Low Reservoirs Levels to Affect Power Production, Boating

(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) -- Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir levels are lower than normal due to below average spring rain and runoff.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that Hiwassee, Nottely, Normandy, Norris and Cherokee reservoirs may not reach their required summer recreation levels by June 1, affecting both summer activities and power production.

With lake levels at some reservoirs 8 feet below normal, hydroelectric generation is running 12 percent below average, TVA officials said.

"Although we had a lot of rain early in the winter, the spring months had below-normal rainfall, and it is unlikely that some reservoirs will fill to their summer water levels this year without above-normal rain over the summer," said senior vice president of river operations, John McCormick.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Walking Horse Trainers' Association Responds to Abuse Video

(SHELBYVILLE, Tenn.) -- The Walking Horse Trainers' Association has said it is "shocked and saddened" after an undercover video showing one of its trainers abusing horses was released, ABC affiliate WTVC reports.

The video, released along with an investigative report for ABC's Nightline, shows Jackie McConnell, a well-known horse trainer from Collierville, beating horses with wooden sticks and using electric cattle prods to make them lift their feet in the distinct gait that is highly prized in horse shows.

"We don’t condone this behavior or these actions by Jackie McConnell and are confident that the actions in that video are not indicative of the behavior of our members,” WHTA President Jamie Hankins said in the statement.

The association said it plans to suspend McConnell's trainers' license indefinitely.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Illinois Murder Suspect Tracked Through Several States

(CHICAGO) -- The search for a man suspected of killing his new bride in Burbank, Illinois has passed through several states and reached as far as Texas.

Authorities say they have tracked a cellphone belonging to Arnoldo Jimenez to Hidalgo, Texas -- a town near the Mexico border. Jimenez, 30, is being sought in connection with the murder of his 26-year-old bride Estrella Carrera.

Carrera's body was found Sunday afternoon by police after her family alerted authorities that she had not picked up her children on time from her sister's house. She had multiple stab wounds and was found still wearing her wedding dress in a dry bathtub, police said. Investigators believe she was killed just hours after a civil ceremony last Friday at the Cook County Courthouse in Illinois.

Authorities on the trail of Jiminez say his cellphone was last used in Chicago on Saturday and was also used near Memphis, Tennessee, in Arkansas and then eventually in Texas, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Expense Report Released From Tennessee Legislative Events

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Tennessee legislative events expenses came to at least $458,000 during 2012’s General Assembly, according to records.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that businesses, professional and trade groups as well as other organizations spent the money on legislative receptions with expenses ranging from breakfast, luncheon and dinner receptions to an ice cream "social," among other events.

AT&T reported the highest priced single event that was held on Jan. 10. The $23,537 welcome-back-to-Nashville gala featured an open bar and heavy hors d'oeuvres, Tennessee Ethics Commission filings show.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Number of Tennessee Dog Bites Increasing

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) -- Numbers from insurance giant State Farm show that the number of dog bites in Tennessee is increasing, according to a report from ABC affiliate WATE-TV in Knoxville. May 19-26 is dog bite prevention week.

Tennessee ranked 14th among states when it comes to the number of insurance claims made for dog bites.  State Farm says 78 claims were made in Tennessee in 2011.  A spokesman for the company said dog bites are common during this time of the year because kids are getting out of school and running around neighborhoods unsupervised. State Farm says children make up about half of dog bite victims. 

People are encouraged to properly train their dogs and teach their children not to approach animals they do not know.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio