Tennessee News

Hundreds of rodents found inside Family Dollar facility

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (AP) — Federal inspectors say they found more than 1,000 rodents inside a Family Dollar distribution facility in Arkansas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says consumer complaint prompted officials to inspect the West Memphis, Arkansas, facility…

New Tennessee justice recuses herself in school voucher case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — New Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell has recused herself from a case over Republican Gov. Bill Lee's school voucher program, which remains blocked. The recusal last week came as justices prepare to rehear voucher oral…

Ford, battery maker face job requirement for Tennessee plant

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A lease agreement says Ford Motor Co. and a South Korean company would have to create more than 5,000 full-time jobs at a planned electric pickup truck factory and battery manufacturing plant in Tennessee or pay…

TN's new K-12 funding formula proposal to be revealed next week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Lee and Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn say they will soon unveil their plan to rewrite how the the state funds its multibillion-dollar K-12 education system. According to the governor’s office on Tuesday, top state…

Beale Street Music Festival announces eclectic lineup

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Van Morrison, Lil Wayne, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sarah McLachlan, Three 6 Mafia and the Foo Fighters are among the headliners set to perform at this year’s Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee. The music festival…

Tennessee woman charged with statutory rape of students

ATHENS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee woman has been charged with statutory rape involving nine underage high school students. News outlets report 38-year-old Melissa A. Blair of Englewood isn't an employee at McMinn County Central High School but is a…

Avian influeza detected in Kentucky near Tennessee border

HICKMAN, Ky. (AP) — A flock of commercial broiler chickens in Kentucky near the Tennessee border has tested positive for avian influenza. According to a news release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian…

School safety review progresses in Memphis after shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s largest school district says a review of school safety that started after a 13-year-old student was critically wounded in a shooting last year is progressing. Memphis-Shelby County Schools asked former Memphis police chief Toney Armstrong…

Tennessee lawmakers pass ban on instant runoff voting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have passed a ban against instant runoff voting in elections. The House and Senate votes Monday seek to end a long-running legal dispute between the state and the city of Memphis, where…

Former church employee sentenced to 20 years in abuse case

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A former employee at a Murfreesboro Catholic church who pleaded guilty to four counts of statutory rape has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Tennessean reports Michael D. Lewis was sentenced on Monday after…