Author: Associated Press

Long lines expected at airport following CMA Fest, Bonnaroo

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville International Airport officials have issued a travel alert warning passengers flying out of Music City that crowds could get big at the airport. With the departure of CMA Music Festival and Bonnaroo Music And Arts…

Fort Campbell honoring late advocate of Army, soldiers

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - Fort Campbell will hold a ceremony honoring a longtime advocate for the Army, especially Fort Campbell soldiers and their families. The post said Clarissa Ann Jackson "T.C." Freeman died May 19 at the age of…

Grants allow Kentucky students to visit state parks

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Seven Kentucky schools have received transportation grants in the latest round, allowing more than 2,000 students to visit a state park. The Kentucky Parks Department says in a news release the grant program is sponsored by…

Sullivan County man killed in tractor accident

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Police in Sullivan County say a 61-year-old man has died in a tractor accident. The Kingsport Times News reports William McClure was pronounced dead at the scene Friday. Sullivan County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Leslie Earhart says…

Jackson’s 1st LGBT pride parade: ‘it was much love’

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The organizer of Jackson's first LGBT pride parade says authorities thought it might be rowdy, but it was, in her words, "much love." Temica Morton says she's wanted to hold such a parade for three years,…

2 get probation for stealing from Toys for Tots

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A father and son have been sentenced to probation for stealing thousands of dollars from a Marine Corps Toys for Tots program in central Kentucky. Media outlets report 52-year-old Rusty Gaines and his 32-year-old son, Josh…

Police fatally shoot man suspected of killing young woman

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - Authorities say police in north Mississippi fatally shot a man who was suspected of killing a young woman. Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain says Tupelo police shot 27-year-old Lyndarius Cortez Witherspoon of Tupelo after…

Names of pilot, mom in Tennessee plane crash released

COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities have released the name of a pilot and his mother involved in a small plane crash in Tennessee. Collegedale police spokeswoman Tonya Sadler says the single-engine plane crashed Saturday as it was coming in to…

Louisville officer shot, wounded during pursuit of suspect

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville police say an officer is hospitalized after being shot during a foot chase and a suspect is being sought. Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad tells media outlets that Officer Kyle Carroll was wearing a bulletproof…

1 dead, 1 injured in Clarksville shooting

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Police in Clarksville say one man has died and another was wounded in a shooting outside an apartment complex. Media outlets report police were called to the apartments in Clarksville after shots were reported around 12:45…

Prisons keeping schedule blamed for low morale, turnover

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State prison officials say they are keeping a controversial shift schedule that critics have blamed for understaffing and violence. Correction Department spokeswoman Neysa Taylor says the 28-day schedule won't change, although facilities may now use 12-hour…

President Carter tours construction of Noah’s ark in Ky.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter visited the site of a Noah's Ark attraction being built in central Kentucky. Carter toured the 510-foot-long wooden ark after an invitation from a friend whose firm is helping construct the ark.…

Ali’s wife thanks world for its support since his death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Muhammad Ali's greatest champion thanked the world for its support since the boxing great's death. His widow, Lonnie Ali, then embraced the role as chief advocate for her husband's legacy at his memorial service on Friday.…

Ole Miss adding slavery info to plaque by Confederate statue

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The University of Mississippi will revise a plaque beside a Confederate monument on its Oxford campus to add more information about the Civil War and slavery. Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said Friday that the change comes in…

2nd body of 2 missing workers found in gravel pit

CRYSTAL SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - The second body of two men missing in a landslide at a gravel pit in southern Mississippi has been found. Ray Coleman, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, says in a statement that…

Starkville eyes historic designation for Oktibbeha Gardens

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Starkville is embarking a process that would place Oktibbeha Gardens on the National Register of Historic Places. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History awarded the city a $5,000 grant in April for a historic resources…

Blue Angels pilot to be buried in Durango

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) - A private burial ceremony for a Blue Angels pilot who was killed in a crash while practicing for an airshow is planned for Saturday. The body of 32-year-old Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss arrived Friday on the…

Attorney: US using ‘untested legal theory’ against scientist

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The attorney for a nuclear engineer accused of helping a Chinese energy company build nuclear reactors with U.S. technology says the government's case involves "novel and untested legal theories." Documents filed Wednesday seek to have Szuhsiung…

Study: More help needed for unrepresented in family court

DENVER (AP) - After speaking to more than 100 people in Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon and Tennessee who represented themselves in family court, researchers are calling on lawyers to provide cheaper services and courts to offer more support. Some jurisdictions report…

Gatlinburg detective, Ooltewah coach enter not guilty pleas

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - An attorney for the Gatlinburg detective charged with perjury for his testimony in the Ooltewah High School basketball player rape case says Det. Rodney Burns has entered a not guilty plea. The charges against Burns stem…

Prisons keeping schedule blamed for low morale, turnover

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State prison officials say they are keeping a controversial shift schedule that critics have blamed for understaffing and violence. Correction Department spokeswoman Neysa Taylor says the 28-day schedule won't change, although facilities may now use 12-hour…

Southern Baptists talk racial unity with black Baptist head

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - When Ferguson, Missouri, exploded two years ago with racial unrest, the newly elected president of the historically white Southern Baptist Convention was moved to action. Together with an interracial group of Southern Baptist pastors, the Rev.…

Racial justice groups seek disciplinary reform in DeSoto Co.

HERNANDO, Miss. (AP) - A coalition of racial justice groups, including one involved in a civil-rights complaint against DeSoto County schools, is calling for "decisive action" to end what it calls persistent racial disparities in student discipline. The Commercial Appeal…

Jackson hit with technical violation for water treatment

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Jackson residents have received notice that the city recently violated a drinking water requirement in regard to its treatment methods. Public Works Director Kishia Powell tells The Clarion-Ledger the facility's corrosion control had not been "optimized,"…

Columbus begin housing survey to focus on grant money

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - Columbus residents might get some visitors from the city during the next few weeks. The Commercial Dispatch reports the city is conducting a random survey of residents within city limits to determine what sort of homes…

Biloxi man sentenced in child porn case

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A 42-year-old Biloxi man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for filming a girl naked, and 10 years for downloading more than 400 videos and pictures of children engaged in sex acts. The Sun…

Memphis man charged with throwing bricks at City Hall

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A prosecutor says a 48-year-old Memphis man has been charged in an indictment with throwing bricks through windows at City Hall and riding away on a bicycle on three different occasions. Investigators said a man walked…

Arraignment set for man in death of Waffle House waitress

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - An arraignment is set for Monday for a former Biloxi firefighter accused in the shooting death of a Waffle House waitress. A grand jury indicted 45-year-old Johnny Max Mount on a charge of first-degree murder in…

Inmate escapes from Louisville Metro Corrections

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Authorities are searching for an inmate who they say escaped from Louisville Metro Corrections custody while he was assigned to a kitchen work detail. Officials say in a news release that 37-year-old Smith Edward Vance escaped…

Obed rangers to discuss park’s natural resources

WARTBURG, Tenn. (AP) - Park rangers from Obed Wild and Scenic River will discuss the park's natural resources during a program next week. The event is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at REI Knoxville. The park says in a news…

Arrest made in theft of nearly $44K in meat in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A man has been arrested in the theft of nearly $44,000 worth of meat from J.B. Swift Co. in Louisville. Media outlets report an arrest citation released Thursday says 54-year-old Previn Sanford is accused of stealing…

Cincinnati man pleads guilty in Kentucky jail drug case

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A Cincinnati man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide illegal drugs to a woman who fatally overdosed while in a northern Kentucky jail last year. The U.S. attorney's office says 41-year-old Michael Howard pleaded guilty…

10 sentenced for using mail to distribute drugs in 3 states

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors say 10 people, including a U.S. mail carrier, have been collectively sentenced to more than 49 years in federal prison for trafficking drugs in Tennessee, Arizona and California. The U.S. attorney's office says members of…

3 sentenced in New Orleans sex-trafficking case

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal authorities have announced three sentences handed down in an ongoing sex-trafficking case centered on a New Orleans motel. Three Tennessee men were sentenced Wednesday to prison terms ranging from eight to nearly 21 years. The…

Election officials to audit finances of embattled lawmaker

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State election officials say they intend to audit the finances of embattled state Rep. Jeremy Durham. The state registry of election finance board voted Tuesday to investigate Durham's campaign finances back to 2004. The move comes…

Blue Angels pilot killed in crash being honored in Florida

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) - Durango is getting ready to honor a Blue Angels pilot killed in a crash in Tennessee last week. Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss crashed near Nashville while taking off for a practice session ahead of a weekend…

Episcopal bishop: Priests can wed gay couples without my OK

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Episcopal priests in Mississippi no longer need to seek the bishop's permission to perform weddings for same-sex couples. The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi announced what he called the "significant" change in a June…

Mississippi police identify shooter in road rage on I-20

PEARL, Miss. (AP) - An attempted-murder warrant has been issued for a 29-year-old Mississippi man following what police are calling a road-rage shooting on an interstate highway. News media outlets say Pearl Police Capt. Brian McGairty has identified the man…

Haslam signs law that overhauls higher education boards

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- In a move that will transform higher education in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a bill that overhauls the governing boards of some of the state's universities. The Tennesseans reports that Haslam signed the FOCUS Act,…

Sex offender pleads guilty to kidnapping 14-year-old girl

SURGOINSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A convicted sex offender accused of luring a 14-year-old East Tennessee girl away from home has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and other charges in federal court. Media report that 42-year-old Benjamin Shook entered the plea Tuesday…

3 seek superintendent’s job with Hattiesburg schools

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - The president of the Hattiesburg Public School District Board of Trustees has released the names of the three finalists for superintendent. Marcus Cathey tells The Hattiesburg American the finalists are Toriano Holloway, assistant superintendent of Starkville…

Body of 1 of 2 men missing in gravel pit landslide recovered

CRYSTAL SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - The body of one of two men missing in a landslide at a gravel pit in southern Mississippi has been found. Ray Coleman, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, says rescuers found the…

Vanderbilt adds transgender surgeries to student insurance

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Vanderbilt University officials say the school's student insurance will start covering transgender-related surgeries in order to make the campus a more inclusive environment for students who previously had gone without necessary care. Vanderbilt Vice Provost for…

Feds: Man posing as football player sought nude selfies

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Federal authorities say a Tennessee man accused of extorting a woman by posing as a University of Tennessee football player in an attempt to receive nude photos over Snapchat tried similar tactics against 11 other women…

90-year-old woman dies after Jackson house fire

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A 90-year-old woman has died after a house fire in Jackson. Local news agencies report that Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham Stewart says Thelma Roberts passed away Wednesday due to smoke inhalation. Deputy Chief Marcus Davis…

Starkville aldermen reject temporary police space donation

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Starkville aldermen have turned down a temporary donation for police office space ahead of police station renovations. The Commercial Dispatch reports the aldermen rejected the donation from former Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill on Tuesday. Approximately…

Hendersonville doctor charged with kickback violations

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a Hendersonville doctor has been indicted by a federal grand jury and is charged with five counts of violating the federal anti-kickback act. The office of David Rivera, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle…

Rock climbing open at Breaks Interstate Park

ELKHORN CITY, Ky. (AP) - A park along the Kentucky and Virginia border is officially open for rock climbing. Tourism officials say the addition of rock climbing at Breaks Interstate Park will strengthen the park's draw as a destination for…

Doctors urge CMA fans to avoid illness, injury at festival

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Vanderbilt LifeFlight officials are urging fans from around the world visiting the CMA Music Festival this week to be careful to avoid illness and injury. Heat-related illness is the biggest concern of medical workers. Doctors say…