CONYERS, Ga. (AP) — A weekend fire that sent a massive plume of dark smoke into the Georgia sky has led to complaints about a strong chemical smell and haze several miles away across metro Atlanta, where some schools canceled outdoor activities and others closer to the fire remained stuck at home sheltering from the outdoor air.

2. Transit plan starts path toward November ballot - Friday, June 14, 2024

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and his team filed an ordinance last week with Metro Council which would allow them to recommend the transportation improvement program’s inclusion on the Nov. 5 ballot.

3. As Trump, Republicans target Georgia's Fani Willis for retribution, the state's governor opts out - Friday, August 25, 2023

ATLANTA (AP) — Some Republicans in Washington and Georgia began attacking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis immediately after she announced the Aug. 14 indictment of former President Donald Trump for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. But others, including Gov. Brian Kemp, have been conspicuous in their unwillingness to pile on.

4. How a law associated with mobsters is central to charges against Trump - Friday, August 11, 2023

ATLANTA (AP) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened her investigation into Donald Trump after the release of a recording of a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger.

5. Jeremy Pruitt returns to alma mater as PE teacher, junior high hoops coach - Friday, July 28, 2023

RAINSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Former Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt is returning to his high school alma mater to teach physical education and coach junior high basketball after the NCAA imposed a six-year show cause against him for rules violations.

6. Gov. Lee grants clemency to 16 people - Friday, December 23, 2022

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday granted clemency to 16 people, including two inmates who will be eligible for parole.

In the Republican's second round of clemency actions since taking office in 2019, Lee approved 13 pardons and three commutations, including the elimination of parole restrictions for one 78-year-old man who has been out of prison for 18 years. Fourteen of the 16 are no longer in prison, according to Lee's office.

7. CEO of election software firm held on ID info theft charges - Friday, September 30, 2022

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The founder and CEO of a software company targeted by election deniers was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of stealing data on hundreds of Los Angeles County poll workers.

Konnech Corporation's Eugene Yu, 51, was arrested in Meridian Township in Michigan and held on suspicion of theft of personal identifying information, while computer hard drives and other "digital evidence" were seized by investigators from the county district attorney's office, according to the office.

8. Election takeaways: Trump's conditional loyalty, new warning for left - Friday, June 17, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican who was backed by Donald Trump at the last minute prevailed on Tuesday in an Alabama Senate runoff. But in neighboring Georgia, the former president's losing streak deepened.

9. Baker Donelson names Nebel for new position - Friday, May 20, 2022

Baker Donelson has named Meagan Nebel to serve as the firm’s first director of lateral recruiting and integration, a newly created role responsible for managing the recruitment, acquisition, integration and retention of shareholders and of counsel.

10. CFMT awards more than $2.6M in local grants - Friday, December 24, 2021

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, a charitable organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life in Middle Tennessee and beyond, announces $2,664,888 in grants to 439 local nonprofit organizations as part of the 2021 annual grantmaking process.

11. EXPLAINER: How Democrats won Georgia's 2 Senate runoffs - Friday, January 1, 2021

The Associated Press on Wednesday declared Democrat Jon Ossoff the winner of his U.S. Senate runoff election, the second such seat captured by the party in twin contests that were held in Georgia on Tuesday.

12. 'This is proof': Biden's win reveals power of Black voters - Friday, November 6, 2020

DETROIT (AP) — Power. Respect. Finally.

When Eric Sheffield first saw Joe Biden take the lead in the vote count in Georgia, the 52-year-old Black man immediately thought about all the years he spent urging his Black friends and family to vote and all the times he saw his preferred candidate lose.

13. Cooper announces $1.9M in SBA disaster loans available - Friday, March 27, 2020

Mayor John Cooper today announced that more than $1,931,600 in disaster loans have been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration for Davidson County businesses and residents with losses resulting from the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding on March 3. Seventy-six disaster loans have been approved statewide in the amount of $5,078,200 for affected survivors.

14. COVID-19 spreads across Georgia, with cases now topping 30 - Friday, March 6, 2020

COVID-19 spreads across Georgia, with cases now topping 30

The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has risen to more than 30 in about a dozen counties, though some tests still await confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia health officials said.

15. Initial tests show COVID-19 infections rise to 17 in Georgia - Friday, March 6, 2020

ATLANTA (AP) — Five more people in Georgia have tested positive for COVID-19, and the Centers for Disease Control, health officials said late Sunday.

That means a total of 17 people in the state have now tested positive, though some of the tests have yet to be confirmed by the CDC.

16. Community Foundation announces grant recipients - Friday, December 6, 2019

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has announced $2,397,870 in grants to be awarded to 365 local nonprofit organizations as part of the 2019 annual grant-making process.

CFMT is a charitable organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life in 40 Middle Tennessee counties and beyond.

17. Community Foundation awards $2.72M+ to 453 organizations - Friday, November 30, 2018

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, a charitable organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life in 40 Middle Tennessee counties and beyond, announces $2,726,800 in grants to 453 local nonprofit organizations as part of the 2018 annual grantmaking process.

18. Vols riding high (for a change) as Tide rolls in - Friday, October 19, 2018

Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt took a swig of water as he stood behind the podium, trying to choke back his emotions.

The Vols had just lost to Georgia, but Pruitt knew the final score didn’t reflect how hard his team had played. He wanted more for his players than just a “moral victory.”

19. Smithville mayor, son charged with theft - Friday, July 20, 2018

SMITHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee mayor and his son have been charged with theft.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said agents alleged that the two men were responsible for theft through unlawful payment of wages from 71-year-old Smithville Mayor Jimmy Wayne Poss to his son, 50-year-old Anthony Wayne Poss, from August through March.

20. After 300-vote loss last year, Carfi goes after Pody again - Friday, June 22, 2018

On the heels of a near upset in December, 2017, Mary Alice Carfi isn’t banking on a blue wave to defeat Republican Sen. Mark Pody in the race for state Senate District 14 just east of Davidson County.

21. Tennessee sets early and absentee voting record - Friday, November 4, 2016

NASHVILLE (AP) - Election officials say Tennessee has set a record for early and absentee voting.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett says almost 1.7 million people voted early in person or by mail, topping the record of almost 1.6 million during the 2008 presidential election.

22. Bipartisan outcry kills bill to charge for public records - Friday, September 25, 2015

People of every political stripe across Tennessee are raising in protest to legislation allowing government to charge fees for inspection of public records.

Fisk University student Justin Jones says such a financial imposition would place an “undue burden” on his fellow collegians seeking information from public records as part of research papers and other assignments.

23. Karlen Evins finds her ‘most authentic self’ in farming - Friday, September 18, 2015

A diminutive Karlen Evins walks from her vegetable garden to the reassembled church in which she lives, her arms full of just-picked corn, tomatoes, herbs and okra, and drops them on her kitchen counter.

24. Health care suffers as rural hospitals continue slow fade - Friday, September 11, 2015

Fayette County is the latest victim of hospital closings in Tennessee as many rural health care facilities continue to struggle financially.

Methodist Healthcare-Fayette Hospital closed in late March, bringing to four the number of shuttered hospitals in West Tennessee after Gibson General, Humboldt General and Haywood Park Community called it quits in 2014.

25. Health Care Council announces new board - Friday, August 1, 2014

William F. Carpenter III, chairman and CEO, LifePoint Hospitals, will continue to serve as chairman of the Nashville Health Care Council board of directors for the second year.

William Gracey, president and CEO, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, continues as vice chairman of the board.

26. The case of the shrinking law schools - Friday, July 19, 2013

With lawyer jokes, the punch line is often a variation on: “There’s too many.” But if current trends continue, one day there may be too few.

For the third consecutive year, the entering class of “1Ls” – first year students – at law schools around the country this fall will be smaller than the previous year.

27. Leadership Middle Tennessee selects new class - Friday, September 14, 2012

Thirty-four community and business leaders from the Middle Tennessee region have been selected for membership in the 2013 Class of Leadership Middle Tennessee, Inc., a regional leadership institute encompassing the 10-county area involved with Partnership 2020.

28. Bo Jackson begins bike ride for tornado victims - Friday, April 20, 2012

HENAGAR, Ala. (AP) — Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson and about 100 bicycle riders have started their five-day, 300-mile ride across Alabama to raise money for tornado relief in the state.

A crowd of a couple of hundred people cheered Tuesday as Jackson led riders out of the tiny town of Henagar in the northeast part of the state. Celebrity riders include former Major League Baseball star Ken Griffey Jr. and NBA standout Scottie Pippin.

29. Contract awarded for work on Center Hill Dam - Friday, September 23, 2011

NASHVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $106 million contract to Bauer Foundation Corp. of Florida to install a barrier wall at Center Hill Dam.