Mike Osborne

MURFREESBORO, Tenn (WMOT)  --  Franklin Mayor Ken Moore says city and county governments across the state are becoming increasingly concerned about a series of bills under consideration by the Tennessee General Assembly.

The Franklin Board of Alderman recently passed a resolution opposing 14 measures currently working their way through the state legislature. Moore says the bills would strip local governments of the ability to regulate everything from land use to fireworks sales.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.  (AP/WMOT) — Fewer people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, adding to signs that the job market is strengthening.

A U.S. Department of Labor report out Thursday shows that applications for unemployment dropped by 14,000 applicants to a seasonally adjusted 351,000.

Here in Tennessee initial jobless claims have dropped to their lowest point in four years. The state saw just over 6100 claims in February, the lowest reading since February, 2008.  Applications hit their peak in April, 2009, when more than 13,400 Tennessee’s made an initial claims.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – A day and time has been announced for the MTSU/UT post season men’s basketball matchup.

The National Invitation Tournament game will tip off at 6 p.m. CT this Monday evening in Knoxville.  Middle Tennessee State has won only a single game in nine meetings between the in-state rivals, but that lone win did come during an NIT game in 1988.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  -- Alcoa and Marshall County took the court Wednesday morning in Murfreesboro for the first game of the Tennessee high-school boys basketball championships.

An estimated 30,000 student athletes and their supporters are in Middle Tennessee this week for the annual Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association tournament.  The games are being held at Murphy Center on the Middle Tennessee State University campus.

Kendra Tate drove over from East Tennessee to see her son Trey play for Alcoa.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.  (WMOT)  --  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced a partnership Tuesday with Middle Tennessee State University.

Named VetSuccess, the deal is the first of its kind for the federal agency in Tennessee. The VA-MTSU partnership is meant to ease returning soldiers into campus life.

Heather Conrad will be the VA’s VetSuccess representative at MTSU. Conrad said she’ll provide career counseling, vocational planning and answer benefits questions. Disabled vets will be her special focus.

MUFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  An estimated 30,000 high school athletes and their supporters are descending on Middle Tennessee this week for the state high-school basketball championships.

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association boys basketball tournament gets underway Wednesday on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University.

The TSSAA held their annual tournament for the girl’s teams this past week. Association spokesman Matthew Gillespie said 21 games were played over a four day period.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The Murfreesboro Police Department has released its crime report for last year.

Overall, Murfreesboro saw a one percent increase in crime in 2011. The number of calls responded to by the MPD increased 11% during the year.  Spokesman Kyle Evans says the department had a busy year.

"Officers were responsible for almost 10,000 criminal charges, which was a 19 percent increase over the year before.  Officers issued 16, 500 traffic citations and about 14,000 warning citations throughout the city."

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Post season play continues for Middle Tennessee State men's basketball.  

The Blue Raiders earned a No. 4 seed for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and will host fifth-seeded Marshall Tuesday night at 8:15 p.m. CT in Murphy Center. The game will be aired on ESPN3 and also heard here on WMOT. 

The Blue Raiders finished the regular season 25-6 overall and 14-2 in league play.

MT last played in the NIT in 1988 when they defeated Tennessee and Georgia before falling to Boston College in the quarterfinals.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn (WMOT)  --  A heartbreaking defeat Tuesday afternoon for Lady Raider’s basketball.  The MT women suffered a cliff-hanger, single-point loss to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The 71-70 defeat ended the team's winning streak at 20 games and dashed their hopes for a seventh Sun Belt Tournament title. The men’s team was knocked out of the tournament in the first round. 

While post season play hasn’t panned out well for Blue Raiders basketball, at least so far, MTSU spokesman Mark Owens said fans couldn’t have asked for a better year.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  -- A federal disaster declaration for Tennessee is possible following last week’s deadly tornados.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it’s joining Tennessee Emergency Management Agency personnel in assessing damage around the state following severe weather last Friday

TEMA says that nearly 900 homes and other structures in 19 Tennessee counties reported damage.  Forty-five people sought medical treatment for storm related injuries, but no deaths were reported.