News

Former senator, ambassador and presidential chief of staff Howard Baker died Thursday, June 26, at his home in Huntsville. He was 88.

Two men who knew Baker well -- former New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici and Senate staffer Bill Hoagland -- spoke with WUOT All Things Considered host Brandon Hollingsworth. They shared their memories of working with Baker, and how his role as mediator helped Congress conduct the business of the nation.

Tennessee lawmakers will publicly renounce the state’s involvement in the Trail of Tears.

The state legislature passed and Governor Bill Haslam signed the resolution, stating regret over the state’s involvement in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, also known as the Trail of Tears.

Resolution sponsor Representative Glen Casada said the resolution isn’t worded as an apology, because the state can’t apologize for the actions of others, but does offer sincere regret.

Leaders in the Anderson County town of Lake City plan to go ahead with a vote to change city's name on Thursday, even as a challenge seeking to block that move heads toward appeal.

If adopted, Lake City's new name would be "Rocky Top." Backers say the change would give the town greater visibility, and a developer has promised to construct a water park in the city, contingent on the name change.

American special-needs students are performing much lower academically than their peers. Tennessee education officials are throwing their weight behind a new federal overhaul for special education programs.

US Education Secretary Arne Duncan unveiled the overhaul yesterday. The plan would keep goals like meeting timelines for evaluations, due-process hearings, and transitioning children into preschool.

If a Knoxville Police Department officer pulls you over and issues a traffic citation, that officer is doing so by hand, on paper. KPD Chief David Rausch says it's time to bring that system into the 21st century.

The number of public school teachers facing disciplinary action is rising in Tennessee.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reviewed disciplinary data over the past decade. The Tennessee State Board of Education has taken action against 434 teachers in the last 10 years.

A more direct route to south Knoxville and access to a new shopping center are among the changes that might be coming to riders of the city's bus system, pending approval from transit officials.

On Thursday, the Knoxville Area Transit board will consider proposals that would adjust the routes of the 40 and 41 buses that serve south Knoxville and the 90 crosstown line, as well as extend the free Vol Trolley service deeper into the University of Tennessee and to the University Commons shopping center now under construction.

Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson says the theft of public funds is prevalent in the state.

The comptroller released the annual Report of Cash Shortages yesterday. The report details the money stolen during the year, as well as stolen money that remains unrecovered.

Fish, turtles, frogs and other animals that live in or near Tennessee waterways are being threatened by a dangerous virus. University of Tennessee researcher Matt Gray and his colleagues around the world are trying to determine the extent of the disease, called ranavirus, and its often-fatal effects on the species it infects.

The evidence in Tennessee, Gray said, is mainly anecdotal so far.