seat supplier announces expansion, 190 new jobs

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Chattanooga Seating Systems says an expansion at its facility Volkswagen's Tennessee plant will create 190 jobs. The Volkswagen supplier is a joint venture between Magna Seating and Hollingsworth Logistics. CEO Stephen Barr cited the company's close…

Shelby County inmate pleads guilty to setting fire to cell

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors say a Shelby County penal farm inmate has pleaded guilty to arson for using toilet paper and disciplinary reports to set a fire in his cell. The Shelby County district attorney's office says Clarence Spiller…

Tennessee infant triplets nearly break world record for size

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A set of Tennessee triplets delivered five months ago nearly broke the world record for being the largest ever born. WBIR-TV reports Stella, Jack and Luke Tipton were just two pounds shy of breaking the world…

Google warns impasse could pull plug on fiber in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Google is warning that an impasse over access to utility poles could lead the company to pull the plug on its plans to bring its fiber optic broadband service to Nashville. The Tennessean reports that Mayor…

Police: Toddler struck, killed by vehicle in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Officials say a toddler has died after being struck by a vehicle in south Nashville. News outlets report that Metro Nashville Police say the incident happened Monday evening at the Stonebrook Apartments. Police say the 21-month-old…

Police: Ala. woman illegally won $3K on casino baccarat game

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Police say an Alabama woman illegally won $3,000 on a baccarat game at a Mississippi casino by placing a bet after the cards had been revealed. Biloxi Police Detective Brock Newell tells The Sun Herald 46-year-old…

Mississippi teen missing for 43 years finally identified

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi resident missing for 43 years has been identified as the unidentified teen killed in a traffic accident in Texas City, Texas, in 1973. Harrison County Sheriff's Investigator Kristi Johnson tells The Sun Herald Mary…

Deputies: Man fatally drags dog behind truck for miles

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky man has been arrested after deputies say he dragged his dog for miles behind his truck, killing the animal. Edmonson County Deputy Jordan Jones told WBKO-TV on Thursday that Calvin Dennis of Grayson…

2-year-old passenger killed in ATV crash in Owen County

OWENTON, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky State Police say a 2-year-old child has died after an ATV crash in Owen County. Media outlets report State Police say the incident happened Sunday evening. Authorities say 27-year-old Spencer Lawson of Owenton was driving…

State officials to spread awareness of Zika at state fair

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - State officials are raising awareness about the Zika virus at this year's Kentucky State Fair. Officials from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Kentucky Department of Public Health and the state agriculture department are…

Kentucky, West Virginia partners to study toxic algae blooms

MURRAY, Ky. (AP) - Researchers from Marshall University, Murray State University and the University of Kentucky are teaming up to study toxic algae blooms. The National Science Foundation has awarded a $3.8 million grant that will use sensors to monitor…

New Graceland entertainment complex under construction

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Graceland officials say a new entertainment complex being built across the street from Elvis Presley's former home-turned-museum will include a large soundstage for live performances and movie screenings, and an exhibit honoring influential music producer Sam…

Greenville increasing water rates to fund system improvement

GREENVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Greenville residents will pay more for water and sewer rates starting this fall, and annual increases are expected for a decade so the city can pay for improvements to the system. The Delta Democrat-Times reports that…