Author: Associated Press

Board members start search for new Adams Co. school chief

NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - Some members of the Natchez-Adams County School District Board of Trustees believe discussions need to start soon on the selection of a new superintendent. Board President Amos James tells The Natchez Democrat that the trustees have…

Jackson, Miss., woman found dead under her house

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Jackson, Miss., police are investigating the death of a 78-year-old woman whose body was found under her house. Jackson news outlets report that the body of Louise Baker was found Sunday. Her friends and relatives had…

Square dancers will try to break record at July festival

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Rehearsals are underway in Murfreesboro leading to an attempt to break the Guinness world record for largest square dance in July. The Daily News Journal says participants don't have to know how to do-si-do to be…

Former Lexington FBI chief advising on movie about slaying

PARIS, Ky. (AP) - More than a quarter-century ago, Jim Huggins led the investigation into the death of an FBI informant that ended with an agent pleading guilty to manslaughter. Now he's helping filmmakers tell the story in a movie…

15-year-old’s body recovered from Leaf River

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - The body of a 15-year-old has been recovered from the Leaf River. Glen Moore, the Forrest County Emergency Management Agency director, tells the Hattiesburg American that the teenager disappeared while swimming near the Evelyn Gandy Parkway…

Jackson to sign sister pact with M’Bour, Senegal

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Jackson leaders are preparing to sign a "sister city" agreement with a city in the West African nation of Senegal. Tuesday's 4 p.m. event will unite Jackson and the city of M'bour (uhm-BOOR'). A sister city…

Knoxville veteran who waves getting ready to wave goodbye

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Locally famous for waving at each passing vehicle in his Rocky Hill neighborhood of Knoxville, Army veteran Kenny Neely has been told by his doctors to get his affairs in order. He has lung cancer and…

Radioactivity at Oak Ridge sewage treatment plant reduced

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) - A U.S. Department of Energy contractor says radioactivity levels have dropped at an Oak Ridge sewage treatment plant in the past two years. The Knoxville News Sentinel says levels of radioactivity at Rarity Ridge Wastewater…

Rehabilitation agency says budget cuts will trim services

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Another Mississippi government agency says state budget cuts beginning July 1 are likely to cause service reductions. Chris Howard, the Department of Rehabilitation Services director, says his agency will cut vocational rehabilitation and aid to disabled…

Pedestrian killed on Interstate 64 in Fayette County

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - The Fayette County coroner's office says a pedestrian on Interstate 64 has died after being hit by multiple vehicles. WKYT-TV reports the coroner's office said four different vehicles, including a box truck, are thought to have…

Grouper, Snapper collar win La, Miss state seafood crowns

Snapper collar won the Mississippi seafood crown for a chef from Jackson, while grouper cooked in a plastic bag did the job in Louisiana for a Monroe chef. Alex Easton of Manship Wood Fired Kitchen will represent Mississippi and Blake…

Arrest for Facebook threat against marine patrol officer

MCHENRY, Miss. (AP) - Authorities say they've arrested a Jackson County man accused of using Facebook to threaten a state marine patrol officer who had ticketed him for careless driving and driving without proof of insurance. The sheriff's office says…

Tennessee campers warned to use certain firewood

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - In an effort to prevent the spread of insects, Tennessee State Parks officials are warning people at campsites to use only heat-treated wood or wood collected nearby. State forester Jere Jeter says the transportation of firewood…

Project: $1.9M to increase preterm baby breastfeeding

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Authorities in the Mississippi Delta say rural mothers whose premature babies are in intensive care will be able to get their breast milk delivered to their babies, thanks to a $1.9 million, three-year grant. The W.K.…

Escapee from Webster County Detention Center caught

DIXON, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky State Police say a jail fugitive in Webster County is back behind bars. State Police said Sunday in a news release that 33-year-old Scott A. Sullivan was caught. Details on his capture weren't immediately released.…

4 killed when vehicle overturns along I-24 in Middle Tennessee

SMYRNA, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Highway Patrol says four people have died in an accident on Interstate 24. Media outlets report the crash involved an overturned westbound vehicle Saturday in Smyrna. Highway Patrol Sgt. Travis Plotzer says the vehicle…

Memphis transit agency hampered by broken-down buses

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Memphis Area Transit Authority has 38 malfunctioning buses that were taken out of service long before completing their anticipated life spans. The Commercial Appeal reports that the buses sit in a parking lot behind the…

Man killed answering front door almost never left home

MAGNOLIA, Miss. (AP) - Relatives and friends say a man gunned down at his front door was friendly and loved children, but almost never left his home. His girlfriend, Tanya Butler, tells the Enterprise-Journal that 34-year-old Zerrick Ward left the…

Teenager drowns in eastern Tennessee rock quarry

NEWPORT, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities are investigating a teenager's drowning at a rock quarry in eastern Tennessee. Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes identified the victim as 14-year-old Tyler Sisk. Media outlets report Sisk and a friend were walking in knee-deep…

Police: Man drives through Kentucky memorial cross display

HENDERSON, Ky. (AP) - Police say a Memorial Day cross display in Kentucky that honors the names of 5,000 veterans of conflicts dating back to the Revolutionary War has been vandalized by a driver who plowed through the crosses. Jennifer…

Jackson MS first female public works director resigns

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The head of the Jackson public works department has resigned, leaving an understaffed department and ongoing problems at its water treatment facilities. City officials told the Clarion-Ledger on Saturday that Kishia Powell has resigned after starting…

Rutherford Co. Sheriff says he won’t resign

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold says he won't leave office despite facing federal corruption charges. The Daily News Journal reports Arnold sent a text message Saturday to one of the newspaper's reporters that said he had…

Rutherford County sheriff faces public corruption charges

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold is facing public corruption charges after being named in a 14-count indictment that accuses him and others of benefiting from a scheme to sell electronic cigarettes to inmates in the jail…

Servicemen killed in Chattanooga honored at Capitol ceremony

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Four Marines and a sailor killed during an attack on a Chattanooga reserve center last year have been honored at a memorial outside the state Capitol. The Friday service memorialized Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall…

Principal replaced at school where rape allegation surfaced

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Education officials say the principal of a Tennessee high school where three basketball players are accused of rape is among 16 that will be replaced next year. The Chattanooga Times Free Press (http://bit.ly/1sfyMI2) reports that Hamilton…

Haslam wants to discuss issues, appointments with Trump

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says he wants to talk with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump about education, health care and whom he might appoint to lead federal agencies if elected. Speaking to reporters in Nashville on…

Agency probes arrest of husband of Chattanooga mayor’s aide

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is probing the domestic violence arrest involving the husband of a top aide to Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. Exactly what led to the alleged domestic incident is unclear, but it resulted…

Family of lost hiker won’t second-guess Maine over search

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The family of a hiker who died after getting lost on the Appalachian Trail in Maine isn't going to second-guess searchers. A statement Friday evening says Geraldine Largay's family members witnessed the efforts of hundreds of…

Paducah seeks to have City Hall named as historic place

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - Paducah city leaders are seeking to have City Hall be on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, a designation that could enable the city to receive historic tax credits for costly repairs to…

Shelby County man convicted of 2nd rape; more cases pending

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Prosecutors say a Shelby County man charged in a series of rapes has been convicted for a second time. The Shelby County district attorney's office says 37-year-old Michael Richardson was convicted this week of aggravated rape…

Residents evacuated after fire at Gulfport apartment complex

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Residents at an apartment complex in Gulfport have been evacuated after a fire took place. Gulfport Fire Battalion Chief Chris Henderson tells WLOX-TV that the blaze started around 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the South Pointe Apartments.…

McComb to rename pavilion after rocker Bo Diddley

MCCOMB, Miss. (AP) - A popular venue for music concerts and other entertainment in downtown McComb is getting a new name. The Depot Pavilion will be rechristened "The Bo Diddley Pavilion" in honor of the late rock 'n' roll legend.…

State: ID fraud charges against 12 construction workers

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi's attorney general says a dozen workers for a Flora construction company are accused of identity fraud and violating the Mississippi Employment Protection Act. Attorney General Jim Hood says all 12 are undocumented immigrants, and have…

Officials working to clear beach of hundreds of dead fish

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Officials are working to clean up hundreds of dead fish that washed ashore in Gulfport. Local media outlets report the Harrison County Sand Beach Authority set out Thursday to clear the beach of the dead animals.…

Former coach remembers Olympic hurdler Mamie Rallins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The former coach of Olympic hurdler Mamie Rallins says she was a "hard worker" who achieved success on and off the track. Legendary Tennessee State University track and field coach Ed Temple says in a new…

Historic Stuckey’s Bridge to get fresh coat of paint

QUITMAN, Miss. (AP) - A historic wooden bridge spanning the Chunky River in Clarke County is getting a fresh coat of paint Saturday because of recent vandalism. The Meridian Star reports volunteers with the East Mississippi Foothills Land Trust will…

Ag commissioner starting effort to combat hunger in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles is launching an initiative to combat hunger. The state Department of Agriculture says the effort will include farmers, businesses and charitable and faith groups. Quarles is scheduled to introduce members of…

TDOT halts road construction during Memorial Day weekend

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Department of Transportation is halting road construction on the state's highways over the Memorial Day weekend. The state expects nearly 700,000 drivers to be on Tennessee roads over the three-day weekend. Road work will…

Jobless rates fall in 83 Kentucky counties in past year

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky officials say unemployment rates fell in 83 of the state's counties between April 2015 and April 2016. Jobless rates rose in 33 counties and stayed the same in four. The Kentucky Office of Employment and…

11 states sue over Obama’s school transgender directive

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas and 10 other states are suing the Obama administration over a new directive about transgender students in public schools. The lawsuit announced Wednesday also includes Oklahoma, Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, Louisiana, Utah, Arizona…

Wisconsin man seeks freedom in Gangster Disciples case

ATLANTA (AP) - Lawyers for a Wisconsin man targeted in a nationwide probe of Gangster Disciples street gang members say he should be freed while awaiting trial and allowed to return home, where he contributes to the arts and music…

Mother of shooting victim fatally shot ahead of trial

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - The mother of a 1-year-old shooting victim has been fatally shot, four months before she was to testify against the man accused of paralyzing her daughter. News organizations report that 26-year-old Bianca Horton was found dead…

Haslam used private email server for official state business

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam and top aides have used the Republican's personal email server to communicate about official business. A records request by WTVF-TV in Nashville found (http://bit.ly/27U9yzt ) that the email accounts are linked to the…

Tennessee gets top rankings from all 3 bond rating agencies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee has received the top ranking from all three major credit rating agencies. The state had held top ratings from Moody's Investor Services and Fitch since 2010, but has now added a AAA rating from Standard…

East Tennessee man sentenced in ex-lawmaker’s death

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (AP) - An East Tennessee man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the drunken-driving death of a former state representative. The Kingsport Times-News (http://bit.ly/1Z3NyMv ) reports James D. Hamm Jr. of Kingsport was sentenced Thursday…

Harrah’s Gulf Coast completes $14 million hotel redo

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Harrah's Gulf Coast hotel has completed a $14 million renovation just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. The official ribbon-cutting was Wednesday. General Manager Jonathan Jones tells The Sun Herald the project was done in…