Author: Associated Press

Sneedville man charged with killing dad during truck theft

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a Sneedville man has been charged with killing his father and a woman while stealing a truck. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says Ricky Helmick Jr. was indicted Monday on charges including first…

Miss Mississippi 2016 contestants arrive in Vicksburg

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - Forty-four women have arrived in Vicksburg to compete for the title of Miss Mississippi 2016. News outlets report that this week's Miss Mississippi Pageant is the city's largest annual event in terms of economic impact. The…

Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau cancels city lease

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - The Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau has received the city's permission to leave the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Depot. The Vicksburg Post reports that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday authorized Mayor George…

Health Department: Shelby Co. measles outbreak is over

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Shelby County's measles outbreak has been declared over. Media outlets report that the outbreak began April 5 and sickened seven people, all of whom have recovered. The Shelby County Health Department wasn't able to discover the…

Sheriff: Child dies after being hit by vehicle

SCIENCE HILL, Ky. (AP) - Authorities say a 10-year-old boy has died after being hit by a vehicle in Pulaski County, and investigators are searching for the driver. Media cited a statement from the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office in reporting…

Health Department: Shelby County measles outbreak is over

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Shelby County's measles outbreak has been declared over. Media outlets report that the outbreak began April 5 and sickened seven people, all of whom have recovered. The Shelby County Health Department wasn't able to discover the…

Teen involved in crash during police chase has died

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - Police say a teenager is dead after being thrown from a truck that was fleeing from deputies in East Tennessee who were investigating a report of a robbery. Tennessee Highway Patrol Sgt. Noah Click told…

Chancellor resigning at University of Tennessee in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Jimmy Cheek, the chancellor of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, is resigning to rejoin the faculty. In a Tuesday announcement, the university praised Cheek for increased diversity at the school, record fundraising and $1 billion…

Kentucky clerk asks court to dismiss gay marriage lawsuit

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky clerk who spent five days in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples has asked a federal appeals court to dismiss a lawsuit against her because of a new state law…

MSU board approves tuition, residence hall fee hikes

MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) - Morehead State University's Board of Regents has approved increases in tuition and residence hall fees beginning this fall. The Daily Independent reported on Monday that MSU tuition will increase by 5.33 percent for undergraduate students, and…

Lexington mayor resigns from Bluegrass ADD executive board

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Lexington Mayor Jim Gray has resigned from the Bluegrass Area Development District executive committee. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Gray's resignation was submitted Friday and is effective immediately. Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for Gray, says Gray opted…

Police: Man steals frozen chicken, takes off on bicycle

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Police in Mississippi are investigating a break-in at a fast food restaurant where frozen chicken was taken. Jackson Police Cmdr. Tyree Jones tells WJTV witnesses told police they saw a man enter a Church's Chicken just…

Hundreds of Tenn. grocery stores approved for wine sales

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Alcoholic Beverage Commission has announced that more than half of the Tennessee grocery stores that applied to sell wine under a new state liquor law have received a license to do so. ABC executive director…

Shoulders closed on Milton-Madison Bridge for plate project

MILTON, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says shoulders are closed on the Milton-Madison Bridge across the Ohio River while cover plates are installed this week. The agency says the work is already underway and is expected to help…

4 incoming Tennessee students earn Manning Scholarships

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Benjamin Cruz of Chattanooga, Andrea Ramirez of Cookeville, Chad Smith of Bristol and Courtney Wombles of Loudon are the 2016 winners of the University of Tennessee's Peyton Manning Scholarships. The Manning Scholarships are for incoming students…

Haslam, ECD Commissioner Boyd visit Ireland

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd have been on a trip to Ireland for economic recruitment. Haslam spokeswoman Jennifer Donnals said in an email that Haslam and Boyd were…

TVA seeks comment on Shawnee coal ash storage facility

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority is seeking public comment on a plan to remove and recirculate water used in the coal ash management process at a Kentucky power plant. TVA is proposing to build a dewatering facility…

Report: More than a quarter of state’s children in poverty

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Annual Kids Count report on Tennessee says more than a quarter of the state's children live in poverty and worsening economic conditions explain why child well-being in the Volunteer State has dropped from 36 to…

Man, woman identified in possible murder-suicide

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - Warren County authorities have identified the husband and wife found dead in their home from an apparent murder-suicide. Sheriff Martin Pace tells The Vicksburg Post that deputies responded to an 8:40 p.m. call Saturday of two…

1 arrest, 1 sought in church vandalism

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) - One woman is in custody and Rankin County authorities are searching for another in a church vandalism. The Clarion-Ledger reports Elizabeth Lauren Guy, of Brandon, has been arrested and faces a charge of burglary of St.…

Madison County teen killed in ATV accident

CANTON, Miss. (AP) - A Madison County teenager has been killed after his ATV hit a county work truck. The Clarion-Ledger reports the Mississippi Highway Patrol confirmed the accident occurred Monday. Further details were not immediately released. Coroner Alex Breeland…

State confirms 2 new West Nile virus cases

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi's health department has confirmed two more cases of West Nile virus, bringing this year's total to three. The Mississippi State Department of Health reported Monday that the new cases were in Hinds and Grenada counties.…

Memphis officials ask for delay in request to move statue

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis officials have asked for a postponement of their request to move a statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. The Memphis City Council's attorney, Allan Wade, sent an email Monday to Tennessee Historical Commission Executive…

Court demands new look at race of jurors in 3 convictions

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court says lower courts in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi must re-examine three death penalty convictions for evidence of racial prejudice in jury selection. The court ruled Monday in the cases of Christopher Floyd…

Official: Pilot injured in small plane crash in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a small plane crashed on a mountain in southeastern Tennessee, injuring the pilot. Jeff Knight, a spokesman for the Rhea County Sheriff's Department, says the pilot was conscious when he was taken to Erlanger…

Woman found dead in Smiths Grove identified

SMITHS GROVE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky State Police are investigating the death of a 51-year-old woman found slain in her home in rural south-central Kentucky. Police identified the woman on Monday as Dealynn O'Connor of Smiths Grove in Warren County…

Task force to combat hunger holding first regional meeting

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Department of Agriculture says a panel appointed to combat hunger plans to hold its first regional meeting in northern Kentucky. The agency says in a statement that the Kentucky Hunger Task Force will meet…

School bus driver acquitted of pulling girl’s pants down

BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (AP) - A Lincoln County jury has acquitted a school bus driver who was accused of pulling down a 10-year-old girl's pants. The Daily Leader reports that jurors found Charles Davis not guilty Thursday on a charge of…

Tennessee Military Department conducting disaster drills

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Military Department is conducting one of the biggest disaster preparedness exercises in its history. According to a news release, the exercise this week involves more than 50 Army and Air National Guard units training…

Subcontractor hiring 600 in Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON, Ky. (AP) - A subcontractor will hire 600 people in Mount Vernon to help digitize Department of Veterans Affairs records and reduce backlog. Shaping Our Appalachian Region said in a news release Friday that Dallas-based SourceHOV is hiring…

2nd Tour de Gulfport doubles number of competitors, to 130

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - The Tour de Gulfport bicycle race has doubled in size to about 130 competitors. Riders came from several states, and WLOX-TV reports that one even came from the Netherlands. The event was the criterium championship for…

Officials: Pastor arrested after child sex investigation

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - An Indiana pastor has been arrested in Kentucky after authorities say he traveled to Frankfort to meet a minor for sex. Local news outlets report that officials arrested 46-year-old David James Brown Wednesday on a charge…

Wrestler Jerry Lawler, girlfriend arrested in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Police in Tennessee say wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler and his girlfriend have been arrested on charges of domestic violence. Officers arrested Lawler, who's 66, and 27-year-old Lauryn McBride after responding to a call at Lawler's…

School district getting into debt collection business

MCCOMB, Miss. (AP) - The North Pike School District is looking into getting into the debt collection business as a means of earning revenue for its proposed building expansion project. The Enterprise-Journal reports the Board of Trustees has authorized Superintendent…

Trial dates set for 3 charged in Hattiesburg murder

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Three men accused in the 2014 murder of a Hattiesburg man will stand trial separately this fall. Vernell Daven Miskell, V'Nell L. Miskell and Pedro Barbon Alvarez were arrested for the murder of 20-year-old Johnnie Cooper…

Mayor wants to bring residents, tourists to Waveland

WAVELAND, Miss. (AP) - Waveland Mayor Mike Smith says his focus for the mayor's office is bringing residents and tourists back to the Coast. The Sun Herald reports Waveland, like its neighboring cities, has struggled to grow after 2005's Hurricane…

Louisiana firm receives Mississippi aquarium contract

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - The Gulfport Redevelopment Commission plans to hire a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, firm to market The Mississippi Aquarium, slated to for a downtown space across from Jones Park. Commission Chairwoman Carole Lynn Meadows tells The Sun Herald…

Coroner IDs woman who drowned in Biloxi’s Back Bay

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - A 38-year-old woman who drowned in Biloxi's Back Bay has been identified. Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove says Biloxi Fire Department divers recovered the body of Simber Golden near the Forrest Avenue Pier after officials were…

Chief: 18-wheeler snags power lines, brings down 5 poles

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) - Hundreds of Brandon residents were left without power after officials say an 18-wheeler snagged a power line, bringing down several power poles. Media outlets report Brandon Police Chief William Thompson says the incident happened just before…

Gulfport to hold bench warrant amnesty day Monday

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Residents with an active bench warrant for arrest in the City of Gulfport have the chance to make it right without fear of arrest on Bench Warrant Amnesty Day. WLOX-TV reports the city on Monday will…

Restored machine gun returned to Andrew Johnson Cemetery

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A machine gun captured during World War I is back on display at the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in Greeneville after being restored in West Virginia. The Greeneville Sun reports that the gun captured from Germans…

7 Tennessee clinics get $2.5M to expand oral health services

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Seven Health Resources and Services Administration health centers in Tennessee have been awarded $2.5 million to expand their oral health services. HRSA health centers are public and private non-profit health care organizations that serve a needy…

Medal of Valor awarded posthumously to state trooper

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky State Police trooper killed in the line of duty will be awarded posthumously with the Governor's Medal of Valor. A statement from the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet says Gov. Bevin will present…

Soak Creek in East Tennessee designated as a scenic river

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An East Tennessee creek has been named the state's newest scenic river, the first such designation since 2001. Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation says Gov. Bill Haslam signed legislation adding Soak Creek to the list…

Groundbreaking set for Owensboro’s new bluegrass museum

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) - The International Bluegrass Music Museum and Hall of Fame is about to break ground on a new $15 million facility in Owensboro next week. City leaders including Owensboro Mayor Ron Payne and Daviess County Judge executive…

Nashville Zoo to host wine tasting fundraiser

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Nashville Zoo is hosting its second annual wine-tasting fundraiser, Red, White & Zoo. The event allows visitors to support the zoo and experience exotic habitats while enjoying wines from around the world. Visitors can wander…

UT police to register campus employees for concealed carry

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus police are set to begin registering employees who wish to carry concealed handguns on campus when a new law goes into effect July 1. The caveats in the law mean employees…

Heat wave expands in Midwestern and Southern US states

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A sweltering heat wave is expanding as temperatures in the Midwest and South approach near record-setting levels in the waning days of spring. The National Weather Service says the number of states under heat advisories…