Author: Associated Press

High school loosens up dress code, OKs pajama pants

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (AP) - Teachers and parents at a Lawrenceburg high school have voted to allow students to wear a variety of clothing that were previously banned, including pajama pants. The Paducah Sun reports that an Anderson County High School…

Fort Campbell soldier charged in fatal accident

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Fort Campbell soldier has been charged in a drunken driving accident that killed another motorist in November. The Leaf-Chronicle reports that during its January session, a Montgomery County grand jury indicted 26-year-old Jacob Ryan Clark…

Man charged in Memphis girl’s death pleads to gun charge

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A man charged in a drive-by shooting of a 7-year-old girl in Memphis has pleaded guilty to a federal gun possession charge. Prosecutors say 22-year-old Jordan Clayton entered the plea Friday in federal court in Memphis…

Louisville celebrates Edison’s birthday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Celebrated inventor and scientist Thomas Edison is being remembered in his old Kentucky home. A daylong birthday party is planned for Saturday, Feb. 13 at the historic Thomas Edison House in the Butchertown neighborhood in Louisville.…

Foster Care Review Boards calling for volunteers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky is calling for volunteers for its Citizen Foster Care Review Boards, which work with the courts to ensure the state's foster children are placed in permanent homes as quickly as possible. The Administrative Office of…

‘Shark Tank’ cast member Greiner to headline conference

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - ABC's "Shark Tank" cast member Lori Greiner will be the featured speaker at a conference next month in Chattanooga. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports Greiner will headline an entrepreneurial summit for women. Greiner will share…

East Tennessee woman indicted in death of boyfriend’s son

JASPER, Tenn. (AP) - An east Tennessee woman has been indicted in the death of her boyfriend's 6-year-old son. A Marion County grand jury last week indicted 30-year-old Holly Rutledge of Whitwell on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child…

Shoe collection in Louisville to raise money for Flint kids

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville is launching a community-wide effort to raise money for children in Flint, Michigan, who have been impacted by that city's drinking water crisis. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer says the effort will serve the long-term needs…

$3 million worth of meth seized in Hinds County traffic stop

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Hinds County Sheriff's Department says a traffic stop Wednesday resulted in one of the largest interdiction seizure of methamphetamine - reportedly valued at $3 million - in state history. Officials said in a news release…

19 confirmed cases of salmonella in Estill County

IRVINE, Ky. (AP) - Estill County Emergency Management says there are 19 confirmed salmonella cases and 41 people with gastrointestinal illnesses in the county. In a Facebook post, Estill County Emergency Management says the health department is investigating the salmonella…

Missouri considers easing adoptee birth certificate access

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Danika Donatti first met her biological father when he was in hospice dying from complications of a disease she might also carry. Donatti, 18, was adopted shortly after birth. She has known the names of…

3 former firefighters indicted on arson charges

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - Three of the six former Hancock County firefighters have been indicted by a grand jury on arson charges after a string of suspicious fires in 2014 and early 2015. The Sun Herald reports those…

Arkansas up for grabs after Huckabee exit

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Former Gov. Mike Huckabee's exit from the presidential race doesn't just open up a new hunt for his home state's Republican delegates in the March 1 primary. It could also expose where the rifts lie…

Tennessee passed 2009 law taking guns out of abusers’ hands

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The same year Tennessee's pro-gun Legislature made it legal for some to be armed in bars, lawmakers also took a quieter step toward keeping guns away from domestic abusers. The 2009 law requires people who have…

Commercial air service to start again in Tupelo

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - The final pieces are coming together for commercial air service to start again in Tupelo, five months after the last carrier left. Corporate Flight Management, based in Smyrna, Tennessee, is set to begin its Tupelo-Nashville connection…

State moves inmates from regional jails

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Budget problems are forcing the Mississippi Department of Corrections to cut the state inmate population at county regional jails. The agency, in a news release, said it began Friday removing 602 inmates from 13 of the…

Girlfriend now sought in parolee’s escape

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Department of Corrections is now seeking the girlfriend of parolee Michael Lester Morgan as an accomplice in his escape this week. The department, in a news release Friday, said Kimberly M. Sellars is wanted…

Political leaders attend Powers’ funeral

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Georgia Davis Powers' funeral turned into a celebration of a life that broke down barriers as a civil-rights icon and the first African-American woman elected to the Kentucky Senate. The Courier-Journal reports the celebration Friday in…

TBI Top 10 Wanted Man Captured

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An alleged sex offender on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Top Ten Most Wanted List has been captured by police. Officials say John Lamb was arrested in Rutherford County Thursday afternoon, about an hour after he…

Jefferson County Public Schools stops requiring some tests

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Jefferson County Public Schools has announced it is not requiring teachers to give students diagnostic tests for the rest of the year. The Courier-Journal reports that JCPS made the decision recently in response to concerns about…

Hattiesburg Public School District to cut jobs, salaries

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Hattiesburg Public School District employees have been notified of pending job and salary cuts. The Hattiesburg American reports letters of the cuts were sent out to employees Thursday. Interim superintendent Greg Ladner says the district will…

Petal fire department updates gun policy to reflect new laws

PETAL, Miss. (AP) - The Petal Fire Department has updated its gun policy to include rules that are in line with new Mississippi laws. The Hattiesburg American reports that the Petal Board of Alderman voted unanimously to approve the updates…

Hundreds of gallons of gas stolen from FAA radar tower

HARLAN, Ky. (AP) - Authorities are investigating the theft of thousands of dollars of diesel fuel, including some believed to have been stolen from a Federal Aviation Administration radar tower in eastern Kentucky. Kentucky State Police spokesman Shane Jacobs said…

Unruly bus riders prompts Jefferson County to crack down

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A union official says more than 60 percent of Jefferson County Public Schools say they have felt unsafe on the job. School district Chief Operations Officer Michael Raisor tells The Courier-Journal that school officials will be…

Adams County to discuss raising smoking age

NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - Young adults in Adams County may have to curb their tobacco habits. The Adams County Board of Supervisors says the county will hold a public hearing soon to discuss a proposed ordinance that would raise the…

New Columbus police chief to begin Feb. 19

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - The Columbus mayor's office says the city's new police chief will begin his duties on Feb. 19. Oscar Lewis III, who was chosen from among three finalists for the job on Jan. 19, is currently serving…

2 officers hurt in chain-reaction crash of 3 patrol cars

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Two Gulfport police officers suffered minor injuries after a fender bender involving three of the department's patrol cars on U.S. Highway 90. Sgt. Damon McDaniel tells The Sun Herald several officers were dispatched to a call…

Police: Morristown woman lied about kidnapping

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (AP) - A Morristown woman has been accused of filing a false report after she told police she was kidnapped last week. Morristown police said in a news release that 25-year-old Ciara Mae Holt had told officers that…

Gulfport man who hid stolen guns gets prison, fine

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A 54-year-old Gulfport man who took some of the weapons stolen from a Saucier firearms dealer to a drop-off spot has been sentenced to prison for 21 months and fined $1,200. The Sun Herald reports Andre…

TBI Top 10 Wanted Man Captured

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An alleged sex offender on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Top Ten Most Wanted List has been captured by police. Officials say John Lamb was arrested in Rutherford County Thursday afternoon, about an hour after he…

Supreme Court says lawyer deserves more punishment

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Supreme Court says a lawyer who was embroiled in a sex-scandal with a drug-addicted client deserves more punishment than a board's recommended 30-day suspension of his law license. The state's highest court on Thursday…

TSU wins award for international education

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee State University is one of five schools nationwide to win the Andrew Heiskell Award for innovation in international education. The awards from the New York-based Institute of International Education showcase the most innovative and successful…

Man charged with murder after crash kills teenage bicyclist

MORGANFIELD, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky State Police charged a Morganfield man with murder after he allegedly hit a 17-year-old bicyclist while driving under the influence. Steven W. Freeman, 22, is being held at the Union County Detention Center. State…

Automotive supplier creating jobs in southern Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky officials say an automotive supplier plans to create several dozen jobs with new operations in Simpson County. Gov. Matt Bevin's office said Thursday that the $5.6 million investment by TMM USA Inc. will create 42…

FCC chair to discuss broadband opportunities in eastern Ky.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The head of the Federal Communications Commission plans to travel to eastern Kentucky to discuss broadband-based economic opportunities. Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers says FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will visit his district on Monday to meet…

The buzz is gone: Nashville convention center roof bees dead

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A colony of bees on the roof of Nashville's new convention center didn't survive the winter. WPLN-FM reports that officials don't know what killed the 100,000 honeybees that had been brought to the Music City Center…

Trial set for Vicksburg man accused of killing uncle with ax

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - The trial of a Vicksburg man accused of killing his uncle with an ax has been set. The Vicksburg Post reports 35-year-old Joseph Patton was arraigned Monday after being indicted on murder charges in January. His…

Thousands of trees to be given away Friday

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi's Arbor Day isn't until Feb. 12, but the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District is giving folks the opportunity to get a head start on the celebration. The Vicksburg Post reports 35,000 hardwoods and…

State seeks parolee who escaped custody

PEARL, Miss. (AP) - State authorities are searching for a parolee who fled the Rankin County Probation and Parole Office after having a revocation hearing related to his Dec. 3 arrest in Hinds County. The Mississippi Department of Corrections, in…

Kansas budget plan hits college, boosts officers, hospitals

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas would give prison officers a pay raise, attempt to boost staffing at mental hospitals and grant lawmakers greater oversight of spending at the state's largest university under a budget-balancing plan a legislative committee approved Thursday.…

Train derails in Wayne County

WAYNESBORO, Miss. (AP) - Emergency management officials are on the scene of a train derailment in Wayne County. WDAM-TV reports about five cars jumped the tracks around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Deputy Director of Wayne County Emergency Management Agency Keven Stevens…

Bill to let terminally ill use medical marijuana advances

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A proposal to allow terminally ill patients in Florida to use medical marijuana is headed to the Senate floor. Sen. Rob Bradley's measure, which passed the Fiscal Policy Committee on Thursday, has gone back to its…

Georgia House panel backs ‘Pastor Protection’ legislation

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia law doesn't require religious officials to perform same-sex marriages, and a bill making that clear is moving through the Georgia House. The "Pastor Protection Act," the first of several proposed religious exemptions for opponents of the…

Kansas House panel adds $3M to budget for mental hospitals

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The two state mental hospitals in Kansas would receive an additional $3 million total in their current budgets under a proposal approved by a legislative committee. The House Appropriations Committee added the money Thursday to budget…

Louisiana Senate race draws its first Democratic candidate

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's U.S. Senate race has its first Democratic contender. New Orleans lawyer Caroline Fayard, who has never held elected office, announced her campaign Thursday, saying she represents a "new generation of leadership." Fayard ran unsuccessfully…

Mississippi lawmakers pass aid for tire plant, shipyard

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi lawmakers on Thursday approved hundreds of millions of dollars of state money and incentives for a tire plant in western Hinds County and a shipyard in Gulfport. German tire and auto-parts maker Continental AG will…

Hardin County to appeal order overturning right-to-work law

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Hardin County officials say they will appeal a federal judge's ruling that overturned a local law banning mandatory union membership. U.S. District Judge David Hale invalidated the so-called "right-to-work" law on Wednesday. He said only state…

Tennessee lawmakers approve ‘atomic bomb of politics’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday joined four other states in calling for a national convention on amending the U.S. Constitution to bring about limits to federal power - what one supporter touted as the "atomic bomb of…

Questions remain about high lead levels in water samples

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Questions remain after state health officials said last week that water in some Jackson area homes tested positive for lead above recommended levels. The Clarion-Ledger reports the Environmental Protection Agency says a repeat sampling Friday indicated…