Author: Associated Press

Bradford Co. to invest $5.1 million in Gallatin expansion

GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) - Custom packaging manufacturer Bradford Co. will invest $5.1 million in the expansion of operations in Gallatin. State economic and community development officials say the investment will create 25 jobs in Sumner County. Bradford is a fifth…

AG: Settlement returns nearly $300,000 to Medicaid program

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Attorney General Andy Beshear says Kentucky's role in a settlement with a pharmaceutical company will result in nearly $300,000 being returned to the state's Medicaid accounts. He says the multistate settlement resolves allegations that Novartis Pharmaceuticals…

New council to give parents more of a say in schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - In a move designed to give parents more of a say about what's happening in their kids' schools, the Tennessee Department of Education has formed a new Parent Advisory Council. Education officials say the 15-member council,…

Memphis may consider fee for transportation authority

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The CEO of the Memphis Area Transit Authority says the city is looking at a new fee to pay for the city's and the authority's transportation-related costs. The Commercial Appeal reports MATA CEO Ron Garrison made…

Louisville Zoo announces baby gorilla on board

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The Louisville Zoo announced that gorilla Mia Moja is pregnant and expected to deliver a healthy baby in May. The gestation period for gorillas is 8.5 months. The newborn will weigh about four pounds. The Louisville…

Bill would require candidates report credit card expenses

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi Senate and House committees Thursday advanced bills that would change voting, filing and campaign finance reporting procedures. The Senate Elections Committee passed a bill that would require Mississippi candidates to report campaign expenses they pay…

Consultant pleads guilty in Mississippi prison bribery case

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A business and government consultant has pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge, admitting he paid thousands of dollars in kickbacks to the former head of Mississippi's prison system and a county supervisor on the Gulf…

Mississippi universities: Guns OK on some parts of campuses

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A newly revised policy will allow visitors with enhanced carry permits to carry registered weapons in public spaces on campus at Mississippi's eight state universities. Commissioner of Higher Education Glenn Boyce says in a news release…

Tennessee-Martin takes down Eastern Illinois 87-84 in OT

MARTIN, Tenn. (AP) - Twymond Howard scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Myles Taylor scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds to lead Tennessee-Martin past Eastern Illinois in overtime Thursday night. Taylor_for the second time in…

Lawmakers look to consolidate at least 10 school districts

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Lawmakers are pushing forward legislation to abolish two school districts and consolidate at least eight others, part of a renewed push to pare down Mississippi's 144 school districts in the name of efficiency. The Senate Education…

House OK’s making it harder to change historical markers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee House has passed a bill that would make it more difficult to remove statutes or rename streets dedicated to historical figures like Confederate leaders. The chamber voted 71-23 on Thursday to approve the measure…

Police investigating after body found in forest

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Local and state law enforcement officials are investigating after a body was discovered in the Cherokee National Forest. Media report the body was found by a Greene County sheriff's deputy on Wednesday afternoon in a secluded…

Mother, ex-boyfriend indicted in 2015 death of infant

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A mother and her former boyfriend have been indicted in the death of a one-year-old boy last year. News outlets report that 26-year-old Miranda Alexis Hunt and 27-year-old Wayne D. Jones were both arrested Tuesday on…

Ky. Supreme Court rules in judicial campaign case

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's Supreme Court has set some conditions on what types of political comments judicial candidates can make when running for judgeships. The state's high court ruled Thursday that it's permissible for judicial candidates to identify themselves…

UT: Candidate knew his transcript didn’t exist

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - University of Tennessee officials say a candidate for Knox County property assessor knew his transcript did not exist. University spokeswoman Karen Simsen tells The Knoxville News-Sentinel that despite the fact that Andrew Graybeal on Monday at…

West Tennessee woman pleads guilty in boys’ deaths

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A West Tennessee woman has pleaded guilty in the deaths of two 11-year-old boys who were hit by her vehicle after it jumped a curb. Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich's office said in a news…

Police searching for missing western Kentucky inmate

EDDYVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Police say they are looking for an inmate who was discovered missing from the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex near Eddyville. Kentucky State Police said in a release that Lostia M. Shreves of Cecilia was reported missing…

Regulator for Gov. Bevin’s office resigns from super PAC

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A top regulator from Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin's administration has resigned as a director of Kentucky's major Republican super PAC after a newspaper inquired about potential conflicts in holding both roles. The Courier-Journal reports that K.…

School district superintendent announces salary, job cuts

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - The Hattiesburg Public School District interim superintendent has informed district employees of more pending salary and job cuts. The Hattiesburg American reports Superintendent Greg Ladner announced the cuts during an informational meeting Tuesday evening. Ladner says…

Miss. appeals court hears arguments in ex-mayor’s conviction

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Attorney Steve Farese told the Mississippi Court of Appeals that former Southaven Mayor Greg Davis' 2014 conviction for defrauding the city should be thrown out because of the perception he did not receive a fair trial.…

McComb man faces 27 counts of child abuse

MCCOMB, Miss. (AP) - Authorities say a McComb man is charged with 27 counts of felony child abuse after he allegedly recorded footage of himself beating a disabled 5-year-old girl. The Enterprise-Journal reports Pike County sheriff's deputies arrested 23-year-old Alex…

Jackson may sell blighted property for $10

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Jackson city councilmen have passed an order to the full council that would allow neighbors of blighted properties to purchase lots for $10 to $250. The Clarion-Ledger reports the Neighbors First Lot Program sets up a…

Tennessee general fund collections beat projections by $400M

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee's general fund tax collections have beaten projections by nearly $400 million through the first half of the budget year. The Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration announced Wednesday that sales taxes exceeded estimates by $218…

Memphis City Council approves $2M for police cam expenses

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Memphis City Council has approved adding $2 million to the budget this fiscal year to store police body and in-car camera video. Media outlets report that Tuesday, the council approved money that will be paid…

Breeders’ Cup spurs tourism growth in Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Lexington tourism officials say the Breeders' Cup helped spur double-digit growth in tourism last year in Kentucky's second-largest city. Keeneland Race Course hosted the two-day event for the first time ever last October. The event drew…

Police warn of scammers claiming to be deputies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear warned that scammers have called dozens of Kentuckians, pretending to be a deputy and claiming they have a federal warrant for their arrest. They offer to resolve the issue, for a…

New Memphis startup focused on lab-grown meats

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis Meats, a new meat-production startup, is one of a group of companies working to grow meat in labs. The Memphis Daily News reports that the company uses the cells of cows, pigs and chickens as…

12 puppies found abandoned beside Tennessee highway, adopted

CHURCH HILL, Tenn. (AP) - A plastic storage container holding 12 puppies has been found beside a highway in Church Hill, and Humane Society officials say all of the puppies have since been adopted. Sandy Behnke of the Hawkins County…

Memphis’ balanced attack upends Central Florida 73-56

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Dedric Lawson scored 13 points and had 11 boards, and Trahson Burrell added 13 points and six assists to lead Memphis past Central Florida 73-56 Wednesday night. Avery Woodson and Shaq Goodwin each scored 12 points,…

Report shows 59 percent gain in degrees, credentials

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A new report shows the total number of postsecondary education degrees and credentials awarded in Kentucky grew by 59 percent over a 10-year period. The report was released Tuesday by the state Council on Postsecondary Education.…

Senate Finance Committee votes to add 2 open records jobs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Senate Finance Committee has voted to approve funding for two new positions in Tennessee government to help clear a backlog of open record questions. A recent comptroller's audit documented more than 600 open or pending…

Swazye Field receiving $13 million upgrade by 2018

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Ole Miss' baseball stadium will undergo renovations valued at $13 million. In a news release Tuesday, the university said the project will include a new baseball performance center, a field level club, more box seating, a…

Louisville woman gets 5 years in prison for Medicaid fraud

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A 31-year-old Louisville woman is going to prison for Medicaid fraud. Attorney General Jim Hood, in a news release Tuesday, said Labeatris Estes pleaded guilty to two counts of Medicaid fraud before Rankin County Circuit Court…

Suspect charged in triple fatal shooting pleads not guilty

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The suspect arrested in the fatal shooting of three people found at a Louisville home has pleaded not guilty. The Courier-Journal reports (cjky.it/1R63hb4) 26-year-old George Slaughter of Louisville pleaded not guilty Monday in Jefferson District Court.…

Former pastor sentenced after sexual battery conviction

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A former Stone County preacher has been sentenced to serve 22 years in prison after being found guilty in the sexual battery of a girl. The Sun Herald reports 55-year-old Carlos Smith was sentenced Monday in…

Another man accused of bribing Epps over prison contracts

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Authorities say another man has been charged with bribing former Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps. Federal prosecutors filed a criminal charge late last week against Robert Simmons alleging he kicked back part of his consulting fees…

West Virginia Senate to vote on earlier Sunday booze sales

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A push to let West Virginia restaurants and other businesses serve alcohol on Sunday mornings is set for a Senate vote. Senators are likely to cast a vote Tuesday to move the start of Sunday alcohol…

Nashville plans to donate properties for affordable housing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - On the heels of legislation passed last year authorizing cities to donate land for affordable housing, Nashville is preparing to give away 13 lots. The Tennessean reports (http://tnne.ws/20QfLvn) officials have developed a plan to divide the…

Haslams, Education Commissioner launch literacy campaign

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam, first lady Crissy Haslam and state Education Commissioner Candice McQueen are launching a new literacy campaign on Wednesday known as Read to be Ready. The campaign, which will kick off at Music City…

Western Kentucky forms search committee for president

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Western Kentucky University's Board of Regents has formed a committee to find a new president. Current President Gary Ransdell announced recently that he will retire from the position in June 2017. According to a news…

Spring forest fire hazard season begins

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Division of Forestry says the spring forest fire hazard season has begun. A statement says burning laws will be enforced from Feb. 15 through April 30. During that time period, it is illegal to…

Police: Another arrest after Mississippi parade shooting

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (AP) - Authorities say they've arrested a Gulfport woman in connection with a shooting after a Mardi Gras parade in Mississippi that left two people dead and four others wounded. Local news outlets report that officials have…

Trial set for former Ohio college basketball coach

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A bench trial has been set for a former Ohio college women's basketball coach accused of groping a player in northern Kentucky. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports court records show the trial of former Xavier University assistant…

Shots fired at Rutherford County Sheriff’s home

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold and his family are uninjured after shots were fired outside their Murfreesboro home. Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Lisa Marchesoni tells local media that someone fired shots outside Arnold's home around 10 p.m.…

15 UK students report swollen salivary glands

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - At least 15 University of Kentucky students have sought medical attention because of swollen salivary glands over the past week and a half. Media outlets report that on Friday, university administration sent an email to students,…

Study adds to debate over bill to push back start of school

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Supporters of legislation to push back the opening date for many Kentucky school districts are pointing to a study claiming the early return to school costs the state millions of dollars. The Lexington Herald-Leader says the…

New tarantula species named after singer Johnny Cash

A tarantula named after singer Johnny Cash is among 14 new species identified by scientists who spent a decade collecting the hairy spiders and studying nearly 3,000 of them. The tarantula doesn't sing, but it's black and can be found…

Final Tennessee Girls Basketball Prep Poll

The Associated Press' Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee's three Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters. With first-place votes in parentheses, records through…

Final Boys Basketball State Rankings

The Associated Press' Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee's three Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters. With first-place votes in parentheses, records through…