NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country music firebrand and fiddler Charlie Daniels, who had a hit with "Devil Went Down to Georgia," has died at 83.

A statement from his publicist said the Country Music Hall of Famer died Monday at a hospital in Hermitage, Tennessee, after doctors said he had a stroke.

He had suffered what was described as a mild stroke in January 2010 and had a heart pacemaker implanted in 2013 but continued to perform.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  County mayors across Tennessee now have the power to require residents to wear masks in public as the health crisis worsens.

Gov. Bill Lee signed Executive Order 54 on Friday granting mayors that authority. The governor announced the change on Twitter over the weekend saying local governments were asking him to make the option available.

Nashville, Knoxville and Metro Memphis have already issued mandatory mask orders through their county health departments.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Ashley Norman)  --  Daily COVID-19 case counts have nearly quadrupled in Davidson and Rutherford counties in the last six weeks, an analysis of Tennessee Department of Health data shows.

Dr. Ken Blake, an MTSU data journalism professor who has been tracking local COVID-19 numbers, said the counties’ sharp upward trends of daily cases and positivity rates appear alarmingly similar to the rapid case spikes in current COVID-19 hotspots around the country.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Nashville health officials say it's no mystery what led to the COVID-19 spike forcing the city to roll back its economic recovery plan.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Metro Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. James Hildreth was blunt, saying “What’s happening is a failure of responsibility.”

Hildreth urged Nashville residents to be diligent about social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks in public.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Nashville Mayor John Cooper meets Friday with Metro Schools Director Dr. Adrienne Battle to discuss the fate of the coming school year.

Dr. Battle recently announced a school reopening plan that lets parents choose one of two options: have their children learn remotely from home, or return to in-person classes beginning August 4.

But a recent surge in new COVID-19 infections has forced the mayor to roll back his economic recovery plan and once again shutter some businesses.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Gov. Bill Lee has launched what he’s calling the first steps toward police reform in Tennessee.

Gov. Lee announced the changes Thursday backed by the state’s top law enforcement officers.

The governor is asking police departments statewide to review their use of force policies, and officer duty to intervene policies, within 60 days. He’s also expanding police officer training to include more hours and mandatory instruction in de-escalation techniques.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Nashville is again shuttering some parts of its economy in response to a recent spike in cases of COVID-19.

Mayor John Cooper announced the reversal Thursday morning as the city recorded 608 new infections over the previous 24 hours, the all-time highest one-day count in Metro since the pandemic began.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  The Tennessee Department of Labor has again reported a small increase in the number of workers filing initial unemployment claims.

State officials say 22,256 residents reported being furloughed or laid off in the past week. That’s a jump of more than 1100 new jobless applicants over the previous week.

The number of employees filing initial jobless claims fell steadily between April 11 and June 13, but began rising again slowly two weeks ago.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne)  --  Middle Tennessee State University says it’s 'winding down' its relationship with the Confucius Institute.

Institutes on the campuses of the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis have already closed.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk says his office will no longer prosecute individuals for possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana.

A statement released on Wednesday said the new policy will benefit people who would otherwise have to deal with criminal charges, possible jail time and corresponding negative consequences for their employment and housing.

The change is also expected to decrease court and jail costs.