WZTV Top Stories
RSS feed for stories from the "Top Stories" section of WZTV.NWS confirms tornado in Stewart County
May 24, 2011 02:36 PM EDT
National Weather Service confirms tornado hit Big Rock area of Stewart County last night.
They have not rated the strength of the tornado yet .
Around 25 homes destroyed as well as damage to the post office and fire station.
Big Rock does not have storm sirens. ...
Power, Trees Down from Overnight Storm
May 24, 2011 08:23 AM EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --
Storms rolled through Middle Tennessee overnight with strong winds,
vivid lightning, hail and heavy downpours of rain.
Nashville Electric
Service reported more than 22,000 customers without power at dawn
Tuesday. Trees and power lines are down and police closed a section of
Briley Parkway in East Nashville because of debris. ...
Big Rock, Tenn. Hit Hard by Monday's Severe Weather
May 24, 2011 12:54 AM EDT
Severe storms are causing problems in Middle Tennessee tonight. During a tornado warning in Stewart County this evening damage reports started coming into police. The hardest hit area was in Big Rock. That's where FOX17's Erica Shaffer joins us by phone with more. ...
Elizabethton Mayor Charged in Prostittution Case
May 24, 2011 06:23 AM EDT
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (AP) -- Elizabethton Mayor Curt Alexander had
been charged in Johnson City with patronizing prostitution.
According to the Johnson City Press, police said he paid a
prostitute $80 for sex Friday at a Johnson City motel. ...
Freshwater Mussels Get Some Muscle in Tennessee
May 24, 2011 05:56 AM EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Various agencies have signed an
agreement designed to protect freshwater mussels across Tennessee.
According to a news release Monday from The Nature Conservancy,
freshwater mussels are the most imperiled group of animals in the
U. ...
Joplin Tornado Deadliest Since 1947
May 24, 2011 12:58 AM EDT
We continue our TEAM COVERAGE on the severe weather. The death toll from Sunday's twister in Joplin, Missouri now stands at 116. That's the single deadliest tornado since 1947. Reporter Nicole Collins shows us what the tornado did.
New Push to Help You Change the Fuel You Put in Your Car
May 24, 2011 01:20 AM EDT
There's a new push tonight to help you change the fuel you put in your car. As FOX17's Sky Arnold reports, the federal government says E85 needs to be more available.
Incense Smoking Hospitilizes Two Boys
May 23, 2011 10:42 PM EDT
A pair of young boys are hospitilized after smoking incense.
Authorities in Columbia say it's yet another example of people using legal substances to get high.
They're sold as incense at gas stations, smoke shops, and adult stores - but some people aren't using them as such. ...
SPECIAL REPORT: Education Vs. Incarceration
May 24, 2011 12:48 AM EDT
It is one of Governor Haslam's top priorities. Education is a hot topic at the State Capitol, but some say the state should be spending more on education and less on incarceration. FOX17's John Dunn breaks down the numbers to see how your money is being spent. ...
John Rich Releases 2 New Albums
May 23, 2011 11:46 PM EDT
John Rich just released two brand new albums, each very different from the other.
Fox
17 Entertainment Reporter sat down with the newly named Celebrity
Apprentice and has more on his latest work and the charity that will
benefit!
Missouri Town Trying to Pick Up the Pieces
May 23, 2011 11:18 PM EDT
The death toll in Joplin, Missouri is rising tonight. It now stands at 116 people, but many more are missing. The tornado there is the deadliest since 1947. The twister was 3/4 mile wide and was on the ground for 6 miles. It had winds 190-198mph. A Red Cross spokeswoman says about 75% of the city is gone. ...
Containing the Meth Problem - John Dunn
May 23, 2011 09:37 PM EDT
Tennessee leads the nation in meth labs, and now one county is finding a new way to clean them up.
Coffee County is solving a problem and saving you money at the same time.
Everyday Tennessee detectives are suiting up, heading into homes filled with dangerous chemicals. ...
State Fair Board Awards Contract to Delta Agribusiness
May 23, 2011 09:00 PM EDT
State Fair Board awards contract to run 2011 TN State Fair to Delta Agribusiness. The company guaranteed the board $500,000 over 2 years. This reversed an earlier decision that was determined to be based on inaccurate attendance numbers. That story's tonight on FOX17 NEWS at 9. ...
Victim of Apparent Case of Severe Child Abuse Dies
May 23, 2011 06:48 PM EDT
An update in a case of alleged child abuse that put a 6 month old in the hospital. Baby Heaven Hamilton has died, and Metro Police say charges will soon be upgraded against the man they believe is responsible. 35 year old Robert Simmons is a convicted sex offender, but police say he was babysitting his girlfriend's kids at the Hallmark Inn last Tuesday. ...
Man Arrested for Sexual Battery in Rutherford County
May 23, 2011 05:30 PM EDT
Sexual battery indictments were served last week on a man accused of fondling a 13 year old girl in 2005, a Rutherford County Sheriff's detective said Monday. Suspect Timothy Tyson, 49, of Christiana, was charged with 3 counts of sexual battery, said the detective. ...
ER Uses Essential Oils to Relieve Staff Stress
May 23, 2011 03:55 PM EDT
It is one of the most stressful jobs on the planet.
But the doctors and nurses in Vanderbilt's Emergency Room are feeling calmer.
They're improving the mood, and the smell at the same time.
There's no denying, hospitals have a certain odor. ...
Overnight Storms Knock Trees Down, Power Out
May 23, 2011 08:22 AM EDT
Metro Police are reporting numerous trees across roadways and NES and MTEMC are reporting thousands of customers without power.
Trees are reported across roads at 4302 Kennedy Ave., Brick Church Pike & Bell Grimes Lane., 3824 Brickchurch at Bellshire Drive, Nolensville Pike at Bluff Road, Edmonson Pike at Holt Road,, 1000 Calvert and 2100 Cliff Dr. ...
Missouri Tornado Death Count at 89
May 23, 2011 04:25 AM EDT
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities say at least 89 have died in the
massive tornado that struck the southwest Missouri city of Joplin.
City manager Mark Rohr announced the number at a pre-dawn news
conference outside the wreckage of a hospital that took a direct
hit from Sunday's storm. ...
Tennessee Flood Victims Can Start Collecting Food Stamps
May 23, 2011 07:51 AM EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee will start issuing food stamps
for victims of flooding in four West Tennessee counties that were
declared disaster areas after the Mississippi River overflowed its
banks.
The benefits, which will be available Monday, will go to
eligible residents in Dyer, Lake, Obion and Stewart counties. ...
Ag Secretary in Nashville to Talk Flex Fuel
May 23, 2011 05:20 AM EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is in
Nashville to promote ethanol fuel as a way to build a clean energy
economy and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Vilsack will be speaking Monday at a Nashville gas station about
USDA incentives for station owners to install flexible fuel pumps
announced last month. ...
Reba Inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame
May 23, 2011 07:49 AM EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Country Music Hall of Fame has
welcomed two pioneering women and a songwriter who has helped
define the sound of country music.
Singers Reba McEntire and Jean Shepard and songwriter Bobby
Braddock entered the hall of fame Sunday night in Nashville, Tenn. ...
Schermerhorn Celebrates Flood Recovery with Free Admission
May 22, 2011 09:31 PM EDT
The Schermerhorn Symphony Center opened its doors to the public for this year's "Day of Free Music."
"It's extremely gratifying to be able to do this for the community," said Mark Blakeman, vice president and general manager of the Nashville Symphony. ...
Speed likely to blame for fatal accident
May 22, 2011 05:59 PM EDT
(FOX 17) -- Metro police say high speeds likely played a role in an early morning car accident that claimed the life of a Hendersonville man.
That accident happened at 2:45 Sunday morning at Interstate 65 near Trinity Lane.
Police say Christopher Davis, 36, lost control of his car and hit a guard rail. ...
Drug activity linked to fatal shooting
May 22, 2011 02:48 PM EDT
(FOX 17) -- Metro Police are investigating a shooting that left one man dead late Saturday night.
They say Dustyn Taapken (pictured above) opened the front door of a house in the100 block of Barella Court to allegedly make a drug deal. Thats when, police say, three men showed guns and demanded Taapken hand over cash. ...
Obama: 67 borders reflects longstanding US policy
May 22, 2011 02:06 PM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says Israel will face
growing isolation without a credible Middle East peace process.
The president told America's pro-Israel lobby that "we cannot
afford to wait another decade, or another two decades, or another
three decades, to achieve peace. ...
Democrats criticize GOP on contentious bills
May 22, 2011 01:08 PM EDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Republican-controlled Tennessee
General Assembly adjourned earlier than they have in years, but
Democrats say the contentious tone caused by some of the GOP
legislation that passed is going to linger -- and could hurt at the
ballot box. ...
Taylor Swift Benefit Helps Tornado Victims
May 22, 2011 01:06 AM EDT
Saturday night's Taylor Swift performance at Bridgestone Arena was technically the last dress rehearsal for her Speak Now Tour but the country-pop starlet decided to open the doors to the public and donated all of the proceeds to tornado victims.
One hundred percent of the money raised by ticket and merchandise sales goes directly to the Speak Now, Help Now Fund, which is a part of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, according to Swift’s publicist. ...
Education- A Hot Topic on Tennessee's Capitol Hill
May 21, 2011 09:10 PM EDT
LEGISLATORS ARE WORKING HARD TO WRAP UP THEIR SESSION...
IT'S ONLY THE SIXTH SATURDAY SESSION IN THE LAST 44 YEARS.... BUT LAWMAKERS ARE NOT SLOWING DOWN UNTIL IT'S OVER....
THE RESULTS OF ONE OF THIS SESSION'S TOP PRIORITIES IS TEACHER’S UNIONS. ...
WWII Vet Honored Six Decades Later
May 21, 2011 07:35 PM EDT
The small town of Ash Hill honored Private First Class Henry Cathey 66 years after he helped defeat Nazi forces in Europe.
"It means a lot to me," Cathey said.
Cathey served in the war's European campaign between 1942 and 1945. It was a tour that led him into the Battle of the Bulge, one of the war's most brutal conflicts. ...
Next commander announced to lead 101st Airborne
May 21, 2011 02:51 PM EDT
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) -- The military has announced a new
commander for the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, Ky.,
as the division returned from a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan.
Maj. Gen. James McConville will be the next commander for the
famed Screaming Eagles at the installation on the
Tennessee-Kentucky state line. ...