Author: Associated Press

Sheriff: Mom runs over 4-year-old in hospital parking lot

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - A 4-year-old boy has been hospitalized after authorities say his mother accidentally ran over him in the parking lot of a hospital in Vicksburg. Multiple media outlets report the incident happened Tuesday evening at Merit Health…

Clinton hires Grimes’ veteran to lead Kentucky campaign

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has hired a veteran of Alison Lundergan Grimes' 2014 Senate run to lead her Kentucky campaign ahead of next month's presidential primary. The Clinton campaign has hired Elizabeth Cantrell Brooks as…

Organ donation group gives $500 to USM College of Health

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - A University of Southern Mississippi organization has been recognized for encouraging dozens of students to become organ, eye and tissue donors. WDAM-TV reports the College of Health Ambassadors Wednesday received $500 from the Mississippi Organ Recovery…

Cave City attraction sells at auction for $295,000

CAVE CITY, Ky. (AP) - A south-central Kentucky country music radio station owner has bought a closed recreational park in Cave City. The Courier-Journal said David Froggett Jr. purchased the two tracts of land and buildings for $295,000 at auction…

Tennessee announces dates, locations for Big Orange Caravan

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee has announced the dates and locations for next month's Big Orange Caravan. The caravan begins in Atlanta on May 4 before hitting the Volunteer State. The caravan also will make stops May 5 in Chattanooga,…

Mississippi State senior is university’s 18th Truman Scholar

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi State University senior has earned the nation's most prestigious scholarship for students dedicated to public service. The university said Wednesday that Natalie M. Jones, an English and sociology double major from Flowood, is one…

Supreme Court justice taking ceremonial oath of office

HENDERSON, Tenn. (AP) - An investiture ceremony is planned for Monday for Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger Page in the West Tennessee community of Mifflin, where he was raised. Gov. Bill Haslam will ceremoniously administer the oath of office to…

Patty Dunaway appointed state highway engineer

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's Transportation Cabinet says it has hired a woman to serve as state highway engineer for the second time in the cabinet's history. Transportation Secretary Greg Thomas announced Patty Dunaway's appointment on Wednesday. Her appointment is…

Lawmakers fail to conclude Tennessee legislative session

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A lengthy debate over a proposed veto override, partisan squabbling and a disagreement over a tax cut have delayed the planned conclusion of the legislative session. As the House slowly churned through its calendar into the…

Legislature passes bill to allow gun carry on campuses

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee General Assembly has passed a law that would allow teachers and other employees with handgun carry permits to be armed on the campuses of the state's public colleges and universities. The bill, which was…

6 Tennessee cities get grants to spur downtown businesses

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State officials say six Tennessee cities will each receive $50,000 grants to encourage business growth in their downtown areas. Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd said Tuesday that the Tennessee Main Street Entrepreneur Grants will…

Police reveal names of 2 found dead in Johnson City home

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - Police have identified the bodies of two people who were found dead earlier this week in a Johnson City apartment. Johnson City police said in a news release that 56-year-old Constance Bradley was found dead…

Settlement approved in corrections officer wage lawsuit

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Metro Council has approved a $2.1 million settlement to end a legal dispute about how corrections officers are paid. The Tennessean reports the council approved the settlement Tuesday. The settlement has two parts: $1.9 million…

Lawmakers scramble to conclude Tennessee legislative session

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers are scrambling to try to conclude their business for the year on Wednesday. The House started the day with a lengthy list of bills pending, including efforts to cut the Hall tax on investment…

3rd sewage line breaks in Memphis, spills waste into river

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A Memphis official says workers are making emergency repairs to a broken sewer line that is spewing about 1 million gallons wastewater per day into a Mississippi River tributary. This is the third sewage spill in…

Shelby County Schools recommends closure of 9 schools

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A revised Shelby County Schools $950 million budget includes the closing of nine schools before the fall. Media outlets report that Superintendent Dorsey Hopson presented the budget revisions to the school board Tuesday evening. The tentative…

Tennessee naming street on campus after Joan Cronan

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Former Tennessee women's athletic director Joan Cronan now has a street on campus named in her honor. Tennessee officials announced Wednesday that the street serving as the entrance to the Cronan Volleyball Center, Sherri Parker Lee…

ZZ Top postpones shows after bassist Dusty Hill injured

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - ZZ Top is postponing several dates on its tour after bass player Dusty Hill fractured his shoulder before a show last week in Texas. The rock band said in a statement on Wednesday that concert dates…

Tennessee surveys supporters during Neyland renovation study

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart has sent an email asking fans to participate in an online survey about Neyland Stadium as the school conducts a renovation study. The email Hart sent Tuesday says the survey includes…

Norfolk Southern idles Tennessee rail yard and cuts 135 jobs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Norfolk Southern is eliminating 135 jobs and reducing operations at a rail yard in Tennessee as part of its overall response to reduced freight traffic. The Norfolk, Virginia, based railroad said Wednesday that it will stop…

NASCAR suspends Xfinity Series crew chief for Ty Dillon

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - NASCAR has suspended the Xfinity Series crew chief for Ty Dillon for a penalty at Bristol Motor Speedway. Nick Harrison was hit Wednesday with a P3 penalty because his Richard Childress Racing entry did not use…

Tennessee death row inmate dies in Nashville hospital at 67

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee death row inmate Gary Cone has died at a Nashville hospital of natural causes. He was 67. The state Department of Correction said Cone died at 9:38 a.m. Tuesday. The Commercial Appeal reported Cone was…

Knoxville officer accused of part in drug ring

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Knoxville police officer is among seven people charged with taking part in a prescription drug ring. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said at a news conference Wednesday that 38-year-old Joshua Hurst faces charges of conspiracy…

Harriet Tubman to replace Andrew Jackson on $20 bill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Treasury official says Secretary Jacob Lew has decided to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, making her the first woman on U.S. paper currency in 100 years. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity…

Police chief: ‘Gangs do not run the City of Chattanooga’

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- Police in Chattanooga say they are taking steps to stop a rash of gang violence over the last few days. Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher told media outlets on Tuesday that the department is sending more…

State to pay $250K to newspapers over child abuse records

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The state will pay a $250,000 penalty to Kentucky's two largest newspapers to settle a lawsuit over obtaining records of child abuse deaths and serious injuries. Monday's agreement with the state ends seven years of litigation…

CMR denies request for 1-mile menhaden fishing limit

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources has denied Jackson County's request to limit menhaden fishing to at least a mile off the county's mainland. Tuesday's vote was unanimous and came after the commission listened to arguments…

Clock could run out on efforts to defund UT diversity office

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Opposing approaches could sink a legislative effort to defund the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Tennessee. Some lawmakers have vowed to strip funding from the office for promoting an annual "Sex Week,"…

Aryan Brotherhood members convicted of racketeering, murder

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say two members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Mississippi have been convicted on charges including racketeering and murder. A news release from the U.S. Justice Department says 44-year-old Frank George Owens of D'Iberville and…

Legislature passes online voter registration bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The General Assembly has passed legislation that would allow Tennesseans to register to vote online. The House on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that the Senate had earlier approved. The measure allows Tennesseans to go online…

Hospital aims to treat babies suffering from drug withdrawal

MANCHESTER, Ky. (AP) - Manchester Memorial Hospital has started a program to reduce the number of newborn babies suffering from drug withdrawal. WKYT-TV reports that the hospital is giving pregnant mothers a drug called Subutex to treat their drug addictions…

University probing whether nooses in rainbow colors were art

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee university is investigating whether six nooses arranged in the colors of the rainbow and hanging from a tree near the art building were part of an art project. Bill Pesinger is a spokesman with…

2 universities launch joint Miss. health partnership

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi State and the University of Mississippi Medical Center have launched a new partnership aimed at addressing the state's health care challenges. A news release from Mississippi State says the new initiative will build on long-standing…

Kentucky man charged after Wisconsin man’s body found in box

HARRODSBURG, Ky. (AP) - A man has been arrested following the discovery of a Wisconsin man's body inside a box along a Kentucky road. The Mercer County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Monday that 61-year-old Clarence Michael Hicks…

Mississippi lawmakers could limit pocketing of campaign cash

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi lawmakers are on track to impose rules that for the first time limit officials' ability to pocket campaign money for personal use. House and Senate negotiators filed a conference report Monday on House Bill 797,…

House approves Fantasy Sports Tax Act

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee's Legislature is close to passing a bill that would make clear that fantasy sports betting is legal, but would also regulate it and put a tax on it. The House on Monday night passed the…

Dollar General ordered to pay $925K to injured truck drive

FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) - A Lauderdale County jury has returned one of the largest personal injury verdicts in the county's history, finding Dollar General at fault for injuries sustained by a Kentucky delivery driver five years ago. News outlets report…

Tile maker expanding facility in East Tennessee

LOUDON, Tenn. (AP) - An Italian tile maker says it is expanding its manufacturing operation in East Tennessee, investing $30 million and adding 40 jobs. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports Del Conca USA will add two production lines at its…

Jackson man charged with disorderly conduct aboard flight

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A man has been arrested after Jackson Airport authorities say he became aggressive aboard a flight. Jackson Municipal Airport Authority Chief of Police Terry Miller tells local media Chase Randal Jackson was arrested Sunday and charged…

University of Kentucky alumnus, wife give $7M gift

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A University of Kentucky alumnus and his wife have given $7 million to rename the Department of Biomedical Engineering, adding an endowed chair and two endowed fellowships. The university says the gift from F. Joseph Halcomb…

Man indicted in shooting death of 10-year-old cousin

MAGNOLIA, Miss. (AP) - A McComb man has been indicted for first-degree murder in connection with the Aug. 5, 2015, shooting death of his 10-year-old cousin, according to Pike County Circuit Court records. The Enterprise-Journal reports that Willie J. Wilkinson…

Report: Group nixes goodwill events, cites Mississippi law

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - A group that raises money to send a Georgia student to a Mississippi college or university has canceled its goodwill events apparently in protest over the state's new "religious freedom" law. The Sun Herald reports the…

Louisville police investigate death of child in vehicle

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville police are investigating the death of a toddler found inside a parked car outside an elementary school. Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said the boy was about 3 years old and was in cardiac arrest when…

Tennessee transgender bathroom bill dead for session

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee transgender bathroom bill has failed after a sponsor pulled the measure until next year. The move Monday comes after intense opposition from businesses and gay, lesbian and transgender rights' organizations that called the measure…

Parents complain about handcuffing of elementary students

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Angry parents are demanding action after they say at least five students were handcuffed at a Middle Tennessee elementary school for not stopping an off-campus fight. The complaints were aired Sunday at First Baptist Church in…

Pastors urge lawmakers to stand firm on bathroom bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Religious conservatives are urging Tennessee lawmakers to ignore what they say are "false prophesies of economic doom and gloom" and to stand strong in the face of opposition to a transgender bathroom bill. A religious coalition…

To curb violence, Nashville expands youth summer jobs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - As part of her plan to reduce violence, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is pushing for employers in both the Metro government and the private industry to hire more teenagers for seasonal summer jobs. WPLN-FM reports that…