AP/WMOT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — An Associated Press exit poll shows Rick Santorum owes his Tennessee primary victory to strong support among born-again Christians.

Santorum led Republican rival Mitt Romney 3 to 1 among those who say it matters a "great deal" that a candidate share their religious beliefs.  He also led among voters who considered themselves "very conservative," and among voters who supported the tea party.

Romney led among voters who considered themselves "moderate" or "liberal." He also led among voters with an annual income of more than $100,000.

NASHVILLE, Tenn (AP/WMOT) — An exit poll of voters in Tennessee's presidential primary showed Rick Santorum beat Mitt Romney thanks to strong support among born-again Christians — about three-quarters of those who went to the polls on Tuesday.

Santorum also led Romney 3 to 1 among those who said it mattered a "great deal" that a candidate shared their religious beliefs.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP/WMOT)  --  Tennessee joining 9 other states for Super Tuesday presidential primary voting today.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney are running neck-and-neck in several states, but the vote appears to be shaping up differently here in Tennessee. 

In recent poling by Vanderbilt University and Middle Tennessee State University, Santorum was favored by Tennesseans two-to-one over Romney.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Disaster assessment teams from Tennessee and the federal government are evaluating damage from the storms that swept through the state on Friday.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said there were a total of 75 tornado warnings issued throughout the state on Friday.

TEMA spokesman Dean Flener said Tennessee was lucky to escape without the fatalities several other states suffered, but damage has been reported in 19 counties.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) —  Thirty-nine deaths in 5 states was the toll from Friday’s severe weather as of Monday morning.

The state Emergency Management Agency said there were no deaths here in Tennessee, but at least 45 people were injured in two waves of bad weather. Most of the injuries occurred in the Chattanooga area.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Powerful storms claimed three lives in Tennessee Wednesday.  The storms were part of a massive severe weather system now blamed for 13 deaths in three states.

The damage appears to be light throughout most of Tennessee, but Cumberland and Dekalb Counties took a more direct hit.

Kenneth Carrey, Jr., is the Cumberland County Mayor.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A proposal designed to evict Occupy Nashville protesters is headed to the governor for his consideration.

The legislation passed the House 68-21 Monday evening after lawmakers agreed to a change by the Senate, which approved the bill 20-10 last week.

The measure makes it a crime to camp on any state-owned land that’s not specifically designated for camping.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A new study finds that one in four Tennessee children lives in poverty, and the problem is getting worse.

The data snapshot released last week by the Annie E. Casey Kids Count project shows that the number of Tennessee children living in concentrated poverty areas has doubled since 2000.

Linda O'Neal, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says poverty impacts a child in ways you might never imagine.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Nearly 500 grade school students where on the MTSU Campus Thursday for the 20th annual Invention Convention.

Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students from all across Middle Tennessee participated. The young scientists were asked to invent something in one of two categories: "games" and "make our lives easier."

Justin Saunders of Hendersonville entered a project in the "make our lives easier" category. His invention is an insulated bowl that keeps hot food hot and cold food cold. Justin said it was a particular cold food that inspired his creation.

ATLANTA (AP/WMOT) — Health officials say the flu season is finally here, but so far few cases have been reported in Tennessee.

Until this month, there weren't enough cases in the U.S. to signal the start of the season. 

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta says this is the slowest start to the flu season in nearly 25 years. Flu season usually starts in December or January. Often, it's half over by this point in the year.

Here in Tennessee, the CDC is calling the incidence of flu "sporadic."