Mike Osborne

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Plaintiffs who have waged a two year long court battle to halt construction of the Murfreesboro Mosque apparently intend to continue the fight.

The Tennessean reported Tuesday that the plaintiff’s attorneys have filed a new motion in the case. Plaintiffs hope to intervene in a federal judge’s ruling that allows the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro to occupy their new mosque once it’s complete.

The decision nullified the plaintiff’s earlier victory in Rutherford County Chancery Court denying local Muslims access to the facility.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  -- With the State of Tennessee in the midst of major education reform, Middle Tennessee State University has announced it will soon offer a Doctor of Education degree in Assessment, Learning and School Improvement.

MTSU College of Education Dean Lana Seivers announced the new degree program late last week and says the first classes will be offered in the fall of 2013.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The Nashville Ballet is celebrating National Dance Day tomorrow by offering several free and open dance classes.

You can try ballet, hip hop, and contemporary dance – along with conditioning dances that include elements of yoga and Pilates.

If you’re a fan of the TV show, So You Think You Can Dance, you can learn a group dance that will be videotaped at the end of the day and uploaded to the show’s website.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  -- Tennessee’s Republicans are resisting calls to reign in conservatives on the party’s right flank.

Stories this week in Tennessee’s two largest newspapers, the Commercial Appeal in Memphis and the Tennessean here in the Mid-State, call into question comments made recently by county-level GOP officials concerning gays and Muslims.

At the national level, Republican Party leadership spoke out forcefully this week against similar comments made by Congresswoman Michelle Bachman.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The plaintiff’s attorney leading the two year-long court battle to stop construction of a new mosque in Murfreesboro has issued a scathing appraisal of federal involvement in the case.

Attorney Joe Brandon Jr. says his clients have been “robbed,” a word the lawyer says he uses "very intentionally." He notes that plaintiffs won their case in Rutherford County Chancery Court, only to have the decision voided in federal court.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Tennessee’s Senate delegation is expressing concern about a proposed United Nations treaty being debated this week in New York.

The proposed treaty would seek to regulate the sale and transfer of arms between nations. The treaty is intended to reign in the sale of the weapons that fuel armed conflicts worldwide.

Tennessee Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander have both announced their opposition to the treaty. Alexander expressed his concerns in a recently posted YouTube video.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Memphis is being called one of the "emptiest" cities in America.

CNBC reporter Paul Toscano compiled a list of the cities suffering the worst problem with empty houses. Toscano created the list using information from the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2011 data includes empty rental properties as well as empty homes for sale.

The reporter ranked Memphis as the third emptiest city in the nation. Fifteen percent of all rental properties in Memphis are unoccupied. Just over three percent of homes for sale are empty.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn, (WMOT)  --  A University of Tennessee researcher has been awarded the world’s top prize in the field of environmental science.

UT Knoxville’s Dr. Daniel Simberloff has won Spains 2012 Ramon Margalef Award for Ecology. Simberloff specializes in the study of invasive species.

Although he's conducted research worldwide, Simberloff says he doesn’t have to leave Tennessee to find invasive species.  He notes, for instance, the imported insects that are currently killing Tennessee’s hemlocks and ash trees.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Tennessee generally scores poorly on education-related “best of” lists, but there are exceptions. The state fares well when the subject turns to student loan debt.

USA Today notes that total student debt in the U.S. has now passed the $1 trillion mark, for the first time exceeding the nation’s credit-card debt.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ANFINSON)  --  A new report shows a  large swath of Tennessee is now officially drought stricken.

The U.S. Drought Monitor report represents a consensus of federal and academic scientists.  Released Thursday, the report says that nutritious green grass is in short supply. Some farmers have begun feeding their herds winter hay reserves in summer.