Author: Associated Press

Hope Solo arrested on DWI, child abuse charges

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Police say former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo was arrested after she was found passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in North Carolina with her 2-year-old twins inside.   A police report…

Talks resume as Ukraine denies hitting depot on Russian soil

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Talks to stop the fighting in Ukraine have resumed as another attempt to rescue civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol broke down. Also, Russia is accusing the Ukrainians of launching a cross-border helicopter attack…

Will Smith resigns from film academy over Chris Rock slap

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Will Smith resigned Friday from the motion picture academy following his Oscars night slap of Chris Rock and said he would accept any further punishment the organization imposed. Smith’s resignation came two days after the academy…

New vehicles must average 40 mpg by 2026, up from 28 mpg

DETROIT (AP) — New vehicles sold in the U.S. will have to average at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026 under new rules unveiled by the government. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday its fuel…

Tennessee woman sentenced to 8 years in officer’s death

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee woman convicted in the death of a police officer has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Authorities say Ashley Kroese of Thompson’s Station was 24 years old on June 18, 2020, when she…

Tenn. lawmakers push for collegiate transgender athlete ban

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee would ban transgender athletes from participating in female college sports under legislation gaining traction inside the state’s GOP-controlled General Assembly. The proposal cleared key legislative hearings Wednesday in both the House and Senate despite objections…

Transgender ‘Jeopardy!’ winner visits White House

"Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider, the first openly transgender winner on the popular quiz show, visited the White House Thursday to meet with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Ms. Schneider, who is an advocate for transgender visibility and inclusion, told reporters "I'm…

Russians leaving Chernobyl as fighting rages elsewhere

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's state-owned nuclear power company says Russian forces have begun leaving the damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The operator says the exit comes after soldiers got “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches at the highly…

Guns found at checkpoints in all 5 major Tennessee airports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration says security screeners found guns in carry-on baggage at all five of Tennessee’s major airports last week. The TSA says guns were discovered at security checkpoints during the week of March 20…

US airport security screening to become more gender-neutral

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says U.S. airport security procedures will become more gender-neutral. Among the changes are updates to scanners used for screening and the use for the first time of an “X” for travelers going through Precheck…

Tennessee man convicted in 2019 deaths of 2 men outside bar

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man has been convicted in two stabbing deaths outside a Nashville bar in 2019. The Tennessean reports Michael Mosley was convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths, attempted first-degree murder in the stabbing of…

Wildfire near Smoky Mountains prompts mandatory evacuations

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A wildfire in an area of Tennessee near Great Smoky Mountains National Park has prompted mandatory evacuations. The Sevier County Emergency Management Agency said people were being evacuated Wednesday from the Hatcher Mountain area of Wears…

Bruce Willis, diagnosed with aphasia, steps away from acting

NEW YORK (AP) — Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting after a diagnosis of aphasia. The condition causes loss of the ability to understand or express speech. Willis' family announced the news in a statement Wednesday on Willis’ Instagram…

Twinkle, twinkle: Astronomers discover farthest star yet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered the farthest star yet, a super-hot, super-bright giant that formed nearly 13 billion years ago at the dawn of the cosmos. But this luminous blue star is long gone, so massive that…

Nurses worry conviction for dosing mistake could cost lives

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Patient safety and nursing groups around the country are lamenting the guilty verdict in the trial of a former nurse in Tennessee. RaDonda Wright was found guilty of homicide last week for administering the wrong medication…

Tennessee House advances school book scrutiny bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee House has passed legislation that lets school boards deem books “obscene” and threatens to withhold education funding and slap public school librarians with criminal penalties if orders to remove them aren’t followed. The House’s…

Biden signs bill making lynching a federal hate crime

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed a bill into law to make lynching a federal hate crime, more than 100 years after such legislation was first proposed. The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act is named after the Black teenager…

‘Grooming’: The ubiquitous buzzword in LGBTQ school debate

Proponents of restrictions on how U.S. public schools address sexual orientation and gender identity say their ultimate goal is to allow parents more involvement in their children's education and ensure classroom materials are age-appropriate. But in heated debates at school…

TN lawmakers push penalties in transgender athlete ban

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nearly a year after banning transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports, Tennessee Republican lawmakers are attempting to pass harsh penalties against public schools that violate the measure. According to the proposed legislation, Tennessee’s Department of…

Environmental law group sues TVA over gas pipeline documents

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Southern Environmental Law Center is suing the nation’s largest public utility for failing to disclose full contracts related to proposed natural gas pipelines. The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to shutter its remaining coal-fired power plants…

Jan. 6 panel missing roughly 8 hours of Trump’s phone calls

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has identified a roughly eight-hour gap in official records of then-President Donald Trump’s phone calls as the violence unfolded and his supporters stormed the building. That's from a…

‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, a policy that has drawn intense national scrutiny from critics who argue it marginalizes LGBTQ…

Judge: Trump likely committed crimes related to election

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has asserted it is “more likely than not” that former President Donald Trump committed crimes in his attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election. The ruling ordered the release of more than…

Walmart to end cigarette sales in some stores

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart will no longer sell cigarettes in some of its stores though tobacco sales can be a significant revenue generator. Wall Street Journal was the first to report the development Monday. It noted some stores in…

9 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Having A Baby

Did you know, according to Bankrate, the average cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 is approximately $233,000? That includes everything from diapers to college tuition! Before you get pregnant, you need to prepare yourself mentally and…

Do I Really Need a 4th COVID-19 Shot? Doctors Weigh In

Whether you were vaxxed once against COVID-19 (77% of Americans), double-vaxxed (65%), or double-vaxxed and boosted (29%), chances are you're fed up with being poked and prodded. With the recent news of a potential 4th vaccine on the horizon, you…

Zelenskyy hints at openness to compromise on eastern Ukraine

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's president says his country is prepared to declare neutrality and consider compromise on contested areas to secure peace with Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's latest remarks could create momentum for talks set to resume Tuesday, but…

Reports: Memphis, Hardaway facing serious NCAA violations

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The University of Memphis and men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway have been accused of serious violations of NCAA rules, including failing to cooperate with an investigation. That's according to The Daily Memphian and The Commercial Appeal.…

Teenage pilot starts around-the-world flight from Bulgaria

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - A Belgian-British teenage pilot hopes to join his sister in the record books after starting his attempt to become the youngest person to fly around the world solo in a small plane. Sixteen-year-old Mack Rutherford took…

Country music singer Jeff Carson dies in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A publicist for Jeff Carson says the country music singer has died in Tennessee. Jeremy Westby of 2911 Media said in a news release that Carson died of a heart attack at a hospital in Franklin.…

Deputies chase taxi cab through parts of Alabama, Tennessee

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Authorities say an Alabama taxi driver is facing several charges in Tennessee after leading deputies on a chase through both states. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama says the pursuit began Wednesday in Huntsville, when…

UK Shark House owner dismayed at getting protected status

LONDON (AP) — The 25-foot (7.6 meter) tall sculpture of a shark crashing through the roof of Magnus Hanson-Heine’s house in rural Oxford, England, is now a protected landmark — and he’s not happy about it. Hanson-Heine loves the installation,…

Shooting at Chicago area shopping mall kills 1, wounds teen

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Police say a masked gunman opened fire in a suburban Chicago shopping mall, leaving one man dead and wounding at least one other person. Rosemont Police Sgt. Joe Balogh told the Chicago Tribune on Saturday that…

Biden on Russia’s Putin: `This man cannot remain in power’

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — President Joe Biden said Saturday that Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” dramatically escalating the rhetoric against the Russian leader after his invasion of Ukraine. The comment came at the end of a speech in Poland’s…

Former nurse guilty of homicide in medication error death

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A former Tennessee nurse has been found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the accidental death of a patient because of a medication error. She was also found guilty of gross neglect of an impaired adult.The…

FedEx flight planned to ship medical supplies for Ukrainians

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — FedEx Corp. says it will load up a cargo airplane with 76 tons of medical aid for Ukrainian refugees for a flight destined for Poland that is scheduled to leave Memphis International Airport on Saturday. The…

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins dead at 50

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Taylor Hawkins, the longtime drummer for the rock band Foo Fighters, has died at 50. Officials in Bogota, Colombia, say he reportedly suffered chest pains and emergency workers were unable to revive him. The band is…

Russians shift focus from Kyiv — scaling back goals in war?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian forces in Ukraine appear to have shifted their focus from a ground offensive aimed at Kyiv to instead prioritizing what Moscow calls liberation of the contested Donbas region. It seems too early to know whether this…

First Lady Jill Biden to meet Ukrainian children at St. Jude

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — First Lady Jill Biden is scheduled to make a trip to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee in a visit expected to include meetings with doctors and patients, including Ukrainian children fleeing the war with…

Gov. Lee proposes 30-day suspension of grocery sales tax

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has proposed a 30-day suspension of state and local grocery sales tax. Lee said in a statement Thursday that the move would provide some financial relief to state residents amid rising inflation…

Louisiana sends National Guard to tornado disaster area

ARABI, La. (AP) — Louisiana is sending 300 National Guard troops to the New Orleans area where tornadoes flipped cars, ripped off rooftops and killed at least one person. [field59_video account="WBBJ" key="fa367cbedd7a266fa7426097580a34dd44d9dfd0" vtitle="Louisiana sends National Guard to tornado disaster area"…

Tennessee could scale back oversight of town’s finances

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Officials say the state of Tennessee could scale back its financial oversight of a majority-Black town near the site of a planned Ford truck plant if it meets certain goals by this summer. Tennessee Comptroller Jason…

‘CODA’ to be adapted to the stage by Deaf West Theatre

NEW YORK (AP) — “CODA,” the Oscar-nominated film about a singing teenage daughter in a deaf family, is being developed as a stage musical by the Los Angeles-based Deaf West Theatre. The project was announced Wednesday by the film’s producers,…

Tennessee announces $50M in grants to expand tutoring push

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee education officials have announced $50 million in grants to expand a tutoring program. The state Department of Education says the additional money will help expand the TN ALL Corps program to offer tutoring to another…

Storms tear into Texas, Oklahoma then move into Deep South

UPDATE: NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago.…

Disney in balancing act as some workers walk out in protest

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Even though only a small percentage of Walt Disney Co. workers participated in a walkout, organizers felt they had won a moral victory with the company issuing a statement denouncing the anti-LGBTQ legislation that sparked employee…