Author: Associated Press

SPRING HILL, Tenn. (AP) - General Motors' powertrain plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., has produced its 3 millionth Ecotec engine. A GM news release Friday said the milestone was reached this week. The engines will power the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu…

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Three people have been sentenced on federal drug charges stemming from the same undercover investigation that snared a central Mississippi high school football coach. Joseph Patrick Coates of Pearl, Daniel Blake Huber of Jonesboro, Ark., and…

MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Rep. Scotty Campbell says he will not seek re-election in the fall. The Mountain City Republican told WCYB-TV (http://bit.ly/GTybPR) that his long-term personal and education goals are among the main reasons he won't be…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A line of storms that moved through the Louisville area brought strong winds that caused damaged to homes and knocked out power to about 12,000 homes and businesses. The National Weather Service is investigating whether a…

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A man sentenced last year to prison for drug trafficking through his trucking business in Forest will stand trial May 2 on more charges arising from the earlier case. The Scott County Times reports (http://bit.ly/GQgBzq) that…

Days after an appeals court said the Memphis police department was illegally detaining people without sufficient evidence, Memphis officials say they will halt the practice. Shelby County's practice of putting people in jail on 48-hour holds got renewed attention after…

An indictment against two men, including a former correctional officer, says the two planned to make a copy of a prison key in a plot to free Tennessee's only female death row inmate. Donald Joseph Kohut and Justin Wesley Heflin…

The Kentucky Supreme Court has upheld the state's prevailing wage law and says the statute does not violate either the state or federal constitutions. The decision handed down Thursday turned away an attack brought by TECO Mechanical Contractor Inc. The…

A proposal that would drug test people as a condition of receiving welfare advanced Wednesday evening in the Senate. The measure sponsored by Republican Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville passed the Senate Health and Welfare Committee 7-1. The legislation is…

Victims of severe weather in 10 Tennessee counties have until May 31 instead of April 17 to file their tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. According to an IRS news release, taxpayers in the counties also have until May…

The owners of Tupelo property used as a hangout by homeless people are opposing city officials' suggestions to oust squatters from the land. Doyce Deas, whose family owns several acres in the city, says people who live there in tents…

Authorities say severe weather may be to blame for one death, scattered home damage and up to 5 inches of rain in Mississippi. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says Wednesday's death in Lexington was caused by a tree falling on…

A proposal that would require "family life education" curricula taught in schools to be abstinence-centered is advancing in the House. The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Jim Gotto of Hermitage passed the House Education Subcommittee on a voice vote on…

The Memphis Fire Department has added an ambulance that can accommodate patients weighing up to 1,600 pounds. The so-called "bariatric ambulance" is equipped with a winch and an extra-large stretcher. Deputy Fire Chief Gary Ludwig told The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/GDXQOH)…

It's the Run for the Roses, but thousands of tulips are part of the landscape at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby in May. Not this year. Track horticulture director Matt Bizzell says the unusually warm winter means the tulips…

The state attorney general says Shelby County cities which want to start their own schools can't until after the Memphis-Shelby County school merger is complete. The opinion released by Tennessee Attorney General Robert E. Cooper on Tuesday was reported by…

The Lenoir City School Board has discontinued prayer at board meetings and football games. School Superintendent Wayne Miller told The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/GIvKQr ) long-term decisions will be made after the school system's attorney advises the board. The newspaper…

State legislators and department heads are trying to figure out how to manage state government under the more than 10 percent budget cuts announced Friday by Gov. Robert Bentley for the reminder of the current fiscal year, which ends Sept.…

Rep. David Hawk returned to the state Legislature on Monday afternoon, just hours after his first court appearance on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence resulted in an order for the Greeneville Republican to have no contact with his wife.…

A former Mississippi hospital executive wants a federal judge to acquit him or grant a new trial in an alleged medical kickback and bribery scheme. Raymond Lamont Shoemaker of Tupelo was charged last year with receiving kickbacks for nursing services,…

Sullivan County Commission members have put the quietus on a barking dog ordinance. According to the Kingsport Times-News (http://bit.ly/GCapWa ), commissioners rejected the proposal for a second time Monday night. It was identical to one that failed two months ago.…

Mississippi authorities are preparing to execute two men this coming week. One of them was an Eagle Scout and recent high school graduate when he was charged with sexually assaulting and killing a woman. The other is a habitual offender…

Alabama may join the ranks of states banning cell phone use by school bus drivers under a bill approved by the state House of Representatives. The legislation sponsored by Rep. Joe Hubbard, a Montgomery Democrat, would allow bus drivers to…

An official says two people have died and one was injured in a house fire in western Kentucky. Mayfield Fire Detective Lt. Brent Farmer told WPSD-TV (http://bit.ly/FQ730G) on Sunday morning that an adult male and female were killed in the…

Democratic leaders are putting on a brave face about their dwindling numbers in the Tennessee Statehouse, claiming the political landscape presents an opportunity to regroup and emerge stronger. But the party's recent electoral record - and an internal Democratic memorandum…

Tennessee authorities are asking federal transportation officials to investigate a truck driver whose rig struck a Tennessee Highway Patrol cruiser. The trooper inside the parked police car remained in critical condition at a Knoxville hospital. The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/AvGlNt…

State transportation "help trucks" will be in the Tri-Cities this weekend to assist with heavy traffic expected for NASCAR races Saturday and Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Four lime-yellow trucks from the Tennessee Department of Transportation in Knoxville will be…

The Hamilton County teachers union has filed suit, claiming the local Board of Education won't reopen negotiations on specific issues. The board contends a new state law doesn't allow it to negotiate with teachers groups. The Chattanooga Times Free Press…

Gov. Phil Bryant has formed a task force to reduce the number of teen pregnancies and births in Mississippi. State health and human services agencies are working with the school systems, community, faith based and private organizations to create the…

A bill that would make the third conviction of indecent exposure a felony passed the Mississippi House late Tuesday. House Bill 573 would change the penalty from a misdemeanor with a maximum of 6 months in prison to a felony…

Music City U.S.A. is getting a student-run record label. It will be operated next school year by students at Nashville's Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet School. According to a news release from the city, the label will operate identically to a real…

The winter just ended was warmer than usual all across Tennessee. Forecasters use the meteorological stretch of December-February rather than the astronomical period between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox to denote the season. It was the mildest winter…

A man who admitted telling Gatlinburg vacation cabin owners the National Park Service would pay the bills has entered a plea bargain in federal court. James T. Bell admitted at a court hearing Tuesday that he posed as a federal…

The Blue Grass Army Depot says it has contained a small mustard agent leak at the facility. Sheryl Lowell, who is the spokeswoman for chemical weapons activity, told The Richmond Register (http://bit.ly/zwaFmD ) that an "extremely low level" of the…

State revenue agents have charged a 76-year-old Webster County man with possession of illegal liquor. The Mississippi Department of Revenue says Parker Roberson was arrested Monday after agents found a moonshine operation on his property. Roberson is charged with possession…

Knoxville police say a state trooper is in critical condition after a commercial truck plowed into his cruiser on the shoulder of Interstate 40. The officer's name wasn't immediately released after the crash early Tuesday on westbound Interstate 40 on…

Problems with an expensive new computer system used by the Department of Children's Services has led to some foster care parents getting too much or not enough payments. The Tennessean reports (http://tnne.ws/wmPj7b ) that more than $2.5 million in duplicate…

A lone protester maintaining his vigil at the Occupy Nashville camp near the Capitol was not arrested early Monday morning when Tennessee state troopers arrived to enforce a new state law meant to evict the protesters. Instead, 24-year-old Christopher Humphrey…

Greene County authorities say two people found dead under a Nolichuckey (NOH'-lih-chuk-ee) River bridge had been shot. The statement by Sheriff Steve Burns was reported by The Greeneville Sun (http://bit.ly/yy8o0n ), which also reported the victims' names. The sheriff identified…

A researcher at the University of Tennessee is helping develop green toy standards. Catherine Wilt helped devise an environmental toy standard, UL 172, introduced in February by UL Environment, a subsidiary of Underwriters Laboratories. Wilt said there are standards addressing…

Tennessee transportation officials are closing both southbound lanes of Interstate 75 just below the Kentucky state line. A rock slide had caused the closing of one northbound and one southbound lane on Thursday. Tennessee Department of Transportation geotechnical engineers have…

A lone protester maintains his vigil at the Occupy Nashville camp on Legislative Plaza. Everyone but Christopher Humphrey left the tents in front of the state Capitol before the deadline of midnight Thursday arrived. As dawn broke on Friday, a…

A southwestern Kentucky family became trapped in their trailer and a dog died after a fence around the home became electrified. Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department Deputy Phillip Peterson says the fence became an electrical conductor around 4:15 p.m. CDT Thursday…

Connecticut police say a Tennessee man stole nearly $51,000 from World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. by somehow obtaining the number of a company bank account. The Advocate of Stamford reports (http://bit.ly/zkxXmz) that 34-year-old James Dewayne Bass of Prospect, Tenn., was extradited…

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Thursday that some pardons issued by former Gov. Haley Barbour are valid. In their 6-3 opinion, the justices wrote "we are compelled to hold that - in each of the cases before us - it…

A new online exhibit in the Tennessee Virtual Archive highlights the architectural history of the Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville. The digital exhibit features images of the unique buildings on the school campus, many of which were designed…

The city prosecutor for Germantown has resigned after being arrested on a DUI charge. Joe Lee Wyatt stepped down Wednesday after being arrested the night before, according to The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/zdUNC0 ). Wyatt had served as the senior city…

Kentucky State Police have arrested a man who they say tried to pose as a volunteer and steal food meant for storm victims. Police say 54-year-old Daniel Leland was charged with second-degree robbery in connection with the incident. Trooper Endre…