Author: Associated Press

Mississippi and Tennessee officials will be on hand Thursday for a ground-breaking that will signal the start of work on Interstate 269. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at the corner of Mt. Carmel Road and Highway 302/Goodman…

A bankruptcy trustee is searching for 80 pieces of artwork once owned by a Dickson retirement plan manager who was sent to jail for embezzlement in the hopes of recovering money for his creditors. Former 1Point Solutions CEO Barry Stokes…

Greenwood police say three shots were fired into the home of state Sen. David Jordan but they don't know if it was some random incident or directed at Jordan. Jordan, a Democrat, is a member of the Greenwood City Council…

The Tennessee Valley Authority has signed a letter of intent to become the first utility to have a small modular nuclear reactor built. Spokesmen for the nation's largest public utility and Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy subsidiary Generation mPower in…

The University of Tennessee is requesting a 12 percent hike in tuition at its Knoxville campus. The state's nameplate public university also wants to increase tuition nearly 10 percent at its campuses in Martin and Chattanooga. University officials are making…

U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher says in a new financial disclosure that he had debt of at least $1.54 million that he owed in 2010, despite reporting that he had no debts in a report he filed as a candidate last…

The Southern Baptist Convention has passed a resolution advocating a path to legal status for illegal immigrants. The resolution was passed on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the nation's largest protestant denomination in Phoenix. It also calls on Southern…

After a recent rash of wrecks, the Columbus Police Department is starting up an in-house driving school. Police Chief Joseph St. John tells The Commercial Dispatch that Patrolman Gregory M. Harstad is a driving instructor and will teach all his…

Boyd Gaming Corp. says it will buy IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi from Imperial Palace of Mississippi, LLC, and Key Largo Holdings, LLC, for $278 million in cash. Boyd Gaming president and CEO Keith Smith says in a statement…

The Tennessee Attorney General's Office cautioned Riverbend Festival officials to not allow tobacco samples to be distributed at the Chattanooga event. The letter wasn't mentioned when officials said at a May 27 news conference that they had dropped about $45,000…

The University of Memphis is removing locks on dormitory bathrooms following the death of a student who was trying to get out of one. Richardson Towers and South Hall have suites of two rooms which connect to a common bathroom.…

New requirements for immunizations for infants, toddlers and school-age children in Kentucky will take effect on July 1. The state Department for Public Health says the requirements were updated to bring Kentucky more in line with recommendations from the Centers…

Profit at the state high school basketball tourneys has declined more than $68,000. The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association told its Board of Control that the TSSAA had a net income of $561,228 this year, down from $629,629 a year…

Monroe County officials are working to get Smithville students into their own classrooms in the fall. Many of Smithville's school buildings were destroyed in the April 27 tornado, including the town's only high school. County schools superintendent Scott Cantrell tells…

The state Capitol will be illuminated in purple Wednesday in honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Purple is the color to signify awareness of elder abuse. Sponsors have asked the public to wear purple on Wednesday. The Tennessee Department…

Palace Casino has cleared the air during a $50 million expansion and renovation project, reopening as a smoke-free casino. Several states have laws prohibiting smoking in casinos but the Palace is the only casino in Mississippi and one of a…

A Muslim soldier from Fort Campbell has been approved as a conscientious objector to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he has now been charged with possession of child pornography. Pfc. Naser Abdo, a 21-year-old infantry soldier, applied for…

Musical equipment stolen from a half dozen churches in southern Middle Tennessee has been recovered from a Lawrence County home. Giles County authorities who seized the items said the stolen equipment included guitars, audio mixers, speakers, laptops and tambourines. WSMV-TV…

The Southern Baptist Convention baptized fewer people in 2010 than any time since the 1950s. The nation's largest Protestant denomination also saw declines in overall membership and attendance. Emory University's Baptist Studies Director David W. Key Sr., who is a…

Federal and state wildlife agencies are offering a $2,500 reward for information in the shooting of a golden eagle in the Iuka area of Tishomingo County. Authorities say eagle was discovered in the Burnsville community near Tishomingo County Road 306.…

An elderly woman and a baby were killed after a massive tree fell on their camper as a storm with high winds battered Panola County, Miss. Authorities tell The Commercial Appeal the woman and child, who have not been identified,…

Families say they want to know who vandalized their loved ones' gravesites in north Mississippi's Union Hill Cemetery. There are nearly 200 gravestones in the burial place in Union County, and authorities say most were damaged by vandals this past…

Students who make good grades in high school and perform well on the ACT or SAT can earn money for college through the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship program. The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority says students earn a base award…

Claiborne County officials say a man who was upset that his friend was struck and killed by a train fired gunshots into one. Mark Anthony Bruce is due in court Tuesday to answer to an aggravated assault charge, according to…

A fire at a chemical plant in Bradley County sent five workers to a hospital, but all are expected to recover. The fire broke out Monday afternoon at the Arch Chemical plant, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press. Company…

The Tennessee Valley Authority says the late April storms are going to hit ratepayers in July, with fuel costs adding up to $6 to monthly residential bills. A TVA statement Monday said the 4.5 percent increase in the average wholesale…

The youth baseball league in Gautier has moved its games from a city-owned park, saying it's just too dangerous. Steve Torres, a member of the Dixie Youth League Baseball board of directors, says a shooting in an apartment complex near…

The Mississippi Forestry Commission says arson or carelessness started a fire that burned about 850 acres in Jackson County. A nursing home and hundreds of homes were evacuated Saturday, but Jackson County Emergency Management Agency director David Langham says no…

Tennessee universities are overhauling the curriculum used to prepare teachers for the classroom by giving them more real experience in a classroom and engaging with students. The Tennessee Board of Regents has launched a five-year effort to revamp its teaching…

Food stamps will be issued beginning Monday to residents of 11 Tennessee counties as a result of severe spring weather. The counties are Carroll, Crockett, Gibson, Hardin, Henry, Knox, Lauderdale, Lincoln, Madison, Montgomery and Tipton. Applications for the Supplemental Nutrition…

Lipscomb University has introduced bachelors and master's degree programs in information security. Don Geddes, chairman of the Nashville university's computing and information technology department, says companies are in desperate need of information security experts. The bachelor of science program aims…

A woman attending the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee has been found dead. Coffee County Sheriff Stephen M. Graves said in a news release on Friday that the festival security staff was told by people camping at the…

A jury has convicted a Memphis man of murder after his three children gave vivid testimony about how he stabbed and strangled their mother and then dismembered her body. It took less than two hours for the jury to return…

The Hermitage in Nashville, home of President Andrew Jackson, will get a touchup Friday from volunteers. Employees from Deloitte LLP will repair and refresh grounds and equipment at the National Historic Landmark site. It will mark the seventh straight year…

The University of Louisville board of trustees has authorized its president to approve a merger that would create a statewide health care organization with more than 3,000 physicians and 91 locations with combined revenue of more than $2 billion. The…

The University of Tennessee at Martin Office of Housing has won a third-place award at the National Association of College and University Residence Halls conference. The school said the office was cited for its participation in the Earth Hour Project,…

Tennessee Finance Commissioner Mark Emkes says the state has marked the 14th straight month of growth in sales tax collections, which account for two out of every three tax dollars collected by the state. Overall May revenues were $63.5 million…

Cable channel CMT says a fall by Shania Twain was edited out of replays of its awards show to save her from embarrassment. Twain slipped and fell on her way to the stage Wednesday night during a live telecast of…

Cordova Mayor Jack Scott defended a controversial decision that won't let tornado survivors live in mobile homes provided by the U.S. government. Scott said Wednesday that units provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency would hinder the rebuilding process as…

Music fans looking for a hot time in Tennessee have found the right place. As temperatures soar 10 degrees above normal statewide, 80,000 people are thronging a farm near Manchester for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and up to…

A Memphis businessman has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for storing hazardous waste without a permit. Prosecutors said Johnnie Williams had been convicted of a similar offense in 1997. In the most recent case, he pleaded…

A spokeswoman for Camp Shelby says two Air Force Reserve cadets were taken to a hospital by ambulance and 75 others by bus after a lightning strike at the Joint Forces Training Center. Army National Guard Maj. Deidre Musgrave says…

Gov. Bill Haslam has signed legislation that would require judges to consider how to maximize a parent's involvement in a child's life when making custody decisions. Although not the only factor to be considered, legal experts say the call for…

The chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents said students could see a tuition increase of as much as 9.5 percent this fall. John Morgan said the increase is partially due to the governor cutting 2 percent, or about $20…

Federal prosecutors have brought charges against a former soldier accusing him of stealing a large amount of military equipment from the Fort Campbell Army installation in 2007. Kyle B. Baker, who had a Clarksville, Tenn., address in court records, was…

Motorists on Interstate 24 are warned about increased traffic Wednesday and Thursday because of the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Coffee County. There will be no construction-related lane closures on I-24 near the festival between 3 p.m. Wednesday…

The U.S. Postal Service is looking to contract out some of the work that was handled through Smithville's town's post office that was destroyed during the April 27 tornado. USPS officials tell WTVA-TV that it is looking for a business…

A former subcontractor electrician charged with filing false inspection reports at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Watts Bar reactor project has a federal court hearing to change his not guilty plea. A change of plea hearing is set Wednesday in Chattanooga…

A Bradley County couple face animal cruelty charges after police say 39 animals didn't have adequate food or water in the heat. James and Patricia Freeman were cited and released on their own recognizance Tuesday. James Freeman, who is 48,…

A Corinth police officer will be sentenced July 14 on charges that he took money from motorists during fake traffic stops. Jamie L. Brewer pleaded guilty in December to four counts in U. S. District Court in Greenville. Brewer was…