AP/WMOT

WASHINGTON (AP) —Pat Summitt was honored by President Barak Obama with the Medal of Freedom yesterday afternoon during a White House ceremony.

Summitt stepped down last month after 38 years as the Lady Volunteers head coach because she's suffering from early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.

In his remarks honoring Summitt, President Obama noted her remarkable coaching record and her tenacity.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Tennessee saw a 23 percent increase last year in the number of prescriptions written for controlled substances.

In spite of efforts to crack down on the state's prescription drug abuse epidemic, a new report shows that nearly 18 million prescriptions for drugs like OxyContin and hydrocodone were dispensed in Tennessee in 2011.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — State wildlife officials say seven people have died in boating accidents in Tennessee so far this year. Reported deaths are up over the same period last year.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is urging boaters planning on spending Memorial Day on the water to wear life jackets. TWRA spokesperson Betsy Woods also notes that it's illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — The Nashville Red Cross is providing emergency shelter for more than 170 senior citizens.

The seniors, some of them in wheel chairs, were evacuated Monday evening from a Nashville apartment tower.

WSMV-TV reports that school buses were used to take the seniors from the Parthenon Towers near Centennial Park to the student activity center at Lipscomb University.

Beth Ferguson is a spokesperson for Nashville’s Red Cross. She says sheltering seniors provides some unique challenges.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s dental health ranks among the worst in the nation according to a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The CDC study shows declining dental visits in Tennessee and an increase in the number of people who have lost at least one permanent tooth.

Dr. Steven Turner is an ER physician at Summitt Medical Center here in Middle Tennessee. He says ER Docs see a lot of patients with dental complaints.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Middle Tennessee Congressional Rep. Jim Cooper is hosting a free veterans workshop Tuesday at the Tennessee National Guard Armory in Nashville.

More than 40 government agencies and private organizations will be on hand to provide assistance with things like GI benefits, home loan guarantees, benefits and pensions, small business loans, homeowner financing, employment training and educational opportunities.

The workshop is billed as a veterans event, but Congressman Cooper says active duty personnel and family members might also wish to attend.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — The Tennessee Department of Transportation plans to open a single southbound lane of Interstate 75 at the site of that massive rock slide in Campbell County.

TDOT intends to open one of the two southbound lanes today at the 143 mile marker, not far from the Kentucky border.

The slide occurred on March 8. Then, on May 7, a second slide occurred, further disrupting traffic.

TDOT’s Mark Nagi says the project will take months, and with good reason.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A jury has convicted the roommate of slain Middle Tennessee basketball player Tina Stewart of the lesser charge of second-degree murder.

The jury delivered the verdict Monday against 19-year-old Shanterrica Madden after deliberating for about two hours.

Stewart was fatally stabbed in the chest March 2, 2011, at the off-campus apartment the two shared in Murfreesboro. Madden acknowledged stabbing Stewart but claimed it was self-defense against her larger and more athletic roommate.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — State officials are promoting motorcycle safety awareness month as motorcycle fatalities rise in Tennessee.

Thirty-eight motorcyclists have died in state crashes this year, up 31 percent from 2011.

Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson Deanna Lambert says the unseasonably warm weather may be partially to blame for the increase.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — A large group of Middle Tennessee veterans are getting an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C.

About 100 vets and their guardians will depart from Nashville International Airport today on a so-called “honor flight” to visit the World War II Memorial  in the nation’s capital.

The Nashville non-profit Music City Honor Flight is paying for the excursion as a way to thank the veterans for their war-time service.