Author: Associated Press

Woman arrested in probe of jewelry store robberies

ATLANTA (AP) - The FBI says a woman suspected in multiple jewelry store robberies across the Southeast has been arrested in Georgia. An FBI statement released Saturday afternoon said 24-year-old Abigail Lee Kemp was arrested without incident a day earlier…

New TVA project in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Work is underway on a Tennessee Valley Authority project to build a $975 million natural gas-fired electrical generating plant in Memphis. The Commercial Appeal (bit.ly/1OiTGue) reports the new plant will replace an aging coal-burning facility nearby.…

Work starts on natural gas-fired generating plant

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Work is underway on a Tennessee Valley Authority project to build a $975 million natural gas-fired electrical generating plant in Memphis. The Commercial Appeal (bit.ly/1OiTGue) reports the new plant will replace an aging coal-burning facility nearby.…

Starkville industrial park plans to be unveiled

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Developers are expected to unveil plans for a new industrial park next week. The Starkville Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/1MZlO3A ) that the Golden Triangle Development LINK is due to unveil plans at a public meeting next…

Hughes stepping down as Kentucky Democratic Party chairman

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - After less than a year on the job, Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Patrick Hughes plans to step down from the job. In an email to fellow Democrats, Hughes says he is resigning to fully focus on…

Tire dumping poses problem in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A Marion County sheriff's detective on patrol has been targeting a slow-moving truck loaded with scrap tires. Sheriff Bo Burnett tells the Chattanooga Times Free Press (bit.ly/1PPaJ9L) that someone has been dumping hundreds of tires along…

Memphis airport shows progress in reducing airfares

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis International Airport officials are reporting progress in reducing historically high airfares. Airport officials tell The Commercial Appeal that Department of Transportation data showed the average airfare at Memphis has come down more than $93 since…

MSU considers banning popular hoverboards in buildings

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi State is expected to approve a policy change this month that prevents the use of hoverboards inside all campus buildings. Citing safety concerns, the university's executive council will meet Jan. 25 to consider the measure.…

State, Claiborne County discuss schools return to community

CLINTON, Miss. (AP) - The newly-elected Claiborne County School Board and state education officials have met to discuss the process of returning the school district to community control by July 1. The board met Friday in Clinton with representatives of…

Louisville council members want curfew reviewed

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Metro Council members in Louisville are planning to ask state lawmakers to amend a law that forbids Louisville police from fully enforcing curfew. The request stems from last month's disturbance at Mall St. Matthews by a…

Parents critical of Kentucky School for the Blind

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Several parents of students attending the Kentucky School for the Blind are protesting what they say is a marked deterioration in education for their children since the school's top administrators were replaced in 2014. The parents…

Religious freedom, education, gambling bills top 2016 agenda

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia lawmakers return to the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday, kicking off the 2016 legislative session. State Sen. Greg Kirk plans to introduce a bill protecting government employees who object to same-sex marriage, called the First Amendment…

Tunica casino union vote delayed on worker pressure charges

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A vote on unionization by dealers at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica County has been put off amid charges that MGM Resorts International broke federal law while campaigning against union representation. About 300 workers had…

Corinth nurse charged with Medicaid fraud

CORINTH, Miss. (AP) - An Alcorn County nurse practitioner accused of Medicaid fraud has surrendered to authorities. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (http://bit.ly/1mJLkFg ) reports 55-year-old Tami Bivens-Johnson, of Corinth, turned herself into authorities Friday. Bivens-Johnson was recently indicted by…

Candidates qualify for Mississippi US House races

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - All four of Mississippi's U.S. House members will face at least one challenger this year, although none attracted an opponent who's expected to bring a large campaign fund or widespread name recognition. Friday was candidates' filing…

Judge releases records in high school rape case

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Juvenile court records detailing rape allegations in a case involving high school basketball players have been released in east Tennessee. The Chattanooga Times Free Press (http://bit.ly/1PU2tan ) reports the documents say a 17-year-old used a pool…

Police officer injured in shooting at Louisville home

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A police officer and a suspect in Louisville have been wounded in a shooting at a home in the Shively area. Louisville police say the Shively Police officer was at a home on Eden Lane around…

Stumbo skips Friday session, Democrats say no changes coming

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo missed Friday's legislative session because he was attending a meeting at his law firm in Florida, Speaker Pro Tem Jody Richards said. Stumbo's absence comes one day after House Republican Leader…

West Louisville methane plant scrapped after public outcry

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A company seeking to build a new facility that produces methane gas from manure and other organic material has scrapped plans to build at a western Louisville site amid outcry from residents and local leaders. STAR…

City of Oxford to make room for food trucks

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Oxford officials are considering an ordinance to help manage food trucks looking to set up shop in Oxford to sell on the go. The Oxford Eagle reports Assistant City Planner Ben Requet presented the ordinance to…

After runoff, city of Lumberton has new mayor

LUMBERTON, Miss. (AP) - The city of Lumberton officially has its new mayor. The Hattiesburg American reports that Thursday the Lumberton election commission certified the results of the Dec. 29 mayoral runoff, with Kent Crider defeating Jonathan Griffith 201-193. Crider…

Candidate withdraws from Columbus police chief job

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - One candidate for the Columbus, Mississippi, police chief job has dropped out. Geoffrey Herweg confirmed his decision to The Commercial Dispatch. He said he withdrew for personal reasons. Herweg was one of five finalists for the…

Teenagers plead not guilty in case of dumpster baby

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - The two teenagers accused of discarding a newborn baby last year in an apartment complex dumpster have entered pleas of not guilty. The Paducah Sun (http://bit.ly/1MX0bAP ) reports that a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy…

Mississippi congressional candidates must qualify by Friday

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi's four U.S. House members are seeking re-election. Candidates' qualifying deadline is at 5 p.m. Friday, and party primaries are March 8. By Thursday: - In the northern 1st District, Rep. Trent Kelly had one Republican…

2 crashes minutes apart kill Carriere woman, Lucedale man

Highway patrol troopers responded to two fatal accidents in South Mississippi on Thursday. The Sun Herald reports the first was at 3:21 p.m. in Pearl River County. Troopers say a car driven by 22-year-old Jayson Woodfill, of Waveland, was northbound…

Sheriff’s office loses armored vehicle due to Obama order

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A military surplus armored personnel carrier that was awarded to the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office in 2003 has been recalled as part of President Barack Obama's effort to decrease the military appearance of law enforcement agencies…

Moss Point gang leader heads to prison for drug trafficking

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a leader of the Bloods street gang in Moss Point has been sentenced for trafficking marijuana, crack and powder cocaine in his hometown. The Sun Herald Reports Chief U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola…

Biloxi Bay Bridge will get walkway security cameras

AP-MS--Bridge Security Cameras Biloxi Bay Bridge will get walkway security cameras Eds: APNewsNow. BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - The Biloxi Bay Bridge will get its walkway security cameras. The Sun Herald reports a former Pascagoula attorney, now living in north Mississippi,…

MTSU investigates athletics sex discrimination accusations

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Middle Tennessee State University has confirmed that schools officials are investigating accusations of sexual discrimination within the university's athletics department. According to an email sent to athletics department personnel Nov. 6 and obtained Wednesday by The…

Few more days before barges removed at Columbus dam

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - Two barges pinned against the Stennis Lock and Dam in Columbus will remain there for a few more days. Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Operations Manager Rick Saucier tells WTVA-TV it is taking longer than expected for a salvage…

Stream of conservation plans started with communities

MOSS POINT, Miss. (AP) - About 250 people across the Gulf Coast participated in planning conservation efforts for nine streams in Mississippi's three southern counties. Now, the Mississippi Nature Conservancy is finalizing a conservation plan and creating engineering proposals in…

Small plane crashes in Middle Tennessee, pilot dies

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) - A pilot has died after a small-engine plane crashed near Lebanon's airport in Middle Tennessee. Lebanon Public Safety spokesman Mike Justice told The Tennessean that the plane landed in the backyard of a house about two…

Meridian hunter takes down enormous 428-pound wild boar

MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) - A Meridian hunter has shot and killed a 428-pound wild boar. Larry Carman tells The Clarion-Ledger that it took two shots from his rifle to put down the wild pig last weekend. Carman says it took…

Autopsy: Hattiesburg man died of blunt force trauma

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Officials say an autopsy has confirmed that a 35-year-old man found dead at his Hattiesburg home earlier this week died of blunt force trauma. Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict tells The Hattiesburg American it was evident…

Sturgis Police donation to buy bullet-proof vests

STURGIS, Miss. (AP) - Police officers in Sturgis will have another layer of safety thanks to a donation by 4-County Electric Power Association. The Columbus-based utility donated nearly $2,800 to the Sturgis Police Department to buy bullet-proof vests. WTVA-TV reports…

3 nominees forwarded to Haslam for judicial vacancy

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Governor's Council for Judicial Appointments has forwarded names of three nominees for a circuit court vacancy in West Tennessee. The vacancy is in the 30th Judicial District, which serves Shelby County. The vacancy was created…

Tennessee tourism officials tout 2016 events and attractions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development is highlighting several destinations in the upcoming year. The top events and attractions include: -The Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg kicking off its 150th anniversary celebration at the start of…

Western Kentucky bridge over Ohio River still closed

WICKLIFFE, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says a western Kentucky bridge over the Ohio River that was closed last week due to high water remains shut down. The cabinet says engineers are in contact with the Army Corps…

Kentucky Farm Bureau offers scholarship details

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Farm Bureau says the deadline is next month for high school seniors eligible in the bureau's college scholarships. The Kentucky Farm Bureau Education Foundation will award scholarships ranging from $400 to $4,000 this spring…

Student pleads guilty to misdemeanor in stadium drone case

AP-FBC--Kentucky-Drone Crash Student pleads guilty to misdemeanor in stadium drone case Eds: APNewsNow. LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A University of Kentucky student who operated a drone that crashed inside a stadium before a football game has pleaded guilty to a…

Report finds Mississippi foster care system still worsening

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A new report finds that Mississippi's child welfare system continues to deteriorate, raising the stakes for state government's effort to stave off a federal judge from taking over the system. It's the second straight report to…

Another $4M in donations sought for Mississippi museums

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Companies and other private donors have given $13 million to help pay for two Mississippi history museums that are set to open in 2017. Now, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO Haley Fisackerly says another $4 million…

Titans interview 2 more candidates in search for new GM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Titans have interviewed Giants executive Marc Ross and former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist in their search for a new general manager. The Titans confirmed they completed interviews with both men Thursday. Ross is…

Man who crashed SUV into truck claims it was self-defense

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The lawyer for a western Kentucky man facing two murder counts for his role in a fatal crash says his client acted in self-defense. The Kentucky New Era reports that defense attorney William G. Deatherage Jr.…

Chancellor Morgan to retire amid Board of Regents shakeup

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Chancellor John Morgan is stepping down as head of the Tennessee Board of Regents following Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's announcement that he wants to grant more autonomy to the six four-year universities in the system. Haslam…

Hattiesburg City Council overrides mayor’s wastewater veto

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Hattiesburg City Council members have voted to override the mayor's veto of the council's decision to implement land application as the solution to its wastewater issues. Media outlets report the council made the 4-1 vote Wednesday…

Memphis, Shelby County debate over $1B liability

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis and Shelby County officials are debating over who is responsible for paying the dissolved Memphis City Schools system's $1.1 billion liability for retiree health benefits. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports county commissioners said Wednesday the…