Author: Associated Press

Report: 3 dead after train-pickup collision in Flora

FLORA, Miss. (AP) - Emergency responders say an Amtrak passenger train and a pickup truck have collided in Flora, a small town in the southwestern corner of Madison County. Authorities told WLBT-TV that at least three people, including two toddlers,…

Mother arrested after toddlers found alone in parking lot

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - A Murfreesboro woman is facing child neglect charges after her toddlers were found wandering a parking lot by themselves. Media outlets report that residents found the 3-year-old girl and 1-year-old boy in the lot Sunday and…

Indiana group to dedicate marker to War of 1812 veteran

ENGLISH, Ind. (AP) - A southern Indiana group will dedicate a marker next month for a soldier who fought in the War of 1812 before settling in Indiana. The marker dedication for Pvt. Philip Crecelius will be June 5 at…

Bowling Green airport to offer daily flights to Atlanta

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport will soon offer daily flights to Atlanta. The Bowling Green Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/1WCGZTO) the announcement was made Tuesday. Officials say that Contour Airlines of Smyrna, Tennessee, will offer two…

Body found in pawn shop as blaze extinguished

WHITWELL, Tenn. (AP) - Officials are investigating after a body was found in a pawn shop while firefighters were putting out a blaze. The fire at the Valley Pawn Shop in Whitwell was reported late Tuesday afternoon. Marion County Sheriff…

Haslam questions need for special session on bathroom rules

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam is questioning the need for a special legislative session that some fellow Republican lawmakers want to have called over a directive issued by President Barack Obama's administration that public schools must allow students…

Prep coach indicted on charges of failing to report abuse

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee high school basketball coach has been indicted on four counts of failing to report child sexual abuse of high school basketball players by teammates. The Hamilton County district attorney's office announced Wednesday that a…

Simmons announces plans to acquire Citizens National

PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas-based Simmons First National Corp. has announced plans to purchase Tennessee-based Citizens National Bancorp Inc. in a $77 million deal. Simmons said in a news release Wednesday that the purchase includes 835,741 shares of Simmons…

Records: Woman impaired by meth at time of deadly crash

LUCEDALE, Miss. (AP) - A 29-year-old George County woman is due in court in June on charges she was impaired by drugs when she was involved in a deadly collision in 2015. That's according to court records. The Sun Herald…

72 Mississippi dogs, cats head to Georgia for new homes

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - A total of 72 Jackson County Animal Shelter dogs and cats were put into a Humane Society of South Mississippi van and sent off to the Atlanta Humane Society to find their forever homes. The Sun…

Police: 400 pounds of shrimp taken from Biloxi harbor

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Biloxi police are looking for two men in the theft of 400 pounds of shrimp taken from the deck of a woman's boat. Police Sgt. O'Neal Adams tells The Sun Herald the shrimp, in two large…

Clarksville police ID young girl struck, killed by SUV

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities have identified the child who was struck and killed by an SUV and the driver involved in the incident. Clarksville police spokeswoman Natalie Hall tells media outlets that 27-year-old Joseph Pennington was leaving a parking…

Bear suspected in Pike beehive turnovers

MCCOMB, Miss. (AP) - A beekeeper in Pike County says he suspects that a black bear has marauded some of his hives. Glen Roberts tells the McComb Enterprise-Journal (http://bit.ly/1TitKRX ) that he first noticed something was amiss Monday evening after…

Proposals sought to attract jobs, industry to Appalachia

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky officials are seeking proposals from local leaders for projects that will attract new industry and more jobs to Appalachia. A statement says the Cabinet of Economic Development and the Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands…

Adkins named chairman of international hotel association

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The president of the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association has been selected as the chairman of the International Society of Hotel Association Executives. Greg Adkins, a former councilman in Nashville, heads the state group that represents…

Columbus mayor fined for open meetings violation

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - The state Ethics Commission has imposed a $500 fine on Columbus Mayor Robert Smith after finding that he violated a Mississippi Open Meetings Act last year. The Dispatch reports the penalty stems from a complaint the…

International Parking Institute kicks off Nashville meeting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The International Parking Institute is holding its annual meeting in Nashville this week. Organizers say more than 3,500 people from 45 countries are expected to attend the event starting Wednesday. Topics of discussion will include the…

Longtime Tennessee congressman diagnosed with cancer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Longtime U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. says he's been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Duncan told the Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/203FGe4 ) on Tuesday that the cancer was found six or seven months ago during a…

Guy Clark, Grammy-winning musician, dead at 74

NEW YORK (AP) - Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Guy Clark has died. Clark died Tuesday at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, according to his manager, Keith Case. He was 74 and had been in poor health, although Case didn't give an official…

Nashville Airport using quarry reservoir to cool terminal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Nashville International Airport has begun using an abandoned quarry to halve its cooling costs by taking advantage of the reservoir's year-round 50-degree temperature. Christine Vitt is the airport authority's vice president of strategic planning and…

Memphis officer hurt after being hit, dragged by car

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Police say an officer was injured when he was hit by a car in a parking lot. Memphis police spokesman Louis Brownlee said officers were responding to a call about a suspicious person at a business…

Park euthanizes bear believed responsible for Smokies attack

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) -- Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have euthanized a black bear that they believe bit a sleeping Appalachian Trail hiker last week. The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that park wildlife technicians shot the bear with…

Haslam names Ohio emergency administrator to head TEMA

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Bill Haslam has named Ohio emergency operations administrator Patrick Sheehan as the new director of Tennessee's disaster response agency. Sheehan takes over as director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency from David Purkey, who remains assistant…

Polling places open on rainy election day

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Polling places for the primary election have opened in Kentucky as light rain falls across much of the state. The forecast called for widespread showers early Tuesday and scattered showers later in the day with high…

Convicted deer poacher fined, loses hunting rights

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A 49-year-old Mississippi man found guilty of five counts of shooting deer with the aid of a light has been ordered to pay over $11,000 in fines by a Tunica County judge. The Clarion-Ledger reports Donald…

Clarksville 2-year-old struck, killed by vehicle

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A 2-year-old girl has been struck and killed by a vehicle in Clarksville. Clarksville police spokeswoman Natalie Hall tells media outlets that the incident occurred Monday evening in South Clarksville. The girl was taken to Tennova…

Forrest County supervisors to help with airport repairs

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - The Forrest County Board of Supervisors has voted to help the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport with emergency repairs necessitated by flood damage incurred in early March. The Hattiesburg American reports board members agreed at Monday's meeting to…

Pascagoula man on trial for alleged sex crimes against minor

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - Jury selection is underway in the sex crimes case against a Pascagoula man. The Sun Herald reports a Jackson County grand jury indicted David Epps on 11 counts of sexual battery and eight counts of touching…

Man leads police on chase through backyards in stolen RV

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) - A man has been arrested after police say he stole an RV and led officials on a chase through Georgetown. WKYT-TV reports that Monday morning, 30-year-old Jason Judd stole an RV from Northside RV's in Georgetown.…

Ridgeland Police: Woman dies after collapsing during race

RIDGELAND, Miss. (AP) - A woman who collapsed while running a race in Ridgeland has died. Ridgeland Police Chief John Neal tells news outlets that 42-year-old Donna Stamps suffered a medical emergency while running the Magnolia Meltdown race Saturday morning.…

New officer joins Hattiesburg Police Department

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - The Hattiesburg Police Department has added another officer to the ranks. WDAM-TV reports Zach Robinson was sworn in by Mayor Johnnyh DuPree during brief ceremony at city hall Monday. Robinson began at the police department in…

15 Tennessee communities to receive site development grants

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Fifteen Tennessee communities have been selected to receive state grants to prepare sites for economic development projects. The grants will go toward completing infrastructure and engineering improvements for certified sites in rural communities. The grants averaging…

TVA considering small modular reactor near Oak Ridge

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Just a week after voting to scrap an unfinished 1970s-era nuclear power plant in Alabama, the Tennessee Valley Authority began taking steps toward possible future construction of small modular reactors. TVA spokesman Jim Hopson says several…

Methodist Healthcare reaches settlement with feds

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The U.S. attorney's office in Memphis has reached a settlement with Methodist Healthcare over allegations that it did not provide effective communication with a deaf patient under the American with Disabilities Act. In a statement released…

Colleges announced for Pell ‘dual enrollment’ program

WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of low-income students in nearly two dozen states will soon be able get federal grants to take college courses while still in high school, part of a program the Obama administration plans to begin this summer.…

Man accused of kidnapping niece doesn’t understand charge

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A man accused of taking his 9-year-old niece out of school and disappearing with her for more than a week says he doesn't understand why he is charged with kidnapping. Gary Simpson was found with the…

Tennessee gov who opposed transgender bill criticizes Obama

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, who opposed a transgender bathroom bill in the Tennessee Legislature, is speaking out against a directive by President Barack Obama's administration that public schools must allow students to use facilities consistent with…

Chattanooga man due in court in death of pregnant woman’s child

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A 24-year-old Chattanooga man charged with killing an unborn child has a court hearing later this month. Chattanooga Police say he beat the child's mother, a 15-year-old pregnant girl. Chattanooga Police say Justin Armour attacked the…

Autopsy shows no drugs, alcohol in helicopter pilot’s blood

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An autopsy report released in a fatal helicopter crash last month in Sevier County shows the pilot had no alcohol or drugs in his blood. The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1TWlXLK ) reports the autopsy was performed…

Mississippi Senate leader Burton charged with DUI

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The second-ranking leader of the Mississippi Senate has been charged with DUI after a one-vehicle wreck. Republican Sen. Terry Burton of Newton was charged after running a sport utility vehicle off of Interstate 20 and hitting…

Desegregation ruling says Cleveland must merge schools

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge says Mississippi's Cleveland school district must merge its high schools and middle schools to achieve racial desegregation. U.S. District Judge Debra Brown handed down the ruling late Friday, nearly a year after she…

Proposal: Music Row should be ‘cultural industry district’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A new proposal says Nashville's Music Row should be designated a "cultural industry district" by Metro government. The Tennessean reports the recommendation comes from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the local Music Industry Coalition,…

Festival re-enactors to stage historic Hawesville gunfight

HAWESVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A re-enactment of a historic gunfight that happened in Hawesville over 150 years ago will take place at this year's Spring Heritage Days Festival in Rockport, Indiana. The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports re-enactors will stage the fight…

Police: Man shoots child, 3, riding in car in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Police say a 3-year-old girl was shot multiple times while riding in a car in Memphis. Police said in a statement that a woman reported being flagged down Sunday night by a man while driving through…