Author: Associated Press

Officer recovers sister’s stolen gun, catches felon

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Authorities say a Bowling Green police officer who was apprehending a man found a handgun that had been stolen from his sister. Citing an arrest citation, the Bowling Green Daily News reports Officer James Lewis…

Mount Carmel assistant chief suspended amid investigation

MOUNT CARMEL, Tenn. (AP) - An investigation is underway surrounding the assistant police chief of a Kingsport-area town. Mount Carmel Police Chief Jeff Jackson told news outlets on Tuesday that his assistant chief Phillip Robinette has been suspended with pay…

McEwen clinic owner arrested on drug charges

McEWEN, Tenn. (AP) - Investigators say the owner of a McEwen medical clinic has been arrested after being accused of prescription drug fraud. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says Juelda Coleman, a nurse practitioner who owns the Coleman Family Care…

Labor officials remind employers to obey child labor laws

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - As students across Tennessee look for summer jobs, state Department of Labor and Workforce Development officials are reminding employers about child labor laws that ensure teens are safe. State officials say students as young as 14…

Simpson County woman sentenced to prison for attacking minor

NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - A Simpson County woman has been sentenced to prison for attacking a minor. Attorney General Jim Hood said in a statement Tuesday that 29-year-old Latrice Jackson was found guilty of abuse of a vulnerable person and…

Lane closures upcoming on Clark Memorial Bridge

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky transportation officials are advising motorists of upcoming lane closures on the Clark Memorial Bridge connecting Louisville and Jeffersonville, Indiana. The lane closures are due to a bridge inspection set to begin May 31. Officials say…

Haslam to memorialize victims of Chattanooga shooting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam plans to honor four Marines and a sailor killed in last year's shootings in Chattanooga as part of a Memorial Day ceremony on Friday. Those killed were Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall…

Officials: Hundreds of dead fish found on Gulfport beach

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Officials are investigating after hundreds of dead fish were found washed ashore on a beach in Gulfport. WLOX-TV reports Department of Marine Resource officials say the menhaden or pogie fish were discovered on the beach just…

With 1 delegate at stake, Kentucky re-examines its vote

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - State election officials will re-examine vote totals from the Democratic presidential primary on Thursday at the request of Bernie Sanders' campaign. At stake is one delegate in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sanders and…

Julian Castro to speak at Wendell Ford dinner next month

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro will be the featured speaker at the annual Wendell Ford dinner sponsored by the Kentucky Democratic Party. The June 3 dinner at the Kentucky Exposition Center…

Man charged with posing as football player to extort woman

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee man has been arrested on charges that he attempted to extort a woman by posing as a University of Tennessee football player on Snapchat. Brandon Douglas Shanahan, a 22-year-old from Sweetwater, pleaded not guilty…

State parks to offer free hikes for National Trails Day

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee's state parks will offer free, guided hikes to celebrate National Trails Day early next month. State officials say the ranger led-hikes set for June 4 at all 56 state parks will include historical tours, waterfall…

Sponsor of refugee lawsuit measure unhappy with Haslam

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The sponsor of a resolution to require the state to sue the federal government over its refugee resettlement program is unhappy with Republican Gov. Bill Haslam for refusing the sign the measure. Haslam last week allowed…

Ex-airport VP filed discrimination lawsuit before death

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A former Memphis airport executive who was killed in a car crash last week had filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the airport days before he died. Former Memphis International Airport Vice President George Mabon died…

Officials: Fisherman drowns after kayak overturns in lake

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a 23-year-old kayaker drowned while fishing in a northeastern Tennessee lake. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency News spokesman Matthew Cameron said in a news release that James B. Campbell of Talbott drowned Monday afternoon while…

‘Be Nice’ campaign could become state license plate

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) - A Nashville-area school district's "Be Nice" anti-bullying campaign could be about to spread all the way to state license plates. The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/1RpIn3A ) reports that Tennessee license plates emblazoned with the Williamson County school district's…

Documents: Hiker found dead in ’15 survived at least 26 days

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Documents show an Appalachian Trail hiker whose remains were found last year in Maine survived at least 26 days after getting lost. During that time, her texts went undelivered because of poor cell reception. The Boston…

Charges dropped against Tennessee assistant basketball coach

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities have dropped charges against a Tennessee assistant high school basketball coach accused of failing to report alleged child sexual abuse of players by teammates. An order of dismissal regarding Ooltewah High School assistant Karl Williams…

Cemeteries, nursing homes hold ceremonies honoring veterans

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky officials say that state cemeteries and nursing homes dedicated to veterans will hold Memorial Day ceremonies to honor military members who have died. The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs says ceremonies at all four of…

Lexington, surrounding counties facing water rate increase

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Public Service Commission is holding a public meeting on a request to increase water utility bills for more than 100,000 customers in and around Lexington. Kentucky-American Water Co. is asking for a rate increase…

Police: No evidence of shots fired outside school graduation

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Police say there is no evidence of shots being fired outside of the Biloxi High School graduation ceremony following reports about a possible shooting. Local media outlets report Biloxi police Lt. Chris De Back says officers…

TVA opens new swim beach, boat launch ramp

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority has opened up a new swim beach and boat launch ramp on TVA land just north of Boone Dam. Boone Beach, which features a stretch of white sand, has walking trails, grills,…

Grand jury opts not to indict state lawmaker’s husband

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A state lawmaker's husband, who hitched someone else's utility trailer to the back of his pickup and drove it back to his house, insisted to police that he had no intention of stealing the equipment. Columbia…

2 men plead guilty to interstate burglary spree

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Two men prosecutors say stole nearly $2 million worth of merchandise from stores across the U.S. have pleaded guilty. Federal prosecutors in Connecticut say 40-year-old Alionis Perez, a Cuban citizen who most recently lived in New…

Oak Ridge pastor arrested on human trafficking charge

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities have arrested an Oak Ridge pastor on a human trafficking charge as part of a three-day Tennessee Bureau of Investigation operation. Media outlets report that 32-year-old Zubin Percy Parakh was arrested Saturday on charges of…

Dem lawmaker’s White House trip rejected by GOP officials

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Over the last two years, Tennessee state senators have been reimbursed for out-of-state travel for meetings from Florida to Alaska, and on topics ranging from school vouchers to the dangers of radical Islam. But one Democrat's…

Court: State must provide TennCare applicants fair hearing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal appeals court has upheld an order requiring Tennessee's Medicaid program to provide applicants with a fair hearing if it cannot process their requests on time. By law, applications for most forms of Medicaid should…

Tennessee’s new prison stops taking inmates

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee's newest prison has stopped taking inmates after just four months of full operation. Records obtained by The Associated Press suggest why. State corrections officials and the private prisons operator confirm that the Trousdale Turner Correctional…

Second phase of Hattiesburg superintendent search wraps up

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - The Hattiesburg Public School District Board of Trustees has wrapped up interviews of 10 applicants for the job of district superintendent. Members said Monday they plan to call back an as yet unspecified number for second…

Priest abuse victim sentenced for child pornography

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky newspaper reports a man who was abused by a Catholic priest in Louisville as a child has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for using two boys to produce child pornography. The Courier-Journal…

Hattiesburg officially files for annexation

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Hattiesburg City Council members announced in April their intention to expand the city's boundaries by annexing parts of Forrest and Lamar counties. On Monday, city officials filed in Lamar and Forrest County Chancery Courts a petition…

Texas man sentenced for meth distribution in Mississippi

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge in Mississippi has sentenced 38-year-old Texas man to 20 years in prison for distributing crystal meth in George County and surrounding areas. The Sun Herald reports Sergio Contreras Jr., of Penitas, Texas, was…

Jail order issued for owner of blighted Memphis properties

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A California man who owns dozens of blighted Memphis apartments will face jail time, should he ever set foot in the city. The Commercial Appeal reports that Environmental Court Judge Larry Potter handed down a contempt…

Restaurateurs support oyster farming, residents against it

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Harrison County supervisors say they support efforts to increase oyster farming in Coast waters, but not near Henderson Point in West Harrison County. The Sun Herald reports supervisors approved two resolutions Monday: One against opening up…

Coroner: Couple dies following West Point house fire

WEST POINT, Miss. (AP) - Officials say a couple has died after a house fire in West Point. Local media outlets report Clay County Coroner Alvin Carter says 84-year-old Jack Golson and his wife, 80-year-old Sara Golson, died Monday following…

Fire school in Lexington to attract hundreds of firefighters

VERSAILLES, Ky. (AP) - Hundreds of firefighters from Kentucky and other states will be in Lexington next week for a training conference. The first responders will have a chance to sharpen their skills at the 87th Annual Kentucky State Fire…

Hinds County caregiver arrested for exploiting elderly

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A Jackson woman has been arrested after being accused of illegally writing nearly $22,200 in checks on the account of an elderly woman in her care. Attorney General Jim Hood, in a news release Monday, said…

TVA: Watts Bar reactor achieves sustained nuclear fission

SPRING CITY, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority says its Watts Bar Unit 2 has achieved its first sustained nuclear fission reaction and is operating in a stable condition at low power levels. TVA says the reaction was achieved…

Man rescued after being trapped in Meadville water tank

MEADVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Officials say a man has been rescued after being trapped in a water tank in Meadville. The Clarion-Ledger reports the incident took place Monday. Fire Chief Roger Causey says the unidentified man and another man were…

D’Iberville’s emergency preparedness drill set

D'IBERVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Officials in D'Iberville say the city will test its outdoor warning system during an annual drill. The Sun Herald reports the emergency preparedness drill will take place Wednesday beginning at 10 a.m. The drill will be…

Body pulled from pond near apartment complex

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - The Jackson County Sheriff's Department says a body has been pulled from a pond near an apartment complex in St. Martin. Investigators say a maintenance worker at The Reserve at Gulf Hills apartment complex spotted…

Autopsy shows firefighter died of heart problem

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - An autopsy report says a firefighter who collapsed while on the job earlier this year died from a heart problem. Lt. Rodney Eddins died April 17 after collapsing while fighting a fire inside a home in…

Kentucky starts campaign to ensure seatbelt usage

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky is participating in this year's national Click It or Ticket campaign aimed at ensuring motorists are using seatbelts. A statement from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety says officers are focusing on pickup trucks, which…

Trump meets with Sen. Corker in New York

NEW YORK (AP) - Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has met with Bob Corker in New York. Speaking to reporters following the meeting Monday, Corker, the U.S. senator from Tennessee, said…

Federal court upholds contempt ruling against prison company

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A federal appellate court has upheld a contempt of court ruling made against private prison company Corrections Corporation of America for falsifying staffing reports at an Idaho prison. Monday's ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court…

Bridgestone abandons crisis-wracked Venezuela after 62 years

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Tire maker Bridgestone is selling its business in Venezuela after six decades in the country, the latest blue chip company to abandon the country as a result of runaway inflation and strict currency controls. Bridgestone Americas…

Park officials say euthanized bear didn’t bite hiker

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park say a bear that was euthanized this month wasn't the same one that bit a sleeping Appalachian Trail hiker. Park wildlife technicians shot the bear with a tranquilizer…

Police investigate double homicide case in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Police are conducting a double homicide investigation following the deaths of two men in Louisville. Louisville Metro Police Department spokesman Dwight Mitchell tells news outlets that the two men were found dead Sunday afternoon in an…

Drug courier admits helping deliver meth to Mississippi

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - An Oklahoma man has admitted he was acting as a drug courier when he and two others brought about 26 ½ pounds of crystal meth to Mississippi. The Sun Herald reports 27-year-old Refugio Garcia De Lira,…

Kentucky church remembers father, 3 sons killed in crash

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A central Kentucky church is remembering a father and three sons who were killed in a weekend crash while visiting family in Texas. Pastor Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Road Baptist Church in Lexington told local…