Middle School Student Brings Unloaded Gun to School

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) -- A student at Bearden Middle School was arrested Monday for bringing an unloaded gun to school, The Knoxville News Sentinel reports.

According to police, the .357 magnum handgun belonged to a family member, though they would not confirm that that meant the student had brought it from home.

The student apparently brought the unloaded weapon in to show his friends. Other students reported him to school officials after seeing the gun.

He was taken to the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Service Center and charged with possessing a gun on school property.

Police have not said if anyone else faces charges in connection with the incident.

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University of Tennessee Fires Judicial Affairs Director

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) -- The University of Tennessee fired the Office of Student Judicial Affairs director amid allegations she had improper relationships with student athletes, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports.

On Thursday, Jenny Wright, a UT graduate who has worked at the school since 2008, attempted to resign over the allegations, of which little specific information has been released, but the school refused to accept it. Provost Susan Martin sent Wright a pre-termination letter instead the next day.

The letter said that Wright was invited to meet with them on Monday to discuss the issue, but she did not show up. She was officially fired later that day.

Both UT and Wright have hired lawyers.

Wright’s lawyer, Robert Kurtz, “categorically denied” Wright had done anything wrong, and had attempted to resign out of concern that the false allegations would harm UT students and overshadow her work.

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Indiana Fugitives Nabbed in Knoxville After Chase

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) -- Two suspects wanted in Indiana, were arrested in Knoxville on Monday night.

Authorities arrested Jacob Beyers and Mallory Potts at a Motel 6 on Merchants Center Boulevard, following a chase with Knoxville Police, published reports stated. The two suspects have outstanding warrants for robbery in Spencer County, Indiana.

Authorities say a traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle Beyers was driving, with the suspect allegedly fleeing during the stop, leading to the chase. During the chase the suspect vehicle reportedly crashed into a number of other vehicles, with two children and an adult being injured along the way, reports stated.

Beyers was also charged with evading arrest, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and other traffic charges.

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‘Zombie,’ ‘Pirate’ and ‘Santa Claus’ Suing TVA over No Costume Policy

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) -- The trial for a lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority’s policy forbidding costumes has been set in late October, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports.

The incident started after a group of protesters dressed as zombies at a Chattanooga demonstration against the TVA’s plan to bring back the abandoned Bellefonte Nuclear Reactor project. A project protesters called a “zombie reactor.”

The TVA enacted a “no costumes” policy afterward.

Later, at a TVA board meeting in August, several people showed up in costumes to continue protesting the Bellefonte plans, and to protest the new policy. Zombie, Pirate, Santa Claus and Benjamin Franklin costumes were not allowed into the meeting.

They, or rather, the people inside the costumes, are suing the TVA.

Still, the case might not have a bench trial after all if the plaintiffs and the TVA decide the case should be decided solely on a review of the records involved. They have until July 15 to file arguments to that effect.

Given all the costumes and zombies, it makes sense that if this trial proceeds, it will take place on October 19, two weeks before Halloween.

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Gov. Haslam Vetos ‘Ag Gag’ Bill

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday that he is vetoing a controversial “ag gag” bill, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.

The bill, which would have required any documentation of animal abuse to be given to law enforcement within 48 hours of being made, was the subject of much debate. The sponsors of the bill, farmers, said that it was to ensure speedy investigations of cruelty to animals and livestock investigations.

However, critics like the Humane Society said that mandating that evidence be given to authorities within 48 hours made it easy for officials to thwart investigations of animal cruelty.

It was not clear what side the governor would take in this debate until his announcement. Haslam said that while he understood the concerns of the farmers, and recognized that sometimes footage obtained into investigations of animal cruelty was obtained under false pretenses, he had to veto the bill.

He quoted a legal opinion from Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper delivered last week, who said that the bill was “constitutionally suspect” given the requirements of the First Amendment. Haslam also mentioned that it seemed to implicitly repeal part of Tennessee’s “shield law,” which protects journalists’ ability to collect information.

He recommended that a new, clearer bill be created.

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