Drugs to watch out for in 2023
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) -- The TBI recently addressed drug trends in the state. Along with a list of 10 well-known drugs, there are also new analogs on the horizon.…
Tropical Storm Bret forms in Atlantic, with possible hurricane threat to Caribbean islands
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Bret formed in the central Atlantic Ocean on Monday, with forecasters saying it could pose a hurricane threat to the eastern Caribbean by Thursday and the Dominican Republic and Haiti by the…
5 shot in Georgia nightclub shooting
DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — Five people were injured Sunday morning in a shooting outside a DeKalb County nightclub in Georgia, according to police. The DeKalb County Police Department told news outlets that the shooting happened around 3 a.m. outside the…
1 dead, nearly 2 dozen injured after multiple tornadoes sweep through Mississippi
By MICHAEL GOLDBERG Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, MISS. (AP) — Multiple tornadoes swept through Mississippi overnight, killing one and injuring nearly two dozen, officials said Monday. State emergency workers were still working with counties to assess the damage from…
5 dead in house fire in rural North Carolina, investigation continues
BROADWAY, N.C. (AP) — Five people were killed in a house fire in a rural North Carolina town on Sunday, authorities said. The Harnett County Sheriff's Office told news outlets that the cause of the fire in the Broadway community…
Adore Me lingerie line settles with Tennessee over VIP Membership Program
NASHVILLE (WDEF) - Tennessee's Attorney General announces a settlement with an online lingerie company for their membership program. The state will receive $2.35 million from Adore Me, Inc. The online retailer offered consumers discounts for signing up for their VIP…
Southern Baptists refuse to let Saddleback Church back into the denomination for women pastors
By PETER SMITH Associated Press Abstract: The Southern Baptist Convention has refused to welcome Saddleback Church back into its fold. It has rejected an appeal by the California megachurch of its ejection for having women pastors. Southern Baptist church representatives…
Former Warren County drug investigator indicted
WARREN COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- A former drug investigator for the Warren County Sheriff's Department is facing indictment for misconduct. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has been investigating the actions of 39-year-old…
Man pleads guilty to helping 2 others accused in the fatal shooting of rapper Young Dolph
By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man pleaded guilty Friday to helping two other men charged with fatally shooting rapper Young Dolph in a daytime ambush at a Memphis bakery. Jermarcus Johnson, 26, pleaded guilty…
Chief suspect in Natalee Holloway disappearance pleads not guilty to extortion charges
By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Joran van der Sloot, the chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges that he attempted to extort money from the missing teen’s…
Alabama prisoner who escaped with jailer's help gets life sentence
FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama prisoner received a life sentence on Thursday for escaping with the help of a jail official who ultimately took her own life as police closed…
Supreme Court rules in favor of Black voters in Alabama redistricting case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case, ordering the creation of a second district with a large Black…
'I can taste the air': Hazardous smoke from wildfires hangs over millions in Canada, US
NEW YORK (AP) — Smoke from Canadian wildfires poured into the U.S. East Coast and Midwest on Wednesday, covering the capitals of both nations in an unhealthy haze, holding up flights at…
South Korean company to invest $18 million in Georgia plant to make heaters for electric vehicles
DUBLIN, Ga. (AP) — A South Korean company will open an $18 million plant in Georgia to build heaters for electric vehicles. Woory Industrial Co., based in Yongin, South Korea, said Wednesday that it would open the plant in Dublin,…
Canadian wildfire smoke causes haze over Tennessee Valley
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Wildfire smoke from Canada and surrounding areas has caused a haze to linger over the Tennessee Valley. The Tennessee Department of Transportation posted air…
Forest service closes campground because of bear activity
GREENVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) - Forestry officials have closed an upper East Tennessee campground because of bear activity. Officials in the Cherokee National Forest say campers are reporting dangerous bear encounters at Horse Creek Campground near Greenville. So they are closing…
Tennessee Republicans book Gov. Ron Desantis for annual Stateman's Dinner
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) - As the Republican Presidential field gets a lot bigger this week, Tennessee party members have landed one of the big names to speak to them this summer. The Tennessee Republican Party has booked Florida Governor Ron…
Atlanta project decried as 'Cop City’ gets funding approval from City Council
By R.J. RICO Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta City Council early Tuesday approved funding for the construction of a proposed police and firefighter training center, rejecting the pleas of hundreds of activists who packed City Hall and spoke…
'Stop Cop City' activists pack Atlanta City Hall ahead of crucial vote
By R.J. RICO Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Hundreds of activists gathered to speak Monday at Atlanta’s City Hall ahead of a council vote over whether to approve tens of millions in public funding for the construction of a proposed…
Supreme Court rejects case of woman on Alabama death row
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is leaving in place the sentence of a woman on death row in Alabama who helped her boyfriend kill his two young children. The high court on Monday rejected an appeal from lawyers for…
TN representative Bill Beck passes away
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee. (WDEF) - Tennessee's State Representative Bill Beck passed away from a heart attack on Sunday at age 61. The Democratic representative was elected into the House back in 2014 and had served his district in Nashville for nearly…
Tennessee's annual pay wages raise by 6.4%
Tennessee's year-over-year change in annual pay was 6.4% higher in May.
Tennessee's drag law rejected by a judge who says it is too broad and unconstitutional
Following the recent drag ban in Tennessee, a federal judge, who was appointed by former President Trump, rejected the law for being "too broad and unconstitutional."
In gun law push, Tennessee governor's office memo says NRA prefers to 'round up mentally ill people'
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's administration accused the National Rifle Association of wanting to use involuntary commitment laws “to round up mentally ill people and deprive them of other liberties,” according to documents drafted by the Republican's…