Survey Finds Most UT Faculty and Staff Are Happy With Their Jobs

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) -- A new survey finds that the majority of University of Tennessee faculty and staff are happy with their jobs, but would like the administration to provide better communication and compensation.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that 75 percent of respondents reported to have positive attitudes toward the university along with pride in the school and overall job satisfaction.

The 20-minute, 119-question voluntary survey was conducted in 2011 across the UT system and surveyed more than 7,000 employees across the state.

The survey was administered by Modern Think and cost $265,000.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Second Tennessee School District Bans Book for Graphic Sex Scene

(GALLATIN, Tenn.) -- The second school district in Tennessee has banned students from reading the book Looking for Alaska because of a graphic sex scene parents and and school officials deem inappropriate, USA Today reports.

Knox County was the first school district in the state to ban the book in March. In a YouTube video in 2008, John Green, the author of the book, defended the two-page oral sex encounter at a boarding school by the book's awkward teen character, saying that it sends a message to teenagers that physical intimacy cannot be a substitute for emotional intimacy, according to USA Today.

A spokesman for the school district said the value of the writer did not outweigh the controversy of the book, unlike the works of Hemingway or John Steinbeck.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Missing Family: Bodies Identified as Mom, Daughter

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) -- Two bodies found over the weekend at the home of a Mississippi man have been identified as a missing Tennessee mother and her oldest daughter, raising fears about the safety of the woman's two younger daughters.

The Memphis, Tenn., FBI office announced Monday that the bodies were those of Jo Ann Bain, 31, and her daughter Adrienne, 14. The FBI did not say how the two died.

Alexandria Bain, 12, and Kyliyah Bain, 8, are believed to be with Adam Mayes, the FBI said. Mayes may be using the alias of Christopher Zachery Wylde or Paco Rodrigass.

Mayes, 35, was last seen in Mississippi before allegedly kidnapping Jo Ann Bain and her three daughters. Bain and her girls vanished April 27 after leaving their home in Whiteville, Tenn.

"At this point Mayes is the primary suspect and our focus is on locating him and the victims," FBI spokesman Joel Siskovic told ABC News Monday. "We're actively looking in the area of Mississippi. However there is information to show he has connections to other states. We've got local, state and national law enforcement agents out."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Tenn. Drivers Can Support Veterans With New License Plate

(CLEVELAND, Tenn.) -- Drivers in Tennessee will have an opportunity to buy specialty license plates to support the building of new nursing homes for veterans.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the plate features silhouettes of two people saluting an American flag. The state name appears across the top with United States and Tennessee flags to the left of the plate. Also featured is an inscription that reads, "Proudly Supporting Those Who Served" across the bottom.

The plates are currently on pre-sale for $35 to raise money for nursing homes in Bradley and Montgomery counties. Buyers have until July 1 to submit their order.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Infections Acquired During Hospital Stays Decreasing in TN

(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) -- A recent report finds that infections acquired during hospital stays in Tennessee are declining, The Chattanooga Free Press reports.

Infections have decreased by 34 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state also achieved the second-largest decrease in the nation in its overall standardized infection ratio for bloodstream infections from intravenous lines, the paper says.

Officials involved in the report say figures for the first six months of 2011, which are yet to be released, show even greater improvement, according to The Chattanooga Free Press.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio