Author: Associated Press

Supporters of a plan passed by a state Senate committee say it would rewrite Alabama's constitution to say, in effect, that the Ten Commandments could be displayed on state property. The Birmingham News reports (http://bit.ly/yZlq3v ) that the plan was…

The campus radio station at the University of Tennessee-Martin has been named the nation's Best Overall Radio Station at a college broadcasting conference. The honor - the Abraham & Borst Award - was presented to WUTM at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting…

A bill pending in the Mississippi Senate seeks to pull the plug on all state agencies' ability to advertise. State Sen. Merle Flowers, a Republican from Southaven, tells WLBT-TV (http://bit.ly/wnAlij ) that millions and millions of dollars are going advertising…

Country singer Jerrod Neiman and everyone aboard his tour bus are safe after the vehicle burned in Chattanooga. Neiman tweeted to fans that he would look like movie villain Freddy Kruger if a companion hadn't stepped off the bus to…

A new hail net under construction at the Volkswagen auto assembly plant in Hamilton County got an early test when severe weather struck. Golf ball-sized hail pounded the plant, including newly built Passats sitting outside. The hail net is 30-40…

A Tennessee mother who pleaded guilty to assaulting her toddler son and leaving him on an interstate in western Kentucky has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Circuit Clerk Carla Marshall told The Paducah Sun (http://bit.ly/zRdwLX ) that 30-year-old…

The National Rifle Association is headed for a showdown with Republican leaders in the Tennessee General Assembly over proposed limitations to a measure seeking to force employers to allow workers to store firearms in vehicles parked on company lots. The…

The Shelby County city of Germantown has approved a ballot issue that will let voters choose whether to have a municipal school system. By a unanimous vote of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday, the matter will go…

Two former Murray State football players have been arrested after a fight at a fraternity house. Murray police say charges against 23-year-old Victor Daniels and 23-year-old Ryan Walker, both of Murray, stem from a March 3 altercation at the Alpha…

A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit brought by a Tennessee man against a mediator-turned-judge who oversaw an international custody dispute. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that Dr. Christopher Savoie didn't state a valid…

East Tennessee State University says it is the only U.S.-based site for a clinical trial about fertility. The school said in a news release that the research study is using three-dimensional gynecological ultrasound technology. It could lead to better understanding…

A bill that has passed the state Senate gives teachers and other school personnel more authority to act against students who pose a safety threat to themselves or others. Senate Bill 3116 is set for review in the House Education…

State Rep. Eddie Bass, a Democrat who had considered running for re-election as a Republican, is retiring from the General Assembly. Bass, a former Giles County sheriff, told WKSR-AM on Monday that he is leaving the Legislature to attend to…

Mandi Sanders gave birth to her two sons at her home near Oxford with the help of a midwife. Because Mississippi does not certify midwives, she hired someone from Memphis, Tenn., she knew would provide quality service. Sanders, a co-founder…

Hunters will be permitted to chase black bears with dogs in Kentucky but not shoot them when bayed. The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission voted down a proposal Friday to allow houndsmen to kill bears. But commissioners voted to allow…

Occupy Nashville is being given a seven-day warning to take down its encampment on the War Memorial Plaza next to the state Capitol. Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law on Friday the measure that makes it illegal for anyone to…

Three former top executives at Franklin-based Sommet Group, a once prominent collection of companies that used to have the naming rights to Nashville's downtown arena, are facing federal charges that accuse them of a multi-million-dollar fraud. The U.S. Attorney's office…

A 37-year-old woman who claimed the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused her to lose $9,800 from her job in Bay St. Louis faces up to 20 years in prison for mail fraud. The Sun Herald reports (http://bit.ly/zflbH6 ) Dina Garb…

A report finds the Southaven Chamber of Commerce paid Mayor Greg Davis $207,000 over nearly seven years to promote tourism and business, yet required few if any receipts to show how he spent that money. The report was released Wednesday…

A second person has died after a shootout that followed a police chase in East Tennessee. TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said an Anderson County deputy spotted a stolen pickup truck that had been driven away from a Lake City gas…

The referee of a second-grade basketball game says the punch he gave a coach was in self-defense. A report by the Hendersonville Police Department states referee Ronnie Helton threw coach William "Dewayne" Dean out of a youth league game after…

The U.S. Coast Guard says one crewmember is dead and three others remain missing following a helicopter crash in Alabama during a training mission. Spokeswoman Petty Officer 2nd Class Elizabeth Bordelon says an MH-65C helicopter crashed Tuesday evening in Mobile…

Police say charges are pending against a Clinton teen for pulling a prank on a friend when he advertised a free baby boy on Craigslist using the friend's cellphone number on the contact information. Police Chief Don Byington would not…

The Mississippi Auditor's Office is investigating the $35,000 utility fund stipend that Southaven Mayor Greg Davis until recently received as part of his salary. The Commercial Appeal reports (http://bit.ly/wT451s ) auditors also plan to ask city officials for a second…

Two commercial airline flights have been diverted to Nashville for different problems. A Jet Blue flight from Austin, Texas, to Boston made an unscheduled landing Tuesday night at Nashville International Airport after a passenger began having chest pains, according to…

A charter school bill moving forward in the Mississippi House is more expansive than the one passed last week by the state Senate. The bill, passed Monday by a House subcommittee, would not only create a new board to approve…

Some people are calling on Kentucky first lady Jane Beshear to stop urging others to give contributions to breast cancer research if she's not going to make the same donation herself. Beshear has urged people for two years to mark…

The House will take up a bill on Monday that is designed to evict Occupy Nashville but could also be used to jail homeless people around the state. The "Equal Access to Public Property Act of 2012" makes it a…

A central Kentucky mayor is facing a drunken driving charge. Versailles police spokesman Lt. Daniel Clark told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the town's mayor, Fred Siegelman, was charged early Sunday with driving under the influence (http://bit.ly/AlwGxt). The newspaper reports Siegelman…

Cyber chatter has turned edgy at tranquil Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. There's a Twitter account satirizing WKU President Gary Ransdell. He weighed in with a Facebook posting lecturing students about social networking etiquette. Now, the school says it…

A new iPhone app billed as the first of its kind in Tennessee allows users to connect with members of the current Legislature. The app, just released, contains searchable contact, staff and committee information for state representatives and senators. It…

The deputy director of the Memphis City Schools has been placed on leave. Irving Hamer was suspended with pay while outside attorneys investigate a complaint about a comment made to another schools employee at Superintendent Kriner Cash's home. Cash hosted…

Tennessee Valley Authority chief Tom Kilgore predicts the federal utility will one day mine its spent nuclear fuel to generate electricity. Kilgore - president and CEO of TVA - spoke to Chattanooga area engineers on Thursday and noted that France…

The campaign of Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has botched the name of a Chattanooga landmark on a fundraiser invitation. The Chattanooga Times Free Press got a copy of the invite on Thursday in which recipients are invited to the…

Occupy Nashville protesters say a proposal passed Thursday by the Senate aimed at stopping them from camping overnight at the Capitol complex will not thwart their efforts. The Senate approved the Republican-backed proposal 20-10. Two Democrats voted for the measure,…

A proposal aimed at stopping Occupy Nashville protesters from staying overnight at the Capitol complex is scheduled for the Senate floor on Thursday. Protesters have camped at the plaza since early October. At one time there were as many as…

Some Mississippi taxpayers will have to wait longer for their state tax refund. Kathy Waterbury with the Mississippi Department of Revenue tells WTVA-TV (http://bit.ly/yOZcbI ) the agency is 150,000 refunds behind where it was this time last year. Waterbury says…

Authorities have ruled out poisoning in the deaths of seven horses in Maury County. Sheriff's Detective Terry Chandler said one of the carcasses was sent to a state agriculture laboratory and tests for poison came back negative, The Daily Herald…

A revised version of Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to close access to "due diligence" information used in deciding whether companies should get economic development grants makes no specific reference to keeping ownership details open to the public. A Senate vote…

Casinos could be built in Kentucky under a proposed constitutional amendment that cleared its first legislative hurdle on Wednesday after being modified to appease reluctant lawmakers. The Senate State and Local Government Committee voted 7-4 to send the initiative to…

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says he expects lawmakers to pass a bill this year to force businesses to allow workers to store firearms in vehicles parked on company lots, though he doesn't expect the measure to be as broad as…

Chickens could become urban dwellers in Johnson City, after all. The City Commission is working toward easing restrictions on keeping backyard chickens in residential areas of the city, according to The Johnson City Press (http://bit.ly/wegDUI ). The group Chickens on…

About 240 inventions by some 475 grade school students will be displayed Thursday at the 20th annual Invention Convention at Middle Tennessee State University. Contributors are public- and private-school students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades from Middle Tennessee.…

The Southaven Board of Alderman has asked the attorney general's office whether two stipends received by Mayor Greg Davis are legal. The Commercial Appeal reports (http://bit.ly/Aj6pCm ) that a $5,000 educational stipend and a $2,700 longevity stipend are added to…

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating a death at a nursing home in Knoxville. TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm confirmed agents are looking into the death at Brakebill Nursing Home, but declined to say whether the person who died was…

Military spouses who leave their jobs because of the frequent moves required in the military would be eligible for unemployment benefits under proposed bill in Tennessee that has the support of the governor. The bill sponsored by state Sen. Tim…

The city of Holly Springs will ask the Legislature to approve a local 1 cent sales tax with the proceeds supporting a large capital improvements program. Mayor Andre DeBerry tells the South Reporter (http://bit.ly/A76KhE) that the levy would bring in…