Author: Associated Press

NBA suspends Matt Barnes 2 games for fight with Knicks coach

NEW YORK (AP) - The NBA has suspended Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes two games without pay for what the league said was a "physical altercation" with Derek Fisher and for "threatening" the New York Knicks coach in October. The…

TVA opens flood gates at Tennessee River dams

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Valley Authority has opened flood gates on all of its nine mainstream dams on the Tennessee River and is holding back water in its upstream…

Bryant names Lamar County judge Beam to state Supreme Court

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is appointing Chancery Judge Dawn Beam of Sumrall to become a state Supreme Court justice. She will be the second woman on the current court, joining Justice Ann Lamar of Senatobia. Beam…

Mississippi Highway Patrol says 5 die in Christmas accidents

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Highway Patrol says five people died on state and federal highways during the Christmas holiday period from Wednesday through Sunday. In Lee County, 19-year-old Boonville resident Chaniqua Pierce died Wednesday on Mississippi 6 when…

Body found near road in Hickman County

CENTERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Hickman County Sheriff's Office has opened a homicide investigation after a body was found near Highway 230 East and Highway 50. The sheriff's office said in a Facebook post that deputies found the body of…

Lexington mother charged with trafficking daughter

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A Lexington mother is being charged with offering her boyfriend sex acts with her then-12-year-old daughter for money. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that around the child's birthday in August, 33-year-old Stephanie Watts offered her daughter money…

US marshals catch inmates who escaped on Christmas Day

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar says two inmates who escaped on Christmas are back in jail. He says in a news release that U.S. marshals caught Dustin Shook and Chad Strange on Saturday in a neighboring…

Brookhaven police investigate double killing

BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (AP) - Brookhaven police say an alleged robbery plan ended with two men dead, and a 17-year-old girl is accused of plotting with one man to rob the other. Chief Bobby Bell says 17-year-old Jaquarius Jones and 22-year-old…

2 men dead; car hit tree, caught fire in D’Iberville

D'IBERVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Authorities in Harrison County say two men are dead after their car slammed into a tree and caught fire in D'Iberville (dee-EYE-ber-vil). Police Chief Wayne Payne tells The Sun Herald that the driver and passenger both…

Workshop offers courses on outdoor skills

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A weekend workshop is being offered next month in Kentucky for women wanting to learn more about outdoor skills. The workshop is set for Jan. 15-17 at Kenlake State Resort Park in western Kentucky. Women 18…

Sandhill crane tours offered at Kentucky park

LUCAS, Ky. (AP) - Barren River Lake State Resort Park is offering tours for people wanting to get a look at sandhill cranes as they migrate home to the north. The park is offering tours during two weekends for guest…

‘Bicycle guy’ serves customers at Memphis airport

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Dion Thorne is a mobile concessionaire at Memphis International Airport. The self-described bicycle guy pedals around, food vending cart in tow, to serve gates that aren't near storefronts. The Commercial Appeal reports the airport's principal food…

Rehab program helps Ky. inmates clean up their lives

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A rehab program at the Kentucky Department of Corrections is helping inmates clean up their lives. WHAS-TV reports that the program called "Enough is Enough" helps addicts detox, as well as stay clean. Ken Wright is…

Memphis mayor-elect planning to eliminate 10 jobs

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Memphis Mayor-elect Jim Strickland says he will eliminate the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission and 10 jobs soon after he takes office Jan. 1. The Commercial Appeal reports he will use the more than $1…

Officials: Algae bloom linked to dead fish washing ashore

WAVELAND, Miss. (AP) - Thousands of dead fish have washed up ashore in Hancock County. The Sun Herald reports land servicing crews picked up about 15,000 fish along Waveland Sunday. Hancock County Chief Deputy Don Bass tells the newspaper the…

Columbus man arrested in shooting that injured teen

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - A Columbus man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that injured a teenager. Columbus Police Department Interim Chief of Police Fred Shelton tells The Commercial Dispatch 25-year-old Mark Howard Coffey Jr. was arrested Wednesday.…

MS Air service to resume in March

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - Commercial air service in Tupelo will resume in March. The U.S. Department of Transportation selected Corporate Flight Management to provide service in Tupelo with 30 nonstop round trips per week to Nashville International Airport. The Northeast…

Authorities say cash, ATM stolen from George County store

LUCEDALE, Miss. (AP) - George County Sheriff's Investigators have asked the public to help identify whoever burglarized the Benndale Superstore, stealing cash and an automated teller machine. Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Shonna Pierce tells local media that the store, located on…

Car salesman charged with assaulting woman on test drive

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A Memphis car salesman has been charged with sexual battery after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman who was taking a test drive. An affidavit says the victim went to the Auto Nation Nissan dealership in…

Last 2 victims identified in Christian Co. triple killing

PEMBROKE, Ky. (AP) - The Christian County Sheriff's Department has released the identities of two bodies found inside a badly burned car discovered in a field near Pembroke. Media outlets report that the bodies, found Nov. 19, have been identified…

Abita Brewing going into hard soda market: hard root beer

ABITA SPRINGS, La. (AP) - Abita Brewing Co. says it's entering the hard soda market with an alcoholic root beer based on the non-alcoholic version it's been selling for nearly 20 years. Spokeswoman Erica Sweeney says "Bayou Bootlegger Hard Root…

Red tide blocks reopening of Mississippi’s oyster season

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - Oyster season won't be reopening any time soon in Mississippi. The Commission on Marine Resources was told Wednesday that required red tide testing, to make sure oysters are safe for harvest, could take up to three…

University of Mississippi gets grant to discuss civil rights

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced $3.6 million in grants for 21 community-based projects, including one at the University of Mississippi that will bring together scholars, students and others to discuss civil rights. The…

Old Christmas trees to be used for fish habitat

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting donated Christmas trees after the holidays to use as underwater habitat for fish. The trees must be real. The agency is accepting the donated trees in 26…

Judge orders online poker company to pay Ky. $870 million

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A state judge has ordered an online poker company to pay Kentucky $870 million for violating the state's anti-gambling laws. Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate ruled Wednesday the PokerStars website willfully violated Kentucky's anti-gambling laws between…

Ky. settles lawsuit with OxyContin maker for $24 million

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway has settled a lawsuit against the manufacturer of OxyContin for $24 million. The state first filed the lawsuit back in 2007. It accused Purdue Pharma of marketing the prescription painkiller as…

Allman film director jailed in Georgia seeks early release

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - The movie director sentenced to jail for the death of a camera assistant while shooting a film about singer Gregg Allman is asking a Georgia judge to set him free early. Former "Midnight Rider" director Randall…

Authorities: Officer injured in shooting, suspect dead

LUDLOW, Ky. (AP) - Authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting in northern Kentucky that left a man dead and the officer injured. Kentucky State Police said in a news release on Wednesday that Ludlow Police Officer Sam Hodge conducted a…

Louisiana man sentenced to 20 years in deaths of 2 women

MAGNOLIA, Miss. (AP) - A Louisiana man accused of gunning down two women in Summit has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Enterprise-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1Pksgbs ) that Corey Cowart, 38, of Kenner, Louisiana, was sentenced Monday in Pike…

Tupelo high school band director arrested on drug charges

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - Police say a high school band director was arrested on drug charges after he was found in possession of crystal methamphetamine. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports Tupelo High School band director Timothy Matlock was arrested…

Authorities investigating fire at Ky. detention center

MT. VERNON, Ky. (AP) - Authorities are investigating a fire at the Rockcastle County Detention Center that caused some inmates and staff to be treated for smoke inhalation. Media outlets report the fire started around 3 a.m. Wednesday in the…

Rapper giving 6 music studios to Boys and Girls Club

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Rapper David Banner wants to make sure the younger generation has access to the technology that wasn't available to him when he started his career. In collaboration with his foundation, Banner is donating a recording studio…

Man wanted in connection with Ky. toddler death arrested

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say a man wanted in connection with the shooting death of a 16-month-old Kentucky girl has been arrested in Nashville. Media outlets report 29-year-old Duwan Mason was taken into custody Tuesday evening at the Hickory…

Sullivan Co. sheriff dresses as Santa, brings gifts to jail

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Sullivan County Sheriff Wayne Anderson, complete with a white beard and red suit, made a visit to the county jail to deliver gift bags to inmates. Media outlets report that Anderson visited all 578 inmates in…

State troopers to increase patrol over Christmas weekend

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - State troopers have announced they will beef up their patrols during the Christmas weekend. The Sun Herald reports troopers will be participating in a traffic-safety enforcement campaign which starts 6 p.m. Wednesday and will last until…

Transportation worker killed in southern Ky. bridge crash

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A state transportation worker has been killed in a crash on a bridge in southern Kentucky that also injured a co-worker. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says it's the first work-related fatality for the agency since 2011.…

Google to invest $600M in new Clarksville data center

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says Google will invest $600 million to bring the company's eighth U.S. data center to Clarksville. The Republican governor and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd made the announcement Tuesday. The move, which will…

Sen. Cruz brings campaign tour through Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is bringing his campaign tour through Tennessee and Arkansas. The Texas senator made his first stop Tuesday in Knoxville, where supporters provided a cake and sang to him in honor of…

Kentucky challenges EPA rules on power plant pollution

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's new top environmental regulator is challenging federal rules to curb power plant pollution blamed for causing climate change. The Courier-Journal reports that state Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Charles Snavely sent a petition to the…

Deal to bring about 200 jobs to downtown Knoxville

  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tombras Group advertising and public relations firm has signed a contract to buy two properties in downtown Knoxville. Those involved in the deal tell the Knoxville News Sentinel  that the $10 million investment will…

Tennova Healthcare purchases land for replacement hospital

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennova Healthcare has completed the purchase of a 109-acre plot of land to relocate the Physicians Regional Medical Center. Media outlets report Tennova purchased a 102-acre tract for $11.5 million on Friday from the heirs of…

Health officials report outbreak of whooping cough

EDGEWOOD, Ky. (AP) - An outbreak of whooping cough has health officials in northern Kentucky urging people to get vaccinated against the disease. A statement from the Northern Kentucky Health Department says 31 cases of whooping cough have been reported…

Fall forest fire hazard season ends in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky forestry officials say the fall forest fire hazard season is over, which ends the restriction of waiting until 6 p.m. to do outdoor burning. The forestry officials continue to urge caution when conducting any outdoor…

Fundraiser planned for Tennessee park

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris will participate in a fundraiser for an outdoor classroom at a Tennessee park. The fundraiser for Jacob's Nature Park at Sinking Creek is set for Jan. 9 at East Tennessee…

Tenn. road construction halted during holiday season

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - If motorists are delayed getting to their destinations during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, it won't be because of road construction in Tennessee. Except for a few long-term closures which must remain in place for…

Fallen tree injures at least 10 on Vandy campus

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say at least 10 people who were touring Vanderbilt University's campus were injured when a tree fell on them. Media outlets report that at least four people were transported by ambulance to Vanderbilt University Medical…

3 dead in triple shooting in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Metro Nashville Police say a man shot and killed his wife and a girlfriend before turning the gun on himself. Police Commander Terrance Graves told media that officers were called to a report of shots fired…

Mobley leads Tennessee-Martin past Alcorn State 70-47

MARTIN, Tenn. (AP) - Jacolby Mobley scored 16 points and Tennessee-Martin won its fourth-straight game with a 70-47 victory over Alcorn State Monday night. Myles Taylor added 11 points and Twymond Howard had 11 rebounds for Tennessee-Martin (6-7). Taylor scored…