tennessee

Tennesseans Spend Thanksgiving Aiding Hurricane Survivors

Mike Osborne — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:23:00 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Eight Middle Tennesseans are spending their Thanksgiving on the New Jersey coast providing aid to Super-Storm Sandy survivors.

David Durham has been in Atlantic City all week helping homeowners dispose of damaged furniture and tear out water-soaked drywall.

“You can still see the water line on the houses and the buildings. It came up to, in some places, well over three feet – sometimes four feet. So you can pretty much assume that there’s interior damage in all of the houses that you drive by.”

Tennesseans Providing Disaster Aid in New Jersey

Mike Osborne — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:07:38 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- WMOT continues to bring you stories of Tennesseans providing assistance to Super-Storm Sandy survivors.

Ten students from Lipscomb University are in New Jersey this week helping home owners carry waterlogged furniture to the curb for disposal, and tearing out flood-dampened drywall.

Lipscomb student Will Poff of Franklin says helping a senior citizen clear his house of debris has been a highlight of the trip.

Average College Debt More Than $26,000

AP/WMOT — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:23:22 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP/WMOT) — A new nation-wide report shows two-thirds of the college class of 2011 finished school with loan debt, and those who borrowed walked off the graduation stage owing more than $26,600. That's up about 5 percent from the class before.

The latest figures are calculated in a report by The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS). The report does not include most graduates of for-profit colleges, who typically borrow more than their counterparts elsewhere.

Tenn. Domestic Violence Down Slightly, 96 Die in 2011

Mike Osborne — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:29:23 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- The annual report on domestic violence in Tennessee is out this week.

The report shows a slight decline in domestic cases in each of the last three years. However, more than 85,000 Tennesseans fell victim to domestic violence in 2011. Ninety-six of them were murdered.

The majority of victims are female, but men reported being the target of domestic violence in nearly three cases in ten.

Amazon Hiring Thousands of Seasonal Workers in Tennessee

Mike Osborne — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:32:20 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- You may not be ready to think about Christmas yet, but Tennessee retailers aren’t thinking about much else.

Online retailing giant Amazon.com, now one of Tennessee’s biggest employers, announced today that it will be hiring 50,000 seasonal workers at its fulfillment centers across the U.S.

Amazon says it’s hiring at all of its Tennessee facilities, including fulfillment centers in Chattanooga, Lebanon, Charleston in Bradley County, and in Murfreesboro.

JUST ONE QUESTION: Education Tops Antioch Listener's Concerns

AP/WMOT — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:26:12 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP/WMOT) — The stakes are high tonight as President Barack Obama faces off against Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the second of three presidential campaign debates.

The meeting will take place on the campus of Hofstra University in New York. Undecided voters attending the debate will get a chance to ask the night’s questions.

WMOT is asking Tennesseans what one question they would ask the candidates if given the chance. Today we hear from Scott Smith. Smith lives in Antioch and works retail sales in Murfreesboro.

Tennessee Patient Sues New England Pharmacy

Associated Press — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:11:34 +0000

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Hendersonville woman sickened by fungal meningitis after receiving a steroid injection for back pain is suing the pharmacy that supplied the drug.

On Monday, Janet Russell and her husband, Robert Russell, sued the New England Compounding Center for $15 million. The suit filed in Davidson County Circuit Court claims the pharmacy allowed the steroid to be contaminated by fungi through negligence.

Literary Journal Features Tennessee Talent

Mike Osborne — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:23:24 +0000

MURFREESBORO— There’s a new mid-state based online literary journal featuring Tennessee talent.

The website “2^nd & Church” is the creation of Middle Tennessee State Professor of English Alvin Knox. The journal is accepting submissions in poetry, creative nonfiction, technical writing, literary fiction, poetry, translation and commercial fiction.

"In God We Trust" Recommended for Putnam County Courthouse

AP/WMOT — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:58:40 +0000

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — The Putnam County Commission will consider placing the motto "In God We Trust" on all four sides of the courthouse in Cookeville.

According to the Cookeville Herald-Citizen, the Colonial View Baptist Church is leading the effort. The church brought the proposal to the county's planning committee this week. The committee recommended the proposal to the full commission for consideration. That vote is scheduled for October 15.

The Rev. Al Gaspard is the pastor at Colonial View Baptist Church.

Campus "Wake Up and Vote Early" Campaign Launched

Mike Osborne — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 01:58:34 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Several mid-state advocacy groups have joined forces to promote a get-out-the-college-vote campaign for the upcoming presidential election.

The groups are calling the effort “Wake Up and Vote Early” or W.A.V.E. The plan is to get students to participate in a mass, early vote on October 20. Students from Vanderbilt, Fisk and MTSU are already involved in the project.