National Suicide and the Black Church Conference to Be Held in Memphis

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) -- On June 12-13, Memphis will host the sixth annual National Suicide and the Black Church Conference.

The event, co-sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, aims to help prevent suicide by educating attendees, allowing them to return to their places of worship and employment, and spot those who may be in need of help.

An estimated 850 people commit suicide in Tennessee every year, more than the number that die due to homicide, drunk driving or AIDS.

The conference is open to the public, and will be held at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Student Alumni Center, at 800 Madison Avenue.

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Fines for Assaulting Health Care Workers to Increase

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Gov. Bill Haslam is scheduled to sign a bill Tuesday that will increase fines for assaulting health care officials, making them match fines for assaulting police officers, according to The Tennessean.

Those convicted of assaulting nurses or other providers will have to pay double the normal fine, up to $5,000.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the incident rate for violence against health care workers is more than triple that of the rest of the private industry on average.

The law only applied to intentional attacks, so patients suffering a mentally incapacitating disease would not be subject to the fines.

The law goes into effect July 1.

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Law Allowing Teachers to Carry Guns Unpopular with Schools

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- A new law set to go in effect in July that allows teachers with police training to carry guns is not being embraced by education officials, The Tennessean reports.

The law, entitled the School Security Act of 2013, was prompted by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in December.

According to the law’s supporters, the primary purpose of the law is to give smaller school districts an alternative to hiring resource officers, but it hasn’t been accepted among schools large or small. The Tennessee School Boards Association says they don’t know of any district that intends to take advantage of the law. Larger school districts, like Metro Nashville Public Schools, intend to stick with resource officers.

Supporters and the School Boards Association both say that there is a possibility that things could change once the next school starts.

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Man Arrested for Abuse of Three-Year-Old

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) -- Police arrested a man for seriously injuring a three-year-old girl on Wednesday.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Tony McKinney, 26, was charged with aggravated child abuse of a child under six years old.

McKinney was reportedly the boyfriend of the child's mother and was with the girl on Wednesday while her mother was at work.

McKinney called the mother during the afternoon, according to the Commercial Appeal, and told her that he had spanked the child and she had become unresponsive.

McKinney eventually took the child to a nearby medical center. The girl is currently listed in critical condition with bleeding in the brain, liver laceration, kidney laceration and bladder rupture, says the Commercial Appeal.

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Eastman Chemical Company Announces Major Expansion

(KINGSPORT, Tenn.) -- On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Haslam joined Eastman Chemical Company chairman and CEO Jim Rogers to announce that Eastman would be embarking on a major expansion in the state, with a planned investment of $1.6 billion and 300 new jobs over seven years.

Eastman, a nearly 100-year-old Tennessee company, will be investing in its Kingsport, Tenn., site. The expansion will allow the company to invest in growth opportunities, renovations, safety and environmental projects.

“For nearly 100 years, Eastman has been crucial to the state’s economy, growing into a global brand,” said Haslam. “And today’s announcement means they will continue to grow right here where they started.”

Eastman’s headquarters are in Kingsport where they employ close to 7,000 employees.

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