Author: Associated Press

Praise be, but too loudly, say police

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) - A woman in Bristol, Tenn., says she was just praising the Lord, although at high volume. Bristol Police said 54-year-old Betty Jones was violating the city's noise ordinance. WCYB-TV reported police cited her on their first…

Two Teen Boaters Found Safe in Shelby County

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say two teens who went missing while fishing on the Loosahatchie River in Shelby County have been found alive. Shelby County sheriff's office spokesman Chip Washington says 16-year-old Brandon Denge and 17-year-old Landon Cross were…

Facebook Users to Vote on Privacy Policy

NEW YORK (AP) - Usually, the way it works is this: Facebook makes changes to the site's privacy policy - and users complain about them. But now, the social networking site is giving its nearly 1 billion users the chance…

NYC Proposes Ban on Sale of Oversized Sodas

NEW YORK (AP) - New York City plans to ban the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks in an effort to combat obesity. The proposed first-in-the-nation ban would impose a 16-ounce limit on the size of sweetened drinks…

UT’s Organic Crop Unit Ranked Among the Best

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The University of Tennessee's five-year-old Organic Crop Unit is being ranked among the best programs in the country for teaching students how to farm organic. The Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting that the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based…

Judge’s Ruling Stops Construction of Tenn. Mosque

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A judge has ruled against the mosque being built near Murfreesboro in a decision that stops construction. Chancellor Robert Corlew ruled Tuesday that proper public notice was not given for the May 2010 meeting where the…

Police, Clergy Team Up to Fight Sex Trafficking

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - About 160 people attended a three-day Trafficking in America Conference in Nashville where police, prosecutors, clergy and child advocates gathered to bring awareness and find solutions. First Lady Crissy Haslam wrote in a letter to the…

Two Giants in Wrestling World Going to Court

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Two giants in the wrestling world are getting ready to rumble - in a courtroom. Nashville-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling has filed a lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment claiming that a former employee gave WWE secret…

Governor Signs Welfare Drug Testing Measure

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A measure to require drug testing as a condition for receiving welfare has been signed by Gov. Bill Haslam. The legislation - which passed the Senate 24-9 and 73-17 in the House - requires new welfare…

Former Nuclear Fuel Company Head Sentenced

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The former head of an East Tennessee nuclear fuel processor has been sentenced to five years in prison on his child pornography conviction. The Greeneville Sun reported 57-year-old Timothy E. Lindstrom was sentenced Monday by U.S.…

Officials Announce Caterpillar Expansion

CORINTH, Miss. (AP) - Officials say a new facility for Caterpillar will house warehouse and logistics operations and create 35 jobs over the next three years. Gov. Phil Bryant joined Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin and other local officials for Thursday's…

Judge Orders Payments in Russian Adoption Case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An American woman who adopted a Russian boy and then later sent him back to Moscow on a one-way flight has been ordered to pay $150,000 and cough up an additional $1,000 a month in child…

Mother Accused of Killing Twins to Face 2013 Trial

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Hendersonville woman accused of killing her newborn twin boys is scheduled to go to trial on first-degree murder charges next year. Lindsey Lowe was in court on Thursday morning when a judge set the trial…

Black Pastors Condemn Obama’s Gay Marriage Support

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A group of black pastors gathered in Memphis to call for President Barack Obama to rescind his view that the gay marriages are a civil right that should be protected. Some members of the black clergy…

Jury Convicts Roommate in MTSU Player’s Slaying

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - A jury has convicted the roommate of slain Middle Tennessee basketball player Tina Stewart of the lesser charge of second-degree murder. The jury delivered the verdict Monday against 19-year-old Shanterrica Madden after deliberating for about two…

Authorities: Kidnapped girls didn’t eat for days

GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) - Authorities say two girls abducted from their Tennessee home told officers who rescued them that they went three days without food or water. Master Sgt. Steve Crawford is with the Mississippi Highway Patrol and was among…

Spokesman: 2 Kidnapped Girls Back with Family

GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) - A family spokesman says two girls have been reunited with relatives after being rescued from a man wanted by the FBI for killing their mother and sister. David Livingston, a family friend, said Friday morning that…

Mayes Dead, Alexandria and Kyliyah Bain Safe

This video is no longer available. GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi authorities say a fugitive accused of a double-slaying and kidnapping has been killed but the two girls he fled with are safe. Guntown Police Chief Michael Hall says 35-year-old…

Kidnap-Slaying Suspect Kills Himself; 2 Girls OK

Authorities in northern Mississippi who tracked down a fugitive accused of kidnapping two girls and killing their mother and older sister say they repeatedly ordered him to surrender, but he instead pulled out a pistol and shot himself in the…

Residents Described as Scared as Manhunt Continues

GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) - A woman who runs a child care facility in Guntown, Mississippi, says she's been keeping kids inside, and talking to them about avoiding strangers. Natasha McGee says "people are scared," as the manhunt continues for a…

Relative: Mayes Thought Children were His

GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) - The mother-in-law of the Mississippi man on the run from a double-slaying says he thought he might be the father of the two girls he's now accused of kidnapping. In a Wednesday interview, Adam Mayes' mother-in-law,…

Haslam offers $15K Reward in Missing Sisters Case

This video is no longer available. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Governor Bill Haslam has issued a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case of a man suspected of killing a Tennessee woman and her teenage daughter…

TN Senate Passes Spending Plan, Cuts Budget for Megasite

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Senate has passed its version of Gov. Bill Haslam's more than $31 billion spending plan, making nearly $60 million in cuts to a number of programs. The chamber voted 32-1 Friday to pass the bill…

Report Takes Issue with Treatment of Black Children

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A U.S Department of Justice report finds African-American children receive disparate treatment in the Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court system. The report, made public Thursday, also concluded officials failed to protect youth against incriminating themselves…

Packers Release Veteran LT Chad Clifton

MILWAUKEE (AP) - The Green Bay Packers have released veteran left tackle Chad Clifton. Clifton is a native of Martin, Tennessee. Packers general manager Ted Thompson called Clifton an "integral part of our success over the past 12 seasons," thanking…

‘American Bandstand’ Host Dick Clark has Died

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dick Clark, the television host who helped bring rock `n' roll into the mainstream on "American Bandstand," has died. He was 82. Spokesman Paul Shefrin says Clark died but did not provide further details. Clark had…

Summit Steps Aside, Warlick New Tennessee Coach

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Pat Summitt is stepping aside as Tennessee's women's basketball coach and taking the title of "head coach emeritus" with long-time assistant Holly Warlick being promoted to replace the sport's winningest coach. Tennessee released a statement Wednesday…

Tennessee Pair Sentenced for Teen Prostitution

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A man and woman from Tennessee have been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for driving a 15-year-old girl they met through Facebook to Illinois to engage in prostitution. The Pantagraph in Bloomington reports…

Occupiers Leaving Downtown Louisville Encampment

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Protestors with Occupy Louisville who have been living outdoors at a downtown park are being told to clear out by the end of the day. The occupiers are an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street protest…

Alabama Governor, Senate Differ Over Road Repairs

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama's Republican-led Senate and the Republican governor disagree over the best way to borrow money to address the state's road and bridge needs. The Senate has approved legislation providing for the state to sell up to…

Zach Scruggs Oral Arguments Set

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments on Zach Scruggs' attempt to have his conviction overturned in a Mississippi judicial bribery case. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has tentatively scheduled arguments for early…

Two Dead in Fatal Shooting

BURNSIDE, Ky. (AP) - Police say an Ashland man has fatally shot a woman in Pulaski County and turned the gun on himself. Burnside police say the state medical examiner's office found that 37-year-old Robyn R. Slone of Ashland was…

Disciplinary Actions Announced in Highway Patrol

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Highway Patrol is demoting a captain and recommending a five-day suspension for a sergeant after the agency says the two failed to properly report an incident involving a state trooper last month. The state…

Abortion Providers Could Face Jail Under MS Bill

Lawmakers say a bill that passed the Mississippi House on Tuesday could lead to criminal prosecutions of anyone who performs an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The abortion restriction was added to Senate Bill 2771, which would set…

Layoffs Possible In Alabama

The Alabama House debated into the night an austere $1.39 billion "General Fund" budget that could mean layoffs of hundreds of state employees and the possible elimination of key services such as medicine and dialysis treatments for Medicaid patients. A…

UT Home Makes National Register

The University of Tennessee's Hopecote guest house in Knoxville has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to a news release from the university, Hopecote was built in 1924 in the English Cottage Revival style. It features…

Plane Crashes In North Mississippi

Tishomingo County Sheriff Glenn Whitlock says two people flying from New Orleans to Indianapolis had to ditch their plane into the backyard of a home off Mississippi Highway 25. Whitlock says neither the pilot nor a passenger apparently suffered life-threatening…

Haslam Criticizes Media Coverage

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is expressing exasperation at the attention given to the "craziest" proposals measures flowing through the Tennessee General Assembly. But instead of taking lawmakers to task, the governor points the finger at the news media. During a…

Elvis Bus Causes Conflict

A two-year-old feud over who owns the so-called Elvis Bus continues in a Mississippi court. It may be a while longer before the issue is settled. The North Mississippi Daily Journal reports (http://bit.ly/HmPIQg ) that Lee County Chancellor Talmadge Littlejohn…

People Dumping Pets On Public Lands

A 10-foot albino python found slithering through Land Between the Lakes is the latest evidence of a recurring pet abandonment problem on public lands. The reptile was taken to an animal rescue center on Wednesday. The Paducah Sun (http://bit.ly/Hm8B8f )…

Plant Cleanup Underway In Paducah

Federal and state agencies are set to begin removing contaminated soil from around the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in an $18 million project designed to clean up four decades of pollution. The U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency…

Casino Murder Victim Was Pregnant

Authorities say a Tennessee woman who appears to have been killed with a sharp object at a Mississippi casino hotel was five- to six-months pregnant. Brandi Nicole Floyd, 25, was found early Thursday on the floor of room 139 at…

Elvis Vacation Trip Planned

Elvis Presley Enterprises has announced a vacation package to Hawaii in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of his concert on the island in 1973. The getaway Jan. 10-15 will feature concerts, panel discussions and tours of Elvis-related locations in Hawaii.…

Street Named For King

A 3,700-foot section of a downtown Memphis street will be renamed Wednesday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on the 44th anniversary of his slaying in the city. The part of Linden Avenue will be renamed to mark…

Liberty Bowl Getting Facelift

The Memphis City Council has approved upgrades to Liberty Bowl Stadium. According to The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/Heg5q7 ), the plan calls for $9 million in improvements, which the city and FedEx will help pay for. The shipping giant will pay…

Questions Arise In Elderly Death

Police and state reports on the fatal beating of as assisted living facility resident show the home failed to report the assault to police and cleaned up the crime scene. The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/HLMMiF ) cites the documents in the Dec.…

Guns In Parking Lots Bill Debated

Gov. Bill Haslam and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey are among the prominent Republicans trying to put the brakes on a bill seeking to guarantee employees the right to store their firearms in vehicles parked at work. The bill, which advanced…

Not Guilty Plea In Principal Death

A teenager charged with fatally stabbing his school principal has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge. Eduardo Marmolejo (mar-moh-LAY'-hoh) did not speak during the brief Shelby County Criminal Court appearance on Monday. The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/HQ8Owl ) reported…

Haslam Unveils New Grocery Tax Cut

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is proposing a greater reduction in the states' sales tax on groceries as part of his final amendment to his annual spending plan. Haslam told reporters Monday that he has included an additional $3.3 million in…

March was Warmest Ever Statewide

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The month just ended was the warmest March on record across Tennessee. National Weather Service records for Memphis show the mean temperature in the city - averaging the high and low temperatures for each day of…