Author: Associated Press

Former amusement park to sold at auction on April 20

CAVE CITY, Ky. (AP) - A former amusement park in south-central Kentucky will be sold at auction on April 20. Media report a handful of potential buyers inspected the site of the former Guntown Mountain tourist attraction in Cave City…

Jailed in 2 deaths, man faces new charge in death of man, 85

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A man already jailed in connection with a double-killing in March has now been named by Jackson police as a suspect in a February death. The victim in the February case was 85-year-old James Hankins. Jackson…

Gunmaker Beretta to celebrate opening of Tennessee plant

GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker are scheduled to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for gun maker Beretta's new manufacturing and research facility in suburban Nashville. Tennessee prevailed in luring the Italian gun maker from…

Memphis police name off-duty officer involved in shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis police have identified an off-duty officer who was involved in a fatal shooting this week. Police said he is 36-year-old Marshall Smith, who has been with the department since June 8, 2009. He remains relieved…

Gates Foundation extends Shelby County Schools grant

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Shelby County Schools is being given one more year to use the roughly $11 million left in a gift awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2009 to help the cash-strapped district bolster teacher…

Democrats want Republican lawmaker punished for Muslim video

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Three Democrats are demanding that a Republican state lawmaker be disciplined after she distributed a video on Muslims that the General Assembly's legal offices have said is so inflammatory that it could be viewed as religious…

Women’s basketball pioneer Nera White dies at 80

GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) - Nera White, one of the first female players inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, has died. She was 80 years old. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame issued a release Thursday confirming White's death.…

Engineer accused of illegally helping China build reactors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Chinese-born U.S. nuclear engineer has been accused of recruiting a team of U.S.-based experts to help a state-controlled Chinese nuclear energy company build reactors there. Szuhsiung Ho, also known as Allen Ho, had dual citizenship…

Gov. Haslam vetoes bill to make Holy Bible official state book

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has vetoed a bill to make the Holy Bible the official state book of Tennessee. The bill had narrowly passed both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly after sponsors said the legislation…

Ani DiFranco, Cyndi Lauper join North Carolina law protest

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Ani DiFranco and Cyndi Lauper are the latest musicians to protest a North Carolina state law that limits anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community. DiFranco said in a statement Thursday that she canceled her appearance at…

Conservative lawmakers drive backlash against LGBT rights

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Proposals that critics say limit the rights of LGBT people are part of a backlash across the historically conservative South against the U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized gay marriage. Those proposals are finding opponents,…

Plane crash near YMCA caused by loss of engine, airspeed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A small plane crash that killed four members of a Kansas family while narrowly missing a Nashville, Tennessee, YMCA during peak afternoon hours was caused by the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed after an engine lost…

Officials seek moratorium on Achievement School District

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Metro Nashville Public Schools has joined Shelby County officials in calling for the Achievement School District to discontinue takeovers of struggling schools. The Tennessean reports the Metro School Board approved a resolution on Tuesday seeking a…

House approves Fetal Remains Act

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Legislation that would put new restrictions on the transfer of fetal remains from an abortion is close to getting to the governor. The House on Thursday passed the Fetal Remains Act. The Senate already passed the…

Nashville Police increase patrols after officers assaulted

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Metro Nashville Police have announced they are implementing changes in an East Nashville public housing development after two officers were attacked there. Police Chief Steve Anderson announced Wednesday that the officers were attacked in a less…

Tennessee lawmakers pass $35B annual spending plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers have approved a nearly $35 billion annual spending plan for the budget year beginning July 1, sending the measure to Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's desk. While hot button topics like social issues and guns…

Knoxville City Council approves food truck ordinance

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Knoxville City Council members have decided to allow smoked-meat food trucks within the city limits, as long as they are at least 100 feet away from homes. News outlets report that the council's decision resolved one…

Kentucky artists’ work exhibited at Capitol

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Nearly two dozen Kentucky artists are represented in this year's Governor's Derby Exhibit, which is now on display in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort. The exhibit is coordinated by the Kentucky Arts Council and is open…

Flooding closes South Delta Wildlife Management Areas

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Heavy rainfall last month and more in April has resulted in extraordinarily high water levels and backwater flooding in the Mississippi south Delta. As a result, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has decided…

Old Forester Distillery to span bourbon-making process

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Brown-Forman Corp. says its new Kentucky distillery will span bourbon production. The company says its Old Forester bourbon will be distilled, aged and bottled at the distillery in downtown Louisville. Barrels to age the whiskey also…

Former bank employee admits to stealing more than $130,000

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a former bank employee has admitted to embezzling more than $130,000 in a fraudulent loan scheme. Officials say 47-year-old Sheila Burns, of Waverly, pleaded guilty this week to one count of embezzling funds…

Leland police officers to be equipped with body cameras

LELAND, Miss. (AP) - The Leland Board of Aldermen has agreed to equip the city's police officers with body cameras. The Delta Democrat-Times reports that the board voted unanimously on Tuesday approved the use of police body cameras. The Leland…

Lady Antebellum to sing national anthem at Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Churchill Downs says the country trio Lady Antebellum will sing the national anthem at the 142nd Kentucky Derby. The performance will be broadcast live from the Kentucky Derby Winner's Circle at the Louisville, Kentucky, racetrack right…

Titans agree to trade No. 1 overall draft pick to Rams

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Titans have agreed to trade the top overall pick in this month's NFL draft to the Los Angeles Rams. The Titans announced the deal Thursday morning. Tennessee swaps the No. 1 pick to the…

Sheriff: Woman used Bible to try to smuggle drugs into jail

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi woman has been arrested after officials say she tried to smuggle tobacco and drugs into a jail using a Bible. Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar tells media outlets in a statement Wednesday that 51-year-old…

Tennessee lawmakers plan to pass annual budget on Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers are planning to vote Thursday on the state's nearly $35 billion spending plan for the budget year beginning July 1. While hot button topics like social issues and guns tend to draw much attention…

Man gets $1,000 fine, no jail time in dog dragging case

OKOLONA, Miss. (AP) - A man accused of dragging his dog by the neck behind his pickup truck won't serve any jail time. Media outlets report Chickasaw County Sheriff Jim Myers says 70-year-old Willie Davis entered a no-contest plea Wednesday.…

2 people killed, 1 injured in Dickson County shooting

CHARLOTTE, Tenn. (AP) - Two people have been killed and another seriously wounded during a shooting in Dickson County. Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims of the Tuesday morning shooting in Charlotte. Dickson County Sheriff Jeff…

Economic development groups look to revitalize Greenville

GREENVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Greenville has joined with several partners for a project aimed at revitalizing the Washington County city located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. The city, developer Bill Boykin, Guaranty Bank and Trust Company, U.S. Bancorp…

Judge delays sentencing for man who bribed Epps

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge has delayed Thursday's sentencing of a former prison phone consultant who pleaded guilty to bribing former Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps. Sam Waggoner was scheduled for sentencing Thursday. But Nick Bain, his defense…

Kentucky leaders break budget impasse, reach agreement

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's legislative leaders have agreed to a two-year operating budget that will pay the community college tuition for all Kentucky high school graduates while spending more than $1 billion on the state's public pension debt. House…

Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton to speak at women vets event

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton will be the keynote speaker at a Bowling Green conference for women veterans. Hampton, an Air Force veteran, will speak at the Western Kentucky Women Veterans Regional Conference on April 30…

Tennessee Supreme Court case records available to be ordered

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Records of Tennessee Supreme Court cases that were previously only available by visiting Nashville can now be requested online. The Tennessee State Library and Archives said the new online ordering system allows researchers to order cases…

Hospital chain ends long-running tax dispute with Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A major hospital chain is settling a long-running tax dispute with the state of Florida. Records show HCA Holdings, the parent company of the Nashville-based HCA, signed an agreement with Florida officials in late March to…

Country artists condemn LGBT laws, but labels silent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Several country music artists and songwriters have condemned proposed laws critics say discriminate against LGBT people. But anyone looking for reaction from the record labels and production companies on Nashville's Music Row has heard only the…

Make Music Day festival is coming to dozens of US cities

NEW YORK (AP) - More than 35 U.S. cities will be hosting Make Music Day, a free one-day outdoor festival celebrating music and music-making. The annual event is June 21. Performances - from classical to punk rock - will be…

States urge methadone clinic reporting to databases

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia has joined 32 other states in urging federal health officials to let methadone clinics bypass a patient's permission in order to submit dispensing data to prescription drug monitoring databases. The letter from a coalition…

Education resolution to amend Tennessee Constitution fails

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A proposal to add an amendment to the state constitution that would give the Tennessee Legislature full discretion to determine the funding and eligibility of public schools has failed. The joint resolution sponsored by Sen. Delores…

Canadian pilot who died in Nashville crash drunk, obsessed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Canadian pilot who died when he crashed a small plane at the Nashville International Airport three years ago was legally drunk and obsessed with a Nashville celebrity. That's according to a National Transportation Safety Board…

Knoxville prosecutor opposes pre-arrest notification

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Knox County district attorney's office opposes notifying anyone before arrests are made in an investigation. Phone records show Knoxville police called Tennessee football coach Butch Jones during a rape investigation involving former Volunteers A.J. Johnson…

Hankook Tire moving North American headquarters to Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - South Korean tiremaker Hankook is moving its North American headquarters to Nashville. Company and state officials announced in a ceremony at the state Capitol on Wednesday that 200 jobs will move to downtown Nashville, which is…

Fort Campbell assistant principal reassigned

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A published report says the assistant principal at Fort Campbell High School has been reassigned after the district superintendent met with the garrison commander at the Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The Leaf-Chronicle reports it…

Lawmakers honor fallen officer killed in February standoff

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Legislature is honoring the family of a fallen Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics officer and three state troopers whom Gov. Phil Bryant awarded the Medal of Valor. Forty-four-year-old Lee Tart was killed in late February…

Man who asked deputy to fix computer faces child porn counts

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky man is facing child porn charges after asking a sheriff's deputy to fix his computer. The Daily News reports 63-year-old William Breece Dudley was indicted on four counts of possession of child pornography.…

Official: Hardin Co. Schools bus driver may have had seizure

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) - A Hardin County Schools official says the driver of a bus that crashed into a home with 50 children on board appeared to have a seizure. HCS Community Relations Specialist John Wright tells the News-Enterprise that…

3 denied bond in Mississippi meth case

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Three people arrested during an investigation of an alleged meth supplier's plan to attend spring break in Mississippi have been denied bond. The Sun Herald reports 36-year-old Tosh Humphrey, of Slidell, Louisiana, and 40-year-old Roy Tatum,…

Former La Grange pastor pleads guilty in child sex case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A former pastor has pleaded guilty to sex crimes after admitting to having paid sex with a child on multiple occasions. Media outlets report 64-year-old Howard Key Chambers pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to…

National Labor Relations Board declines VW’s union challenge

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The National Labor Relations Board has declined to take up Volkswagen's challenge of a union vote at its lone U.S. assembly plant in Tennessee. The German automaker had sought to appeal a decision that allowed the…

Ohio Co. voters reject legalizing countywide alcohol sales

HARTFORD, Ky. (AP) - Ohio County voters have struck down a measure that would have legalized alcohol sales there countywide. Media outlets report the vote Tuesday wrapped up a year of sometimes heated exchanges between groups for and against legal…

Woman found dead in jail cell 11 hours after being booked

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a 31-year-old woman has been found dead in her cell at the Montgomery County Jail, less than 12 hours after she was booked. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that…