Author: Associated Press

Vanderbilt honors slain student with scholarship

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Vanderbilt University has announced a new scholarship to the Owen Graduate School of Management in honor of Taylor Force, the Vanderbilt graduate student killed in Israel earlier this month. Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos announced the scholarship during…

Mississippi House passes 2 school consolidation bills

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi House Education Committee has passed two bills to consolidate three school districts. The bills passed out of the committee Friday. Senate Bill 2495 would require Montgomery County and Winona School Districts to consolidate into…

Missouri governor vetoes bill on union fees

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Friday vetoed legislation requiring public employees to annually reauthorize paying their union dues through paycheck withholdings, setting up a confrontation with Republican leaders who say they have enough votes to…

Officer who pepper-sprayed and shot at squirrel loses suit

MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (AP) - A federal judge has dismissed a claim from a former Mountain City police officer who was fired after pepper-spraying and shooting at a squirrel in a Dollar General Store in 2013. The Johnson City Press…

Sheriff’s son jailed on meth, gun, assault charges

PIKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Bledsoe County's sheriff has jailed his own 26-year-old son on drug, gun and assault charges. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that deputies say they found 11.1 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and a loaded weapon…

Education leaders question why virtual school remains open

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The legislature's failure to shut down an academically troubled virtual school run by a for-profit corporation has left some education leaders wondering whether Tennessee lawmakers really want to fix schools or have sold out children to…

State port sends letter about rejecting low bid

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - The state port's governing commission sent W.C. Fore a letter regarding his protest over losing a $44 million contract even though he was the low bidder. The Sun Herald reports Fore claimed last week during a…

Prosecutor weighing release of findings in police shooting

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - A prosecutor is considering whether he'll release to the public the findings of the state's investigation involving the shooting death of a 26-year-old man by Columbus police last fall. The Commercial Dispatch reports the Mississippi Bureau…

Kentucky Supreme Court judge nominated for appeals court

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The White House Press Office says Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Lisabeth Tabor Hughes has been nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In a news release…

Teen’s lawsuit says he was racially bullied at school

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An African-American teenager in Tennessee has filed a federal lawsuit against a school board saying he suffered repeated harassment and racial bullying but school officials failed to stop it. In his lawsuit against the Robertson County…

Alabama begins work on beachfront hotel using BP money

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Alabama is using BP funds to construct a multimillion-dollar beachfront hotel and conference center just weeks after a federal judge blocked the state from paying for the work with money from the oil giant. The director…

Deputies: 2 arrested after toddlers found wandering alone

LONDON, Ky. (AP) - Two people have been arrested after authorities say two young children were found wandering nearly a mile from their Laurel County home. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office tells media outlets that deputies were called around 8:30…

Retirement investor to plead guilty in fraud case

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - An Ocean Springs retirement investor accused in the theft of more than $1 million from his clients is scheduled to plead guilty. The Sun Herald reports the attorney for Eduardo Diaz informed the court of his…

Military reap rewards from USM nursing program

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - A federal grant awarded to the University of Southern Mississippi in 2014 has paid significant dividends to former and active-duty military service members seeking a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The Hattiesburg American reports the…

Senate bill would let some felons clear their records

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Some convicted felons in Kentucky could have their records cleared under a bill advancing in the state Senate. Kentucky does not have a process for felons to have their records expunged. Critics say some people convicted…

Tennessee GOP fundraiser to feature South Carolina governor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Republican Party's annual Statesmen's Dinner fundraiser will feature a keynote speech by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. State GOP Chairman Ryan Haynes said Haley will present her ideas on how to "unite the divisions"…

Kentucky court rules in underage sex case involving teens

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's Supreme Court has weighed in on a case involving a 15-year-old boy who was charged with a felony after having consensual sex with his 13-year-old girlfriend. The court stopped short of ruling Thursday whether it…

Tennessee GOP fundraiser to feature South Carolina governor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Republican Party's annual Statesmen's Dinner fundraiser will feature a keynote speech by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. State GOP Chairman Ryan Haynes said Haley will present her ideas on how to "unite the divisions"…

Greater Memphis Chamber unveils diversity proposal

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis officials have unveiled a plan to grow local small, minority- and women-owned businesses as suppliers. The Commercial Appeal reports that the Greater Memphis Chamber on Wednesday told the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and…

Kentucky court rules in underage sex case involving teens

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's Supreme Court has weighed in on a case involving a 15-year-old boy who was charged with a felony after having consensual sex with his 13-year-old girlfriend. The court stopped short of ruling Thursday whether it…

2 Tennessee water utilities out of compliance over lead

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Two water utilities in Tennessee have tested positive for high levels of lead, but Tennessee environmental regulators say the findings are likely due to sampling errors. Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation spokeswoman Kelly Brockman tells…

Judge hears abortion clinic case in Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Awaiting a ruling from a judge, a Lexington abortion clinic will remain closed for at least one day longer than it was hoping to. News outlets report that a judge heard arguments Wednesday but declined to…

State closes daycare over alleged sexual abuse claims

CORINTH, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi authorities have shut down a daycare center in Corinth over alleged sexual and physical abuse to at least six children. According to a document obtained by WTVA TV from the Mississippi Department of Health and…

Western Kentucky bridge to soon be open to two-way traffic

AURORA, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says a western Kentucky bridge could soon be open to two-way traffic. District One Chief District Engineer Mike McGregor said in a news release Wednesday that the Eggners Ferry Bridge's lanes could…

Kentucky court rules in school bullying case

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky family that sued to hold teachers and school administrators liable for a student's suicide over alleged bullying has lost its appeal to the state Supreme Court. The court ruled unanimously Thursday that Stephen Patton's…

Free speech bill withdrawn after Islamic State comments

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A bill calling for more free speech rights at public colleges and universities in Tennessee has been withdrawn after the sponsor said it would allow Islamic State recruiters to operate on campuses. Republican Rep. Martin Daniels…

Court: Judge can’t dismiss jury panels for lack of diversity

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - An appeals court has ordered a Jefferson County circuit judge to stop dismissing jury panels he believes aren't reflective of the community's diversity. Multiple media outlets report that prosecutors objected to Judge Olu Stevens' Feb. 9…

Double decker buses return in Oxford

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - After a year of having their use restricted, Oxford's iconic double decker buses will soon be back on the road, carrying wedding parties, family reunions and other large groups throughout the streets of downtown Oxford. In…

Grant delay could leave residents with HIV, AIDS homeless

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Officials say a delayed federal grant could leave some people with HIV and AIDS in Mississippi homeless next month. The Sun Herald reports the South Mississippi AIDS Task Force administers a Supportive Housing Program grant from…

Central Mississippi officials size up flood damage

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - As the floodwaters recede throughout the Hattiesburg area, officials are getting a better picture of the damage incurred. In Forrest County, 158 houses suffered some type of damage. Of those, three were destroyed, 47 had major…

Youth pastor faces third sex charge in Pearl River County

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - Authorities have filed a third charge against a Baptist youth pastor arrested in Hancock County on allegations he sexually abused a child. The Sun Herald reports Pearl River County deputies filed a sexual battery…

Franklin police warn residents of recent kidnapping scam

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) - Police in Franklin are warning residents about a recent kidnapping scam in Williamson County. Local media outlets report police Lt. Charles Warner says at least three Franklin residents have been targeted with the fake calls in…

Woman pleads guilty in D’Iberville apartment-arson case

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - A 27-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to setting a fire that destroyed a 20-unit apartment building in a D'Iberville complex. The Sun Herald reports Krystal Gonzalez entered her plea Wednesday during the middle of her arson…

Grimes promoting online voter registration

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (AP) - Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is touring Kentucky to promote the state's new online voter registration system. Grimes unveiled the voter registration portal, GoVoteKY.com, this week at the state Capitol. Her first stop on…

Bill to ban passengers from drinking alcohol fails in House

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A perennial bill seeking to ban passengers from drinking alcohol while traveling on Tennessee roads has met its usual fate in the state House. The measure sponsored by Rep. Jon Lundberg of Bristol failed in the…

Parrotsville man charged with brother’s 2011 death

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a Parrotsville man has been indicted in the death of his brother five years ago. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that 44-year-old James Pate Williams was indicted on Feb. 22 on first-degree…

Mississippi senators preserve chance for road funding

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Opponents are still heaping scorn on an empty vessel of a transportation funding package, but the bill remained alive Wednesday after the Mississippi Senate passed it 34-13. The measure now moves to the House for more…

Bill would give legislature power to restore voting rights

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Voters would have the chance to decide whether the state legislature could restore voting rights to some felons under a bill that has cleared a Senate committee. The bill would put a constitutional amendment on the…

DeSoto rated as healthiest county, while Coahoma rated worst

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A new study finds that DeSoto County remains the healthiest county in Mississippi, while Coahoma County is considered the least healthy. The report was released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of…

Kentucky chief justice blasts proposed House budget

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's chief justice says a proposed two year spending plan in the House of Representatives would be catastrophic for the state's court system. Chief Justice John Minton said the judicial system would have a $76.9 million…

Tennessee Senate Speaker Ramsey announces he won’t run again

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, a leading figure in the Republican takeover of all three branches of Tennessee state government, says he won't run for re-election this year. The Blountville auctioneer became the first Republican speaker of…

Tuition freeze bill dies in subcommittee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A bill that would have frozen tuition rates at Tennessee's public colleges and universities appears to be dead after failing to make it through a House subcommittee. Under the bill, students would pay the same tuition…

Tennessee Senate Speaker Ramsey announces he won’t run again

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, a leading figure in the Republican takeover of all three branches of Tennessee state government, says he won't run for re-election this year. The Blountville auctioneer became the first Republican speaker of…

Paducah floodwall restoration project could cost $25 million

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - The Paducah City Commission held a workshop to discuss plans for rehabilitating Paducah's floodwall. Local news outlets report that Public Works Director Rick Murphy said during Tuesday's workshop that the floodwall is 22 years past its…

Campbell County judge under investigation by judicial board

JACKSBORO, Tenn. (AP) - A hearing panel of the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct has ordered a probe to investigate a Campbell County judge who is already the target of an investigation. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft, a…

Nashville’s 87 degrees breaks record

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Meteorologists have announced that temperatures in Nashville reached a record-high for March 15. The Tennessean reports that the Tuesday afternoon temperature of 87 degrees, recorded just after 3 p.m. at Nashville International Airport, broke the city's…

Memphis mayor blasts controversial de-annexation bill

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis' mayor says a state bill that would allow residents to separate themselves from Memphis could be "potentially devastating." The House on Monday approved the de-annexation bill by a 68-25 vote Monday night. The bill, which…

Man pleads guilty to bribing voter in vote-fraud case

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A Magoffin County man has pleaded guilty to helping bribe a voter. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Scott Lynn McCarty has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and admitted that he aided and abetted the payment…