NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  A star Vanderbilt athlete has been sidelined by COVID-19 damage to her heart.

Basketball standout guard Demi Washington is out for the season.

Washington’s case highlights an occasional side effect of the virus. The star athlete says she had a mild case, but a cardiac MRI revealed inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis).

Undetected, the condition could have caused a sudden heart attack.

Vanderbilt now routinely screens athletes for the condition before they are allowed to return to competition.

(Associated Press)  --  Tennessee has hired UCF athletic director Danny White as the Volunteers’ new athletic director.

The announcement Thursday comes just three days after the firing of football coach Jeremy Pruitt and athletic director Phillip Fulmer’s retirement. Chancellor Donde Plowman noted Tennessee handled this search with urgency.

White will be Tennessee’s fourth different athletic director since Dave Hart took over in September 2011.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Tennessee man who carried flexible plastic handcuffs around the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 raid by Trump supporters is a danger to his community and a serious flight risk.

In a court filing ahead of a Friday detention hearing, prosecutors say Eric Munchel should be detained until trial. They describe a search of Munchel’s Nashville home that turned up numerous weapons and say he may have had weapons with him in Washington D.C.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Nashville’s COVID-19 numbers continue to improve.

The city’s virus transmission rate dropped back into an acceptable range this week. As of Thursday morning, the rate stood at 0.93.

The seven-day running average of new infections has fallen well over 5,000 cases per day over the past four weeks. However, the city is still reporting an average of more than 4,000 new cases every 24 hours.

Hospitalizations are also down, but as of Thursday morning, 94 percent of Metro’s available ICU beds are currently in use.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  President Joe Biden’s inauguration received a mix of reactions from the members of Tennessee’s Congressional delegation.

All seven of Tennessee’s Republican House members voted to challenge acceptance of Biden’s electoral ballots earlier this month.

However, some were conciliatory following the inauguration on Wednesday. West Tennessee Republican David Kustoff wrote we’re “Americans first and must work together to resolve the challenges facing our nation.” 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — At least four Tennessee men are among the 73 people pardoned by President Donald Trump during the final hours of his term.

Nashville resident Robert Sherrill founded a mentoring program for at-risk youth and a group that works to ease prisoner reentry. Knoxville's Josh Smith founded a business then used the money from the sale of his company to start the Fourth Purpose Foundation, a criminal justice reform group. Both served time for drug convictions.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has directed state lawmakers to quickly pass measures in response to educational challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called Tuesday on lawmakers to grant pay raises to teachers and install a new reading benchmark for students to pass the third grade.

Meanwhile, the Republican governor had harsh remarks for schools that had rebuffed his push for in-person learning. The criticism has sparked objections from Democratic lawmakers and education advocates.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee state senator who was already facing allegations of stealing more than $600,000 from a health care school has been charged in a new case.

Memphis Democrat Katrina Robinson and two other people have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Tuesday's announcement from West Tennessee federal prosecutors comes about six months after Robinson was indicted on charges that she used grant money to pay for her wedding, a Jeep Renegade for her daughter and her children’s snow cone business.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  -- Catholic Charities has announced that it will offer free therapy sessions to the survivors of Nashville’s Christmas Day bombing.

The first session is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Jan. 19. The Zoom sessions are free, but participation is limited and registration is required.

WTVF-TV notes that a special therapy session will be conducted Thursday specifically for business owners impacted by the explosion.

Here are links to the four sessions:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  -- The state’s effort to get Tennesseans vaccinated against COVID-19 has a diversity problem.

Official health data shows that nearly 331,000 state residents have been immunized to date.

To date, about six percent of those vaccinated who report their race are black. However, African Americans make up roughly 17 percent of Tennessee’s total population.