The number of rapes at Tennessee colleges has been released in crime and safety reports required by federal law. Colleges report crimes annually that happen on or near campus. Numbers released last week from several schools were reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel. Rapes reported at the University of Tennessee have risen the past three years. Reports at Vanderbilt University have decreased since 2014, after a woman accused four former football players of rape in 2013. A third former player was sentenced to prison in June over that case. Rapes reported on campuses: UT: 9 in 2014; 19 in...

Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s Senate campaign announcement ad is being blocked by Twitter over a statement the abortion rights opponent makes about the sale of fetal tissue for medical research. Blackburn in the ad boasts that she “stopped the sale of baby body parts.” Twitter found that statement to be inflammatory and “likely to evoke a strong negative reaction.” A Twitter representative told Blackburn’s vendors that they would be allowed to run the rest of the video if the flagged statement is omitted. While the decision keeps the Blackburn campaign from paying to promote the video on Twitter, it...

The 6th annual ONE DAY OF HOPE will take place Saturday Oct. 14, 2017 at the Coffee County Fairgrounds from 10am-2pm. The event began in 2012 with about 6 churches and around 30 volunteers. Around 2,000 folks showed up that day for primarily clothes, some food and medical care. This year around 5,000 people are expected to be helped by 1,000 volunteers. ONE DAY OF HOPE is a day to reach out to our community in the name of Jesus to provide clothes, food, coats, shoes, various FREE services (medical/dental, haircuts, family portraits, groceries,...

Skeletal remains were discovered in remote area of Grundy County Friday morning. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reported the remains were found in Altamont. An anthropology team was called to excavate the scene and the remains have been turned over the State Medical Examiner’s Office. No additional information was immediately...

Less than 35 percent of Tennessee third through eighth graders are on track or advanced in English, according to newly released TNReady results from last year. TNReady scores fall into one of four achievement levels: mastered, on track, approaching, and below grade-level expectations. “TNReady allows us to see how Tennessee students are mastering our state’s academic standards as we transition to higher expectations at all grade levels,” Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said. The results show less than 6 percent mastered the content and 28 percent of students were on track. In math, 9 percent mastered the subject and 29...

From text messages, controlling music to getting directions, many “smart cars” promise to keep drivers safe by keeping their hands off their phones while driving. However, a new study by AAA Foundation for Traffic Study found the devices take drivers’ eyes and attention off the road and hands off the wheel for potentially dangerous periods of time. The study found drivers using in-vehicle technologies like voice-based and touch screen features experienced very high levels of visual and mental demand for more than 40 seconds when completing tasks like programming navigation or sending a text message. Automakers now include more...