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COLUMBIA, Tenn. -- A woman in Columbia has been charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse. According to authorities, one of Adrienne Witherspoon's children confided in the resource officer at E.A. Cox Middle School. That child and a sibling were found to have bruises on their chests, backs and arms. Investigators believe Witherspoon used a belt to spank the two. Those children and a 5-year-old sibling are now in state custody.

Police said a registered gun carrier used his weapon on two men carrying out a home invasion at his residence on Sunday. One of the home invaders is listed in serious condition at Erlanger Hospital following the incident at 6207 Stockton Dr. According to the homeowner, Marcus Grier, he stopped by his home briefly to use the bathroom. He said he had his gun with him at the time of the home invasion. While at home, he said he heard someone enter his residence. He was met by two armed men who told him to give them his money. Mr....

In this season given to tidings of comfort and joy, word has come that we New Yorkers are the sad sacks of the United States. This is something of a surprise. Sure, we complain a lot. Grumbling could qualify as the official state sport. But are we really the unhappiest of them all? It seems so, judging from a study by two economics professors, newly published in Science magazine. The academics — Andrew J. Oswald, of the University of Warwick in Britain, and Stephen Wu, of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. — examined piles of data, tossed them into a...

Comparison of similar crimes leaves you wondering: Why is Gaile Owens facing execution but Mary Winkler didn\'t?

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WTVC-TV) - A 4-year-old boy, beer in hand, is accused of stealing Christmas presents from his neighbors. It's a strange story, but also a sad one. April Wright is 21 years old and is going through a divorce with her husband who is in jail. She says she is not sure how her 4-year-old managed to get out of the house, open a beer, and steal the neighbors presents from under their tree. Now she's just glad he's okay and says she won't let it happen again. The child, Hayden Wright, was found around 1:45 am Tuesday, wandering...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Tennessee investigators say a 4-year-old boy was found roaming his neighborhood in the night, drinking beer and wearing a little girl's dress taken from under a neighbor's Christmas tree. The child's mother, 21-year-old April Wright, tells WTVC-TV the boy "wants to go to jail because that's where his daddy is." Wright says she and the boy's father are going though a divorce.

Video Linky Clicky Here CHATTANOOGA (RCB) - "I don't know how four year old could think of this," said Logan Pugh. Pugh was sleeping inside a friend's home on Blue Spruce Drive on Monday night, little did he know, he wasn't the only guest. "He got in an out of the house without waking anybody up," Pugh told Eyewitness News. Pugh slept soundly until deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office knocked on the door looking for a missing four year old boy. "They found him at the end of the street drinking a beer, walking around like it...

WASHINGTON - East Tennessee Republicans in Congress found a way to make sure their districts weren't overlooked and still convey their distaste for government spending when lawmakers pieced together a $1.1 trillion package that will send federal dollars flowing into communities all across the country. They directed some of the money into their districts. Then they voted against the bill. Critics say the lawmakers are being disingenuous at best - or, at worst, hypocritical - by filling the bill with projects that will benefit their constituents, then voting against the measure and complaining about excessive government spending. "They are getting...

Paris, Tenn.- A Henry County High School substitute teacher was arrested on three counts of simple assault after striking three students with a 2x4 during school hours Thursday. Kristopher Sanders, 29, 170 Brooks Ave., McKenzie, was arrested Friday by the Henry Co. Sheriff's Department. Sanders posted $1,000 bond and will appear in General Sessions Court on Jan. 12. At a press conference Monday morning, Sheriff Monte Belew said the paddling was in exchange for the students not having to do any school work. Belew said several students videotaped the paddlings with their camera phones. The videos have been shown around...

To sum up- the Angel Tree charity requires that the parent who applies must have a social security number. So when an illegal alien was turned down for the free toys, the main newspaper in Nashville wrote a plaintive article about the illegals, termed immigrants by the Tennessean, being turned down by Angel Tree. Now, that same newspaper is reporting the rush from readers to supply the illegal aliens with presents. The original article was published in a newspaper that can't be posted here, but the Knoxville News Sentinel has published a brief except of the article also, so I...

Is a Northwest Knoxville convenience store operator a jihad jokester or a terrorist-in-waiting? That was the question U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Guyton faced Monday as federal prosecutors pushed for the detention pending trial of Hazam Ali Ahmed... However, testimony at Monday's hearing shows Ahmed has been on the radar screen of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force since at least January 2006. FBI Agent Mark D. Murphy testified that an informant clandestinely recorded chats with Ahmed in early 2006 during which Ahmed allegedly tried to recruit the informant into the terrorist network al-Qaeda... ...Ahmed told the informant, with whom he...

"Stop, stop, you're killing me: Knoxville Muslim says he was joking about carrying out jihad terror attack at shopping mall Ha ha! A real side splitter! Look out, Letterman!" SNIPPET: "...pushed for the detention pending trial of Hazam Ali Ahmed. The 35-year-old Ahmed was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms after authorities last week found two guns inside the Central Convenience Store on Keith Avenue that he operated. However, testimony at Monday's hearing shows Ahmed has been on the radar screen of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force since at least January 2006." SNIPPET: ""He referred to...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For over a year, an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation has put the spotlight on judges who abuse their position. It turns out, some of those judges could have been in trouble before -- but the public might never know. Judicial officials will tell you that they're doing a good job of keeping Tennessee judges on the straight and narrow, but ethics advocates say they're using a double standard. When they judge the people who elected them, Tennessee judges do it in open court for the whole world to see."Judges are folks just like everybody else," said Rutherford...

<p>Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz said Monday that state revenue collections for November were $708 million, or $13.5 million less than estimated. The general fund was undercollected by $8.1 million.</p> <p>Though still negative, Goetz said franchise and excise taxes combined for November were $42 million, which is $11.6 million above the budgeted estimate of $30.7 million.</p>

After more than a quarter-century of public service to his home state of Tennessee, U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon announced his plans to retire from Congress when his current term ends in 2010. “I feel honored that the people of Middle Tennessee have allowed me to serve them for the past 25 years,” said Gordon. “Every decision I have made in Congress has been with their best interests in mind. I hope the people here at home feel that I have served them as well as their good advice and views have served me. “When I was elected, I was the...

Now the fourth Democrat to announce his retirement in four weeks, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) said this morning in a released statement that he will not run for re-election next year. Gordon, a moderate Democrat from a Republican-leaning district, follows three other Democratic congressmen in similar political situations -- Brian Baird (WA-3), John Tanner (TN-8), and Dennis Moore (KS-3). President Obama won Moore and Baird's districts in 2008, but both were also won by President Bush in 2004. "Turning 60 has led me to re-evaluate what's next," Gordon said in a statement. "I have an 8-year-old daughter and a wonderful...

Democratic retirements are beginning to mount, after the announcement Monday that Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) will not seek reelection next year. Gordon said in a statement that, after a quarter-century in Congress, it’s time to retire. “Every decision I have made in Congress has been with their best interests in mind,” he said. “I hope the people here at home feel that I have served them as well as their good advice and views have served me. “When I was elected, I was the youngest member of the Tennessee congressional delegation; now, I’m one of the oldest. In fact, I...

Memphis, TN - Sheriff's detectives say a woman shot a man who tried to rob her husband at their house. Just after 10:30 p.m. on Monday, December 7, 2009, two men walked up to Mike Murik as he got out of his car in the 4300 block of Whispering Bend Drive. Detectives say as Murik scuffled with the attackers, one of them, Richard Crawford shot Murik in the leg. His wife, Maria Lopez-Guerrero heard the shot, grabbed a pistol and opened fire on the robbers. About thirty minutes after the robbery attempt, Crawford checked himself into Delta Medical Center on...

The Constitution sets only three qualifications for a person to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. A person must be 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years and a resident of the state from which one is chosen. With 2010 upon us, all 435 U.S. House of Representative seats are up for election. I am one of the candidates for Congress in Tennessee's Third Congressional District, subject to the Republican primary. I ask you to consider my background and qualifications for office beyond the Constitutionally-mandated requirements and I believe you will agree, I'm not...

Civilian Permits Civilian Handgun Permit Law Background Prior to 1989, Tennessee was a limited “open carry” state. Tennessee’s open carry law was limited to “army or navy” pistols but only if such pistols were carried openly in the hand. The statute did not allow citizens to holster the weapons or to carry these types of pistols concealed. A person would have to become a special deputy or receive a special police commission in order carry a handgun that did not fit the “army or navy” designation. These commissions were also necessary if the individual wanted to carry the weapon concealed...

GALLATIN, Tenn. -- A happily married couple may have to divorce in order to get their toddler the health benefits he needs. Molly and Jason Sheppard have been married six years, but they're thinking getting a divorce. “It makes me crazy,” said Molly. Their son Daxton has a lot of medical problems. He was premature, born at 23 weeks, and was so small his father's wedding ring swallowed his wrist. He’s had heart surgery and eye surgery. Because Daxton was a preemie, he was considered disabled and went on TennCare. But now TennCare is reevaluating his case and thousands of...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- While the state is facing serious cuts, lawmakers are still getting a raise. Watch This Story | Video: Timing Of Per Diem Raise Questioned There's nothing they can do to stop this year's per diem increase from happening, but some say they can do something to make sure they never again get an increase during hard times. In a time of state cuts, there's one thing that's getting extra taxpayer cash. It’s state lawmaker's per diem, the money they get to travel and stay in Nashville for legislative duties. Current law provides for a per diem increase...

If nothing changes by the fall of 2013, University of Tennessee researchers say the state can expect a teacher shortage so severe 40 percent of the current positions could be open. The most critical need will be for math and science teachers, but dire shortages are predicted at every grade level, plus special education and vocational education, said Bill Fox, director of the UT Center for Business and Economic Research in Knoxville. "We've been changing the rules," he said. "For instance, we've increased the number of math classes and science classes that students must take. We've lowered pupil-to-teacher ratios," he...

Job seekers never convicted try to level the playing field

I'm not posting any of the original story here, except the headline, because it seems to have originated at The Tennessean. The link however, goes to The Knoxville News Sentinel. The article opens with this: Is Islam a threat to America?

Tennessean don't allow articles posted on FR, so follow the linky... Tennessean Link to Severances dwindle as job searches fail

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- More than a dozen parking spaces at a Metropolitan government facility have misspelled words, and no one noticed until Channel 4 pointed it out Friday. Related: Watch This Story The word "owned" is misspelled 16 times in spaces outside the County Clerk's office off French Landing Drive at MetroCenter. It's a parking lot, and most people usually don't pay attention to what's on the ground until something is misspelled. Words on the first three parking spots are spelled correctly, but spot No. 4 is misspelled. It should read "Metro Owned Vehicle Parking Only;" however, someone switched up...

Tenn. mayor claims Obama blocked 'Peanuts' specialFriday, December 4, 2009 (12-04) 11:04 PST Arlington, Tenn. (AP) - The mayor of a suburban Memphis city accused President Barack Obama of deliberately timing his speech about the war in Afghanistan this week to block the airing of the "Peanuts" Christmas television special. According to The Commercial Appeal, Arlington Mayor Russell Wiseman posted the statements on his Facebook page and said the president is Muslim. Obama is Christian. "We sit the kids down to watch 'The Charlie Brown Christmas Special' and our muslim president is there, what a load.....try to convince me that...

A former Lakewood city court clerk misappropriated at least $11,423 in traffic citation collections, according to findings of an investigation conducted by the state Comptroller’s Division of Municipal Audit. The former court clerk admitted to state auditors that she had “borrowed” money from her cash drawer throughout her employment with the city and had not paid back the full amount. According to the audit which focused on the period Feb. 1, 2006 through Jan. 31, 2009, she used several methods to conceal this activity from management, including altering city receipts to indicate that she had collected less than she really...

MANCHESTER, Tenn. – One of the country's largest office supply companies officially put down roots in Coffee County Thursday morning, a move that strengthens the group's ties to the Volunteer State. Newell Rubbermaid, the company that makes Sharpie and Paper Mate pens, officially opened its 67,000 square foot, $12.5 million facility in Manchester. Approximately 50 workers are employed at the new plant, which will manufacture and develop the ink that's contained inside pens and highlighters. The company already operates facilities in Shelbyville and in Maryville, in east Tennessee. "So we actually produce the ink here, which then gets shipped to...

Tennessee Rep. John Tanner’s decision to step down at the end of his term has Democrats worried that a trickle of retirements will turn into a flood. Democrats won their majority in 2006 — and built on it in 2008 — in large part by running conservative Democrats in Republican-leaning districts. But with Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) and Tanner now heading for the exits, there’s growing concern that the party’s strategy may be unraveling just in time for 2010. “It’s the beginning of an avalanche on our side,” one Democratic strategist said. “Morale is bad, and we’re seeing guys in...

Julia Corker, the oldest daughter Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), was dragged out of her SUV near the Penn Quarter area Wednesday night and carjacked, according to Corker’s chief of staff, Todd Womack. Two suspects were arrested by Prince George’s County officers after OnStar tracked down the 2005 Chevy Tahoe in Suitland. Three police officers apprehended two suspects in the Addison Plaza Shopping Center around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The two men were parked in front of a Taco Bell. They were arrested without incident, according to Sgt. Leroy Patterson of the Seat Pleasant Police Department in Prince George’s County. Corker...

Tennessee Rep. John Tanner’s decision to step down at the end of his term has Democrats worried that a trickle of retirements will turn into a flood. Democrats won their majority in 2006 — and built on it in 2008 — in large part by running conservative Democrats in Republican-leaning districts. But with Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) and Tanner now heading for the exits, there’s growing concern that the party’s strategy may be unraveling just in time for 2010. “It’s the beginning of an avalanche on our side,” one Democratic strategist said. “Morale is bad, and we’re seeing guys in...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Tennessee executed a man Wednesday who had served nearly three decades on death row for killing three people during a shooting spree at a Nashville convenience store. Hours before Cecil Johnson was pronounced dead at 1:34 am (0734 GMT), two US Supreme Court justices engaged in a sharp exchange over whether to grant a stay of execution to the alleged killer 29 years after his crime. Last-minute efforts to grant him clemency or stop the execution failed. "The delay itself subjects death row inmates to decades of especially severe dehumanizing conditions of confinement," wrote veteran Justice John...

Hollywood blockbusters aren't usually born in movie theaters in Dallas, Birmingham or Nashville. But that's exactly where “The Blind Side” has taken off -- a show-business phenomenon driven by audiences in the South and Midwest storming to a movie about Christian charity and football that stars Sandra Bullock. In one of the more extraordinary box-office stories of the year, writer-director John Lee Hancock’s movie about Baltimore Ravens lineman Michael Oher -- who as a homeless black teen was taken in and nurtured by a well-off, churchgoing white couple -- nearly toppled the smash sequel "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" at...

NASHVILLE — A man who spent 28 years on death row for killing three people while robbing a Nashville convenience store was executed early today after telling relatives who witnessed his death to “trust in the Lord.” Cecil C. Johnson Jr., 53, was pronounced dead at 1:34 a.m. at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Those killed in the July 1980 shootings were the market owner’s 12-year-old son, Bobby Bell Jr., and two men sitting in a cab outside, Charles House, 35, and driver James Moore, 41.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Peterbilt plant in Madison is shutting down for good on Tuesday. The truck manufacturer is consolidating production with its other plant in north Texas, leaving about 390 Tennessee workers out of a job. The plan temporary shut down in February, when Plant manager Larry Vessels told News 2 the plant would not resume production until the economy improves. Hourly workers at the plant had been locked out since June 2008 because of a labor dispute.

Tennessee Democratic Rep. John Tanner will retire next November, creating an open seat in an area that strongly favors Republicans. Tanner's decision, according to those familiar with it, was made weeks ago and based on his desire to return to the Volunteer State after more than two decades in Washington. The decision was first reported by the Hotline. Tanner, first elected to the 8th district in 1988, has run without a serious challenge in recent years despite the fact that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won the seat with 56 percent in 2008. Tanner is the second House Democrat from a...

Suit says probation officer's error led to killing of mother of three The parents of a 30-year-old mother of three have slapped Metro with a lawsuit alleging that the killing of their daughter by her boyfriend was the direct result of the negligence of a former probation officer. Metro Police have concluded that Shellie Albright Hernandez was killed by her estranged boyfriend Michael Dewayne Williams on Dec. 2, 2008 after a number of abusive incidents between the two. But in a suit filed last week in Davidson County Circuit Court, parents Steven and Kathy Albright of Maryville, Tenn., allege their...

WASHINGTON - A COURT in the southern US state of Tennessee sentenced a man to more than 14 years in prison for burning down a local mosque, the US Justice Department said on Monday. Michael Corey Golden, 24, was sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to having vandalised and burned down the mosque in February 2008. Golden admitted to using Molotov cocktail explosives to destroy the mosque, which he ignited while a co-defendant painted swastikas and the phrase 'White Power' on the walls of the building in the town of Columbia. 'The right to...

Memphis mayor to confront gun violence November 29, 2009 12:08 EST MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- New Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. will embark soon on a communitywide plan to address gun violence in the city. Wharton, who's been in office a month, said it boils down to a health care problem. He plans to tap a steering committee composed of officials from hospitals, churches and law enforcement. He also focused on the problem as county mayor before being elected city mayor. Wharton told The Memphis Daily News he has not decided about the future of Police Director Larry Godwin....

On June 10, 2009 I wrote about formal treason charges filed against Barack Hussein Obama, aka Barry Soetoro, in - Is Obama Guilty of Treason? I followed that column up with - Why Commander Fitzpatrick Is NOT Guilty of Mutiny! on June 13. Since then, numerous others have filed similar treason charges against Obama/Soetoro with little or no fanfare…

Tennessee’s Health Department says it will have to stop funding safety-net clinics to deal with the state’s constricting budget. Health Commissioner Susan Cooper says such clinics provide uncompensated care to those who can’t afford it and lack insurance. During state budget hearings Monday, Governor Phil Bredesen asked if other cuts were possible instead.

Former Tennessee Senator Bill Frist says Congress will pass a healthcare overhaul bill by Christmas. But he says it will push costs onto the states that will crimp funds for education. ... Frist also says the bill fails to tackle tort or malpractice issues. But he calls the insurance reform in the bill “very good,” saying people who have lost jobs or don’t make much money will be able to get insurance, as will those with preexisting conditions.

Sarah Palin will be the main attraction at what's being billed as the "First National Tea Party Convention." Tea Party Nation announced Wednesday that last year's Republican vice presidential candidate will serve as keynote speaker for the conference, scheduled to take place in Nashville, Tennessee February 4-6. A representative for Palin has confirmed the former Alaska governor's speaking role at the gathering.

Palin, Bachmann to headline Tea Party convention Posted: November 25th, 2009 12:49 PM ET From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser (CNN) – Sarah Palin will be the main attraction at what's being billed as the "First National Tea Party Convention." Tea Party Nation announced Wednesday that last year's Republican vice presidential candidate will serve as keynote speaker for the conference, scheduled to take place in Nashville, Tennessee February 4-6. A representative for Palin has not confirmed the former Alaska governor's speaking role at the gathering. The group also announced that Rep. Michele Bachmann will be speaking at the gathering...

FIrst the Police Chief failed a random drug test, testing positive for codeine/cocaine. Now accusations of a cover up are flying in the same Tennessee town that just lost the GM plant. Copy and paste the link, Tennesseans policy... http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091125/COUNTY09/91125013/Spring+Hill+mayor+denies+cover-up+of+police+chief’s+failed+drug+test

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A federal judge's ruling has cleared the way for defendants in Trousdale County to sue over the way the county sets bail. U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell in Nashville granted class action status last week to a lawsuit filed by attorney Jerry Gonzalez on behalf of William Tate and others with similar complaints. The lawsuit contends the county's process of setting bail is unconstitutional in that it is "arbitrary" and doesn't individually review each case to determine if a defendant poses a flight risk. The Trousdale lawsuit is one of several filed by Gonzalez. Settlements were...

SPRING HILL, Ten.. - Hundreds of employees in Spring Hill no longer worked for the GM plant Wednesday as the Chevy Traverse production line officially shut down. The plant goes on standby leaving more than 1,400 employees without work. It was decided that the work will be moved to a plant in Lansing, Mich., and some workers will be going with it. Roughly 800 GM employees will stay on at the Spring Hill plant. At its peak, about 7,800 people worked daily at the original Saturn plant, which was built more than 20 years ago. The plant paved the way...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Department of Children's Services is under fire for making a mistake. The agency placed a young girl with a convicted child molester. "It's outrageous. It's just outrageous," said Mike Parsley, the attorney who is representing the girl's mother in a dependent-neglect case. "They're entrusted with protecting our children, and they totally failed in this case. The state placed the child with her estranged father, a man listed on the Tennessee Sexual Offender Registry. He then sexually assaulted his daughter. Parsley said DCS did a background check. "They knew that this individual is a sexual predator...