Author: Associated Press

In Memphis and around US, economic averages miss big picture

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) - Dozens of FedEx jets queue up for takeoff at the airport here. Beale Street, the heart of the music district, hums with tourists. Yet the empty storefronts in Memphis' moribund downtown and the cash-advance shops strewn…

Pearl Police probe possible road rage after man shot on I-20

PEARL, Miss. (AP) - Rankin County authorities are searching for two suspects involved in an accident on Interstate 20 where one man was shot. WLBT-TV reports Rankin County Undersheriff Raymond Duke says the unidentified motorist was shot in the head,…

Deputies say 2 women found dead inside Shelby County home

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (AP) - Shelby County deputies say they are investigating the discovery of two married women's bodies as a double homicide. Sheriff's Department spokesman Earle Farrell says the two women were found inside a house near Millington on Monday…

Tennessee to be honored on periodic table of elements

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee will soon be the second state honored on the periodic table of elements. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry on Wednesday recommended the names of four recently discovered elements that are now only…

Woman arrested on child neglect charges a second time

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee woman arrested after authorities say she left her infant daughter in a hot car outside a Nashville strip club where she was auditioning has been arrested a second time on child neglect charges. Local…

Man charged in shootings, officer’s death appointed lawyer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A judge in Tennessee has appointed a public defender to represent a man charged with shooting three people and then running over and killing a Memphis police officer. Public defender Kindle Nance spoke with her client,…

Kentucky State Police seeking suspects in double slaying

MOUNT STERLING, Ky. (AP) - State authorities are searching for two men they believe are suspects in a double shooting. Media outlets report that the bodies of 25-year-old Brandy Davidson and 33-year-old Devin Payton were found over the weekend. Kentucky…

Woman arrested on child neglect charges a second time

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities have arrested a Nashville woman on child neglect charges for a second time. Local news outlets report that officials arrested 24-year-old Kelsey McMurtry Tuesday, about two months after her first arrest. According to an affidavit,…

Boy drowns while swimming with family in McCreary Co. river

WHITLEY CITY, Ky. (AP) - The body of an 11-year-old boy has been recovered from Big South Fork River after he drowned while swimming with family. McCreary County coroner Tim Corder tells local media that Kaden Allen had been swimming…

Some looking to profit from free tickets to Ali services

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Muhammad Ali insisted the tickets for his memorial be free. But some people are looking to turn a profit. People started arriving outside the KFC Yum! Center late Tuesday in downtown Louisville, ahead of the Wednesday…

Prisons drop ban on mail thought to promote homosexuality

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Department of Corrections has dropped a policy that allowed wardens to ban mail if they thought the items promoted homosexuality. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Corrections Commissioner Rodney Ballard sent a statewide memo to…

Forest County urges residents to sign up for Smart911

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Forrest County officials are encouraging residents to get on board with Smart911. It's a program that allows users to create a Safety Profile with information that helps 911 workers respond to emergencies quicker and more efficiently.…

Natchez voters elect Darryl Grennell mayor

NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - The former president of the Adams County Board of Supervisors and a retired professor has been elected mayor of Natchez in a landslide victory. The Natchez Democrat reports Darryl Grennell received just over 91 percent of…

Physical therapy group campaigns to combat opioid epidemic

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The American Physical Therapy Association is launching a public education campaign in response to the nation's opioid abuse epidemic. The U.S. is currently in the grip of a prescription drug epidemic and resurgence in the use…

Long Beach moves ahead on go-cup ordinance

LONG BEACH, Miss. (AP) - The Long Beach City Council has passed a motion directing the city attorney to draft a proposed "go-cup" ordinance that would allow open containers of alcohol on the streets of a designated entertainment district. Tuesday's…

Gulfport City Council strikes harbor casino deal

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - The Gulfport City Council has unanimously approved a 60-year lease for a harbor casino that would be developed by partners who run a casino and hotel in Natchez. The Sun Herald reports one of the partners,…

Authorities searching for hiker who jumped into lake

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (AP) - Hamblen County emergency workers are searching for the body of a man who reportedly jumped into an eastern Tennessee reservoir and did not surface. Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin tells media outlets that a man in…

Gulfport passes alcohol-filled ‘to-go cup’ ordinance

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - The Gulfport City Council has passed an ordinance allowing open containers of alcohol in a designated entertainment district after Louisiana Gov. Phil Bryant signed the "to-go cup" law last month. The Sun Herald reports the new…

Funeral services set for slain Memphis police officer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Police say funeral arrangements have been set for a Memphis officer who was run over and killed by a suspect who was trying to evade police after shooting three people. Memphis police say visitation services for…

Toyota marking 30 years since ground broken in Georgetown

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) - Toyota is marking the 30th anniversary since work started on the Georgetown plant and has a ceremony scheduled Wednesday to celebrate. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc. is unveiling additions to its visitor center at the ceremony.…

Nashville police: Unregistered security guards working games

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Metro Nashville Police Department believes that unregistered security guards illegally worked during at least two Tennessee Titans games last year, and may have illegally worked other major Nashville events. The Tennessean reports that state law…

Shelter reopens near bear attack at Great Smoky Mountains

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - A shelter near where a black bear bit a camper last month at Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reopened. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the park has posted signs advising Appalachian Trail thru-hikers to sleep…

Entries open for Kentucky State Fair judging

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky State Fair is looking for entries in thousands of categories leading up to the fair Aug. 18 to 28 in Louisville. State Fair Board Executive Director of Expositions Steve Kelly says there's no other…

Vanderbilt covers funeral expenses for pitcher who drowned

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Vanderbilt is paying for the funeral of freshman pitcher Donny Everett, who drowned Thursday while on a fishing trip at a Tennessee lake. School officials confirmed Tuesday that they covered Everett's funeral expenses by using money…

7 decades later, Nevada WWII vet awarded Purple Heart

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (AP) - More than seven decades after he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, a 92-year-old World War II veteran from northern Nevada has been awarded the Purple Heart. Russell Rodgers of Gardnerville served as a private…

Tennessee State’s Temple, Boston remember Ali

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Former Tennessee State University track and field coach Ed Temple and Olympic gold medalist and Tennessee State alumnus Ralph Boston are sharing their memories of Muhammad Ali. The university said in a news release that their…

Southern Baptists see 9th year of membership decline

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Southern Baptist Convention lost more than 200,000 members in 2015. It's the ninth straight year of decline for the nation's largest Protestant denomination, which also saw baptisms drop by more than 10,000 in 2015. According…

Activists file suit challenging Tennessee counseling law

CLINTON, Tenn. (AP) - Two gay rights activists have filed a lawsuit challenging a new Tennessee law that lets therapists decline to see patients based on religious values and personal principles. Bleu Copas is an Anderson County man who says…

Blue Angels cancel New York, Ohio performances

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - The U.S. Navy has announced that its elite flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, has canceled upcoming performances in New York and Ohio following the death of one of its pilots during a crash outside Nashville.…

2 Hinds County women charged with Medicaid fraud

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Two Hinds County women have been charged with Medicaid fraud and conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud. Attorney General Jim Hood said in a news release Tuesday 36-year-old Jennifer Green, of Pearl, and 38-year-old Andria Jones, of…

Knox County woman pleads guilty to fatally shooting husband

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Knox County woman has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting her husband in a fit of rage over a text message. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that 57-year-old Tammy Lynn Talford pleaded guilty to a reduced…

Connecticut tribe among partners in $265M Mississippi casino

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A Connecticut Indian tribe and others say they'll partner to build a $265 million casino on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Mashantucket Pequot tribe, which operates the massive Foxwoods Resort Casino in eastern Connecticut, says it…

Lee County circuit clerk proposes merging some precincts

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - The Lee County circuit clerk says she wants to reduce the number of polling places to save money. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that Camille Roberts talked to supervisors about the proposed change Monday. They…

2 arrested in connection with Greenwood fatal shooting

GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) - Police say two suspects have been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting of a Greenwood man. Greenwood Police Chief Ray Moore tells the Greenwood Commonwealth 31-year-old Jemorris K. Love was arrested early Monday, and 37-year-old…

Fraud trial for pastor, co-defendant postponed

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - A fraud trial scheduled for a pastor and his co-defendant in Hattiesburg has been postponed. The Hattiesburg American reports that court officials announced Monday that the federal trial scheduled for June 13 for the Rev. Kenneth…

6 running in Mississippi House special election in Delta

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Six candidates are running in special election to fill a vacant seat in the Mississippi House. Polls are open until 7 p.m. Tuesday in District 29 in the Delta's Bolivar and Sunflower counties. The candidates are…

Natchez voters go to polls to choose mayor

NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - Natchez voters are headed to the polls to choose a new mayor. Aldermen and municipal judge candidates will also be on the ballot, but the only race still in contention is for the mayor's seat. Democrat…

Madison County says no to park closures

CLINTON, Miss. (AP) - Madison County supervisors have voted to maintain four county parks previously considered for closure as part of cost-cutting measures. The Clarion-Ledger reports the county will continue to maintain Camden Park, Fairview Park and Estes Bank and…

Forrest Co. residents speak out against annexation

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Over the last several weeks, Lamar County officials have made clear their opposition to Hattiesburg's proposed annexation into parts of Lamar and Forrest counties. Now a handful of Forrest County residents and business owners have officially…

Shrimpers report ‘decent’ start to 2016 season

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - More than 250 boats filled the Mississippi Sound before daylight Monday, waiting for the start of this year's shrimp season. Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources said in a news release the fishermen they…

DUI victim honored with roadside sign as part of new program

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A roadside memorial sign has been unveiled in Clarksville as part of a new program to recognize victims of drunk driver crashes. The Leaf-Chronicle reports a new law that goes into effect July 1 will allow…

New K9 officer joins Pascagoula Police Department

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - A new K9 officer has joined the Pascagoula Police Department. WLOX-TV reports the 2-year-old Dutch Shephard named Tony is now out patrolling the city with his partner, Officer John Lynd, after weeks of training. Lt. Doug…

Kentucky Arts Council awarded $746,500 in funding

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to the Kentucky Arts Council. A news release from the state council says its funding is included in the latest round of…

Federal government to help cotton producers with costs

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal officials have announced that cotton producers across the country will receive an estimated $300 million as part of a cotton ginning cost-share program. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release Monday that the U.S.…

Johnson City woman charged in man’s shooting death

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - A 20-year-old Johnson City woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a man found shot to death. Police say Keeva Ann Delaney has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and four counts of felony…

Kentucky State offers incentives to St. Catharine students

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky State University says it is waiving applications fees and offering incentive tuition scholarships for students at St. Catharine College, which is closing this summer. KSU said in a statement that students who want to transition…