Author: Associated Press

Residents spot coyotes in Natchez

NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - A number of Natchez's residents report seeing coyotes in several residential areas, but animal control experts say the sightings are no reason to panic. Natchez's animal control officer Randy Meyers tells The Natchez Democrat the coyotes…

TNReady scores’ effects on teacher evaluations questioned

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville's school board has joined Knox County Schools in calling for test scores to not be used for teacher evaluations this school year. The Tennessean reports that the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board unanimously voted Tuesday…

Chancellor pulls community colleges from privatization plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Thirteen community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology have been removed from Gov. Bill Haslam's plan for the massive privatization of the management and operation of nearly all state-owned buildings, including college campuses. In a…

Man admits stealing firearms from Saucier pawn shop

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A 32-year-old Gulfport man has admitted stealing 52 firearms in a burglary at Friendly Pawn and Auto in Saucier. The Sun Herald reports Octavia Jermaine Winters pleaded guilty Monday to theft of firearms from a licensed…

Police: ‘Peeping Tom’ spied on Diamondhead woman

DIAMONDHEAD, Miss. (AP) - A 51-year-old man accused of spying on a woman Dec. 9 from outside her window has been arrested on a felony charge of "Peeping Tom" voyeurism. The Sun Herald reports Michael Madison, of Diamondhead, faces a…

3 longtime members step down from hospital board of trustees

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - The president of the Singing River Health System's Board of Trustees says three longtime members of the board will step down in keeping with a settlement agreement between the board, Jackson County leaders and attorneys for…

MUW begins athletic director search

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi University for Women has started its first step toward a potential rebirth of its athletics program. The Commercial Dispatch reports university President Jim Borsig announced MUW will start the search for an athletic director…

Man sentenced for DUI after woman seriously injured in crash

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A Long Beach man was sentenced for driving impaired by drugs when he seriously injured a woman in a Long Beach head-on collision. The Sun Herald reports a judge sentenced 45-year-old Kelly Dwayne Hammons to 25…

Man given 72-year sentence for sexually assaulting 2 boys

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - A man who admitted to kidnapping and sexually assaulting two boys, and trying to kill one of them, will serve 72 years in prison. The Sun Herald reports 43-year-old James Harold Smith was sentenced…

Defense secretary visiting soldiers at Fort Campbell

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - A statement from Fort Campbell says U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter plans to speak to soldiers at the Army post. The statement says Carter will visit the sprawling post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line on…

Bill seeks September session for Tennessee General Assembly

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican state Rep. David Hawk of Greeneville is seeking support for a proposal to have Tennessee lawmakers add a September session every other year. Hawk told his Republican colleagues on Tuesday that the current schedule of…

Kentucky Utilities, LG&E closing several coal ash ponds

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Prompted by new federal regulations, the state's two largest utility companies are closing several storage ponds that collect the coal ash burned by power plants. Kentucky Utilities says it will spend $678 million to meet federal…

International Mentoring Day coincides with Ali’s birthday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The importance of mentors will be highlighted on Muhammad Ali's birthday. The Muhammad Ali Center in downtown Louisville says International Mentoring Day is set for Jan. 17. The boxing great will turn 74 years old on…

House Democrats celebrate $100K donation from Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee House Democrats are celebrating a $100,000 donation from real estate mogul and former Nashville mayoral candidate Bill Freeman. Freeman on Tuesday criticized the Republican supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly, including for refusal…

Harden scores 25 to lead Rockets past Grizzlies, 107-91

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - James Harden scored 25 points, Dwight Howard added 17 points and 14 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 107-91 on Tuesday night. Terrence Jones finished with 20 points for Houston, 10 in the…

Kiffin misses bus, hitches ride with Saban after title game

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin caught a ride with his boss after missing the team bus following the national championship game. Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban says he gave Kiffin a lift back to the hotel…

Lawmakers return for 2nd session of 109th General Assembly

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Protesters advocating for the passage of Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal lined the hallways, sang and chanted as lawmakers who defeated the measure last year returned for the first day of the legislative session. With…

Bill would exempt school projects from prevailing wage

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - State officials would not decide how much to pay construction workers on public school projects under a bill approved by a Senate committee. The bill, sponsored by Republican Wil Schroder of Wilder, would exempt school construction…

Judge removed from criminal case at request of attorney

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's chief justice has disqualified a judge from a criminal trial at the request of Jefferson Commonwealth's attorney. The Courier-Journal reports Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. disqualified Circuit Judge Olu Stevens from the case, which…

The Latest: Barges hit Vicksburg bridge, 2 may have sunk

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - The Latest on flooding along the Mississippi River (all times local): 11:15 a.m. Media are reporting that at least two barges may have sunk in the Mississippi River after a towboat pushing 30 barges struck the…

Bill allowing some distilleries to serve cocktails advances

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Bourbon tourists could sip cocktails and purchase more bottles from Kentucky distilleries in wet territories under a bill that has won approval from a state Senate committee. The bill cleared the Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations…

Comptroller’s office: 2 men stole from training agency

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Comptroller's Office says nearly half of a law enforcement training agency's nonprofit funds went to the pockets of two men serving on its board. The Johnson City Press reports Washington County Sheriff's Office…

Snow falls across much of central, eastern Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Forecasters say snow that began falling Tuesday morning is expected to taper off by late afternoon leaving accumulations of an inch or two across much of north-central and eastern Kentucky. The National Weather Service in Louisville…

Teenage inmate found dead in juvenile detention center

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) - A 16-year-old female inmate has been found dead inside her cell at an Elizabethtown juvenile detention center. The News-Enterprise reports officials discovered the girl unresponsive in her cell Monday morning at Lincoln Village Youth Development and…

Consultants to help Vicksburg attract more retail business

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - A Tupelo company has been hired by the city of Vicksburg to help develop a strategy to recruit and keep retail businesses. The Vicksburg Post reports that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Friday approved…

Lucedale college student victim of crash near Wiggins

WIGGINS, Miss. (AP) - Stone County Coroner Wayne Flurry has identified a 19-year-old college student as the victim of a fatal crash Friday on Mississippi Highway 26 east of Wiggins. The victim was Devin Bryce Clark, of Lucedale. The Sun…

Authorities: Man dies of hypothermia in downtown Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Authorities say a man who was found dead behind a University of Kentucky apparel store had died of hypothermia brought on by cold overnight temperatures in downtown Lexington. The Fayette County coroner's office said in a…

Accomplice in Knoxville slayings seeks Supreme Court review

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A convicted accomplice in the kidnapping, rape, torture and murder of a young Knoxville couple in 2007 is asking the nation's highest court to review his case. George Thomas, who's serving two consecutive life sentences, was…

Sheriff: Man found bound with duct tape after home invasion

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - Authorities say a Jackson County man was found bound with duct tape at his residence following a home invasion. The Sun Herald reports the incident took place Sunday evening in Ocean Springs. Jackson County Sheriff…

Phil Bryant to begin 2nd term as Mississippi governor

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Republican Phil Bryant is beginning his second term as Mississippi governor. His inauguration ceremony begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday on the south steps of the Capitol. A parade will follow, in downtown Jackson. Bryant isn't expected…

Greenville’s Salvation Army to offer more programs this year

GREENVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Greenville's Salvation Army will be offering more programs this year. Lt. Damon Graham, who oversees the city's corps with his wife, tells the Delta Democrat-Times that the Salvation Army will offer life skills classes during the…

Former Youth ChalleNGe Academy worker sentenced

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A former cafeteria manager at the Youth ChalleNGe Academy at Camp Shelby has been sentenced for his role in stealing food. Agents arrested 51-year-old Jerry Howard, of Hattiesburg, in 2014 after a search of his restaurant,…

Harrison County joins high-speed Internet initiative

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Harrison County officials have signed on to a high-speed Internet project aimed at bringing affordable and accessible high-speed Internet to all residents and businesses across the Gulf Coast. The Sun Herald reports Harrison County supervisors signed…

Ex-nurse accused of illegally obtaining patient’s drugs

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A former registered nurse has been arrested, accused of illegally obtaining patient's drugs. Attorney General Jim Hood, in a news release, said 34-year-old Samuel Chase Henderson, of Indianola, was booked Monday following an indictment by a…

New state veterans home dedicated in Clarksville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - State officials have dedicated a new state veterans home in Clarksville. Gov. Bill Haslam and other state officeholders and lawmakers dedicated the new Brig. Gen. Wendell H. Gilbert Tennessee State Veterans Home on Monday. Officials say…

Lawmakers return for 2nd session of 109th General Assembly

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers return to the state Capitol on Tuesday to kick off the second session of the two-year 109th General Assembly. With all 99 House seats and 16 of 33 senators up for re-election this fall,…

1 found dead after residential fire in Flemingsburg

FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. (AP) - A 76-year-old man has died and a woman injured after a residential fire in northeastern Kentucky. Kentucky State Police said the fire was reported Monday afternoon in Flemingsburg. Authorities found Kenneth Wayne Hester of Flemingsburg deceased…

Bevin promoting Kentucky at auto show

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is promoting the state's automotive industry at the North American International Auto Show in Michigan. Bevin's office says the governor is traveling to Detroit on Tuesday to speak with auto industry leaders…

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…

Tennessee Boys 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…

Forecast calls for snow showers across Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Forecasters are calling for snow showers to sweep across Kentucky beginning on Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service is calling for up to 3 inches of snow to fall in parts of central Kentucky, though deeper…

House Democrats plan private meeting Monday as GOP lurks

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky House Democrats have planned an unusual meeting Monday while speculation swirls around the Capitol prompted by a Republican leader's comments last week. House Republican Floor Leader Jeff Hoover said Monday could be "an historic day"…

Vicksburg 1 of 2 sites to participate in STEM initiative

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - Vicksburg has been selected as one of only two sites in the nation to host the Vivian Burey Marshall STEM Pilot Initiative. The Vicksburg Post reports the initiative is designed to engage students in under-represented populations…

Tennessee lawmaker facing ouster benefited from 2nd chances

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - When Republican members in the Tennessee House gather Tuesday to decide whether to oust embattled Rep. Jeremy Durham from his leadership post, it won't be the first time two-term lawmaker has had to answer for questionable…

Plant’s deficient welds unlikely to halt start of operations

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) - Officials say the discovery of deficient welds at a Madison County plant is unlikely to delay the start of operations. Jeff Brubaker, the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives site project manager, tells the Lexington Herald-Leader repairs will…

Authorities identify Kentucky boy who was shot to death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Officials have identified the young boy who was shot to death in Louisville. Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Jo-Ann Farmer says 8-year-old Andre LaMont O'Neal Jr. was shot at a home Saturday night. A previous police…