WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer swiftly set in motion a pair of background-check bills for gun buyers Wednesday in response to the school massacre in Texas. But the Democrat acknowledged Congress' unyielding rejection of previous legislation to curb the national epidemic of gun violence.

2. Illinois seen as best option for Tennesseans seeking abortions - Friday, May 20, 2022

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Leaders of a Tennessee abortion clinic calculated driving distances and studied passenger rail routes as they scanned the map for another place to offer services if the U.S. Supreme Court lets states restrict or eliminate abortion rights.

3. Global pollution kills 9 million people a year, study finds - Friday, May 13, 2022

A new study blames pollution of all types for 9 million deaths a year globally, with the death toll attributed to dirty air from cars, trucks and industry rising 55% since 2000.

That increase is offset by fewer pollution deaths from primitive indoor stoves and water contaminated with human and animal waste, so overall pollution deaths in 2019 are about the same as 2015.

4. In Buffalo, Biden to confront the racism he's vowed to fight - Friday, May 13, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Joe Biden talks about his decision to run against President Donald Trump in 2020, the story always starts with Charlottesville. He says it was the men with torches shouting bigoted slogans that drove him to join what he calls the "battle for the soul of America."

5. Biden marks COVID 'tragic milestone' in US at global summit - Friday, May 13, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden appealed to world leaders at a COVID-19 summit Thursday to reenergize a lagging international commitment to attacking the virus as he led the U.S. in marking the "tragic milestone" of 1 million deaths in America. He ordered flags lowered to half-staff and warned against complacency around the globe.

6. Quick Senate OK ahead for House-passed $40B aid for Ukraine - Friday, May 6, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Final congressional approval of a $40 billion Ukraine aid bill seems certain within days as top Senate Republicans said Wednesday they expect strong GOP backing for the House-passed measure, signaling a bipartisan, heightened U.S. commitment to helping thwart the bloody Russian invasion.

7. Facebook sued in Kenya over work conditions for moderators - Friday, May 6, 2022

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Attorneys for a man who once worked as a content moderator for Facebook have filed a lawsuit accusing the company of exploitative and unsafe working conditions.

The case against Meta Platforms, Facebook's parent company, and the outsourcing firm Sama was lodged Tuesday with a court in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

8. Boeing expected to move headquarters from Chicago to DC area - Friday, May 6, 2022

Boeing Co. said Thursday it will move its headquarters from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area, where company executives would be closer to key federal government officials.

The company said it will use its campus in Arlington, Virginia, as the new headquarters, and it plans to develop a research and technology hub in the area.

9. Possible overturning of Roe sends abortion fight to states - Friday, April 29, 2022

If the U.S. Supreme Court follows through on overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, it would immediately split the country into states with abortion access and those that outlaw it.

10. Top Davidson County commercial sales for Q1 2022 - Friday, April 29, 2022

Top commercial real estate sales, first quarter 2022, for Davidson County, as compiled by the Nashville Ledger.

11. Russia's war heats up cooking oil prices in global squeeze - Friday, April 22, 2022

ISTANBUL (AP) — For months, Istanbul restaurant Tarihi Balikca tried to absorb the surging cost of the sunflower oil its cooks use to fry fish, squid and mussels.

But in early April, with oil prices nearly four times higher than they were in 2019, the restaurant finally raised its prices. Now, even some longtime customers look at the menu and walk away.

12. China's March exports grow despite virus; imports flat - Friday, April 8, 2022

BEIJING (AP) — China's exports rose 15.7% over a year ago in March while imports were flat amid disruptions due to coronavirus outbreaks as the ruling Communist Party enforces a "zero-COVID" strategy to isolate every case.

13. Burr & Forman appoints Nashville managing partner - Friday, April 15, 2022

Burr & Forman LLP has named Ken Bryant office managing partner of the firm’s Nashville location. He succeeds C. Tucker Herndon, who was recently appointed to the firm’s executive committee.

14. Top Davidson County commercial sales for March 2022 - Friday, April 15, 2022

Top commercial real estate sales, March 2022, for Davidson County, as compiled by the Nashville Ledger.

15. US agency opens probe into electric vehicle batteries - Friday, April 1, 2022

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators have opened an investigation into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries after five automakers issued recalls due to possible defects that could cause fires or stalling.

16. Biden signs bill making lynching a federal hate crime - Friday, March 25, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents typically say a few words before they turn legislation into law. But Joe Biden flipped the script Tuesday when it came time to put his signature on the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act.

17. Chinese virus cases climb, raise threat of trade disruption - Friday, March 11, 2022

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities on Tuesday tightened anti-virus controls at ports, raising the risk of trade disruptions after some auto and electronics factories shut down as the government fights coronavirus outbreaks.

18. Weaver, Scalzo to lead Waller’s health care team - Friday, March 11, 2022

Jennifer Weaver and Eric Scalzo have been named leaders of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP’s health care industry team, which includes more than 200 attorneys advising health care providers and investors across the country.

19. Court filing seeks to seize Iran oil on US-owned tanker - Friday, March 4, 2022

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks have asked the U.S. government to seize Iranian crude oil suspected to be on an American-owned oil tanker in Asia, court documents show.

20. Attorney, teacher joins GSRM Law - Friday, March 4, 2022

The law firm of Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC bas brought M. Clark Spoden into the firm as a partner in the firm’s litigation section.

His practice is focused on the representation of companies in contract, employment, environmental, administrative law, construction, business tort, noncompetition, intellectual property, wrongful death and personal injury cases.

21. Historic court pick brings rare criminal defense experience - Friday, February 25, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The judge President Joe Biden has chosen to fulfill his historic pledge to name the first Black woman to the Supreme Court would also bring rare experience of defending poor people charged with crimes.

22. Fisk University starts John Lewis social justice fellowships - Friday, February 25, 2022

NASHVILLE (AP) — Fisk University has announced three new social justice fellowships under a program named for the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

The historically Black school in Nashville says the fellowships fall under the school's John Lewis Center for Social Justice, which was founded in 2019.

23. Abolition newspaper revived for nation grappling with racism - Friday, February 18, 2022

BOSTON (AP) — America's first newspaper dedicated to advocating for the end of slavery is being resurrected and reimagined more than two centuries later as the nation continues to grapple with its legacy of racism.

24. Australia welcomes back tourists with toy koalas, Tim Tams - Friday, February 18, 2022

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — International tourists and business travelers began arriving in Australia with few restrictions on Monday, bringing together families in tearful reunions after separations of two years or longer forced by some of the most draconian pandemic measures of any democracy in the world.

25. Rents reach 'insane' levels across US with no end in sight - Friday, February 18, 2022

Krystal Guerra's Miami apartment has a tiny kitchen, cracked tiles, warped cabinets, no dishwasher and hardly any storage space.

But Guerra was fine with the apartment's shortcomings. It was all part of being a 32-year-old graduate student in South Florida, she reasoned, and she was happy to live there for a few more years as she finished her marketing degree.

26. Ford, battery maker face job requirement for Tennessee plant - Friday, February 18, 2022

MEMPHIS (AP) — Ford Motor Co. and a South Korean company would have to create more than 5,000 full-time jobs at a planned electric pickup truck factory and battery manufacturing plant in Tennessee or pay back at least part of a $500 million state grant for the project, according to a lease approved Thursday by a regional board.

27. FAA head resigns after effort to rebuild agency's reputation - Friday, February 18, 2022

The leader of the Federal Aviation Administration, whose agency has been criticized for its oversight of Boeing and handling of questions surrounding 5G interference with aircraft, said Wednesday he will step down March 31.

28. For high court nominees 'When's your birthday?' matters - Friday, February 11, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Help wanted: Well-respected liberal jurist. Black. Female. Seniors need not apply.

President Joe Biden's search for a nominee to the Supreme Court isn't just limited by credentials, race and gender. The reality for the nation's oldest president — and for any president — is that for a lifetime appointment on the nation's highest court, youth is particularly prized.

29. Police records complicate Herschel Walker's recovery story - Friday, February 11, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — One warm fall evening in 2001, police in Irving, Texas, received an alarming call from Herschel Walker's therapist. The football legend and current Republican Senate candidate in Georgia was "volatile," armed and scaring his estranged wife at the suburban Dallas home they no longer shared.

30. EXPLAINER: A scarcity of chips feeds frustration, inflation - Friday, February 11, 2022

Even coming off its fastest annual growth in 37 years, the U.S. economy is still bogged down by a persistent shortage of the computer chips essential to the technology that connects, transports and entertains us.

31. Biden seeking professional diversity in his judicial picks - Friday, February 11, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden spent a recent flight aboard Air Force One reminiscing with lawmakers and aides about his start as a young lawyer in Delaware working as a public defender in the late 1960s.

32. Biden quest for judicial diversity goes beyond race, gender - Friday, February 11, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden spent a recent flight aboard Air Force One reminiscing with lawmakers and aides about his start as a young lawyer in Delaware working as a public defender in the late 1960s.

33. UK's embattled Johnson seeks reset with major economic plan - Friday, January 28, 2022

LONDON (AP) — The British government set out plans Wednesday to shift power and wealth to the left-behind regions of the country, a long-standing promise to the working-class voters who helped put Prime Minister Boris Johnson in office.

34. US road deaths rise at record pace as risky driving persists - Friday, January 28, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of U.S. traffic deaths surged in the first nine months of 2021 to 31,720, the government reported Tuesday, keeping up a record pace of increased dangerous driving during the coronavirus pandemic.

35. Supreme Court shouldn't be covered in Ivy, 2 lawmakers say - Friday, January 28, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Enough already with the Supreme Court justices with Harvard and Yale degrees. That's the message from one of Congress' top Democrats to President Joe Biden, and a prominent Republican senator agrees.

36. Who's who among some possible top Supreme Court contenders - Friday, January 28, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement gives President Joe Biden a chance to make his first nomination to the high court. It's also a chance for Biden to fulfill a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to be a justice.

37. Buttigieg vows help as US car fatalities keep spiking higher - Friday, January 28, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is vowing to help stem rising traffic fatalities, releasing a broad-based strategy aimed at reducing speed, redesigning roads and boosting car safety features such as automatic emergency braking.

38. So long, Saturdays: More couples embrace weekday weddings - Friday, January 21, 2022

NEW YORK (AP) — The pandemic forced 30-year-old Stephanie Harnen to twice postpone her wedding. When she finally did get married, in June last year, she settled for a Thursday because her venue was fully booked on weekends.

39. Titans challenge: Winning in playoffs after blowing top seed - Friday, January 21, 2022

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have taken big steps in four seasons with coach Mike Vrabel reaching an AFC championship game and earning back-to-back AFC South titles along with a No. 1 seed.

40. Felony charges are 1st in a fatal crash involving Autopilot - Friday, January 14, 2022

DETROIT (AP) — California prosecutors have filed two counts of vehicular manslaughter against the driver of a Tesla on Autopilot who ran a red light, slammed into another car and killed two people in 2019.

41. North Korean missile tests signal return to brinkmanship - Friday, January 14, 2022

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Grappling with pandemic difficulties and U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear ambitions, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could be reviving his 2017 playbook of nuclear and missile brinkmanship to wrest concessions from Washington and his neighbors.

42. After wave of cancellations, Delta sees recovery in 2022 - Friday, January 14, 2022

Delta Air Lines lost $408 million in the final quarter of 2021, dragged down by a COVID-19 surge that rocked the airline in December, and the carrier predicted Thursday that it will suffer one more quarterly loss before travel perks up in spring and summer.

43. Hotchkiss among 4 new McGlinchey members - Friday, January 14, 2022

McGlinchey Stafford has named three new members, including Lynette Hotchkiss in its Nashville office.

Hotchkiss, who specializes in consumer financial services compliance, joined McGlinchey in 2020 and has previous experience as general counsel and other in-house roles at banks, and as a senior regulator within the federal government.

44. Cautious optimism for tourism in 2022 - Friday, January 7, 2022

Two years ago, Tennessee’s tourism economy was roaring. State and local officials touted record-breaking numbers, and 2019’s many successes were well positioned to carry into 2020 and beyond.

45. Titans clinch 2nd straight AFC South, beating Miami 34-3 - Friday, December 31, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are dancing as back-to-back AFC South champs in a season when they lost the NFL's leading rusher at Halloween and have used 88 players — most ever in a non-strike season for the NFL.

46. Tannehill focused on Titans' future, not his Miami past - Friday, December 31, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — Ryan Tannehill has such a bright future that the Tennessee quarterback is in no mood to look back, not when the Titans need one more victory to clinch a second straight AFC South title.

47. Vrabel is NFL coach of the year - Friday, December 31, 2021

Other than injuries, there has been one constant for the Tennessee Titans in 2021 – head coach Mike Vrabel.

Despite a record number of personnel changes due to injuries, Vrabel has been steadfast in insisting the Titans stay the course and remain diligent, no matter the circumstances or the odds.

48. China pursues tech 'self-reliance,' fueling global unease - Friday, December 24, 2021

BEIJING (AP) — To help make China a self-reliant "technology superpower," the ruling Communist Party is pushing the world's biggest e-commerce company to take on the tricky, expensive business of designing its own processor chips — a business unlike anything Alibaba Group has done before.

49. NLRB to review order blocking Nissan plant small union vote - Friday, December 17, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal labor board is reviewing a decision by one of its regional officials to deny a union from trying to organize fewer than 100 of the thousands of employees at Nissan's auto assembly plant in Tennessee.

50. Johnson named president of Nashville Bar Association - Friday, December 24, 2021

Nashville Metropolitan Chief Public Defender Martesha L. Johnson has been named 2022 president of the Nashville Bar Association. The Nashville native has served as assistant public defender for nine years before becoming the first African American and second woman to be elected to her current role, where she has been for three years.

51. Where, how to house thousands of new arrivals? - Friday, December 24, 2021

Those following the Nashville residential real estate market witnessed a surprising march through the initial COVID-19 invasion when the city was closed for several weeks. Even having been designated an essential service, the real estate community had concerns over what the future might hold, even as buyers were still flocking into town in swarms.

52. US home construction rebounds a strong 11.8% in November - Friday, December 17, 2021

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — New home construction in the U.S. rebounded 11.8% in November as strong demand continues to boost builder confidence even with the slower winter season approaching.

The double-digit percentage increase last month left home construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.68 million units, an 8.3% increase from the rate at this time last year, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. October's home construction number was revised downward slightly to 1.5 million units from 1.52 million units.

53. Animation boom draws on local talent - Friday, December 17, 2021

Part of the summary of “The Wingfeather Saga,’’ a four-book fantasy/adventure series written by Nashville singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson, reads thus:

“The family is at the center of a great mystery that will change their lives – and their world – forever.”

54. US orders arms embargo on Cambodia, cites Chinese influence - Friday, December 10, 2021

BANGKOK (AP) — The U.S. has ordered an arms embargo on Cambodia, citing deepening Chinese military influence, corruption and human rights abuses by the government and armed forces in the Southeast Asian country.

55. Omicron unravels travel industry's plans for a comeback - Friday, November 26, 2021

Tourism businesses that were just finding their footing after nearly two years of devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic are being rattled again as countries throw up new barriers to travel in an effort to contain the omicron variant.

56. Titans finally reach bye week with chance to rest, heal - Friday, November 26, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — No NFL team needs its bye week as much as the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans (8-4) finally get to rest and heal up some of the many injured players for a stretch run to finish the season. Tennessee has used 86 different players this season, most by an NFL team since at least 1993 and topping the mark of 84 first set by Miami in 2019. They've also started 49 different players.

57. October existing home sales hit fastest pace since January - Friday, November 19, 2021

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes ticked higher in October, marking their strongest annual pace since January even as competition for relatively few properties on the market pushed prices higher.

58. Bass, Berry & Sims bolsters health care practice - Friday, November 26, 2021

Bass, Berry & Sims has added seven experienced health care attorneys to its national health care practice, including Travis Lloyd as a member in Nashville. The other six will be based in the firm’s Washington D.C. office.

59. US overdose deaths topped 100,000 in one year, officials say - Friday, November 19, 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — An estimated 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in one year, a never-before-seen milestone that health officials say is tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and a more dangerous drug supply.

60. Despite reopening, the US is still closed to many in world - Friday, November 5, 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. says that it's inviting the global community to visit now that the government has ended the ban on travelers from 33 countries.

In reality, however, it will still be difficult — if not impossible — for much of the globe to enter the country and experts say it will take years for travel to fully recover.

61. EXPLAINER: How US rules on international travel are changing - Friday, November 5, 2021

More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and much of Europe, restrictions are shifting to focus on vaccine status.

62. Titans will have to get creative without NFL rushing leader - Friday, October 29, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have had plenty of experience dealing with injuries this season and now must adapt to their biggest challenge yet.

No Derrick Henry for the foreseeable future.

63. Canadian snowbirds primed to flock south as US opens border - Friday, October 29, 2021

PHOENIX (AP) — Canadians Ian and Heather Stewart are savoring the idea of leaving behind this winter's subzero temperatures when the U.S. reopens its borders to nonessential land travel next week and they launch a long-delayed drive to their seasonal home in Fort Myers, Florida.

64. Titans use late turnovers to pull off 34-31 OT win at Indy - Friday, October 29, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tennessee safety Kevin Byard promised to do everything he could to redeem himself after a late pass interference call in the end zone Sunday.

The veteran delivered on the third series of overtime.

65. Titans look like AFC contender off wins over Bills, Chiefs - Friday, October 22, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are on quite a roll winning, three straight and five of their last six. Beating Buffalo and thumping the two-time defending AFC champ Kansas City could be a big ego boost.

66. US details new international COVID-19 travel requirements - Friday, October 22, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Children under 18 and people from dozens of countries with a shortage of vaccines will be exempt from new rules that will require most travelers to the United States be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Biden administration announced Monday.

67. Apple once threatened Facebook ban over Mideast maid abuse - Friday, October 22, 2021

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two years ago, Apple threatened to pull Facebook and Instagram from its app store over concerns about the platform being used as a tool to trade and sell maids in the Mideast.

68. Nissan ex-chair Ghosn set on restoring reputation - Friday, October 22, 2021

TOKYO (AP) — Carlos Ghosn, the former auto industry superstar whose career screeched to a halt with his arrest three years ago, isn't about to settle into quiet retirement.

The former head of the Nissan-Renault alliance fled to Lebanon in late 2019, while out on bail facing financial misconduct charges in Japan. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ghosn was confident, energized and determined to fight to restore his reputation.

69. Nashville law firms announce merger - Friday, October 22, 2021

MTR Family Law, PLLC, is merging with Gullett, Sanford, Robinson & Martin, PLLC, and establishing the new Family Law Practice Group of GSRM, effective Jan. 1.

“We feel privileged to combine two long-standing, Nashville-based law firms who share similar values, commitment to client service, and investment in the Nashville community,” says Phillip P. Welty, managing member, GSRM Law. “Our combined resources and experience will benefit our clients significantly. MTR Family Law has an excellent reputation. It is a win for all.”

70. Vanderbilt, South Carolina meet seeking to end losing skids - Friday, October 15, 2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — There may be debate over the Southeastern Conference's top team this season. After Saturday, though, there should be little doubt about who's at the bottom when Vanderbilt faces South Carolina.

71. Bali reopens to foreign travelers as COVID-19 surge subsides - Friday, October 15, 2021

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — The Indonesian resort island of Bali reopened for international travelers to visit its shops and white-sand beaches for the first time in more than a year Thursday — if they're vaccinated, test negative, hail from certain countries, quarantine and heed restrictions in public.

72. Lawson joins Dickinson Wright - Friday, October 15, 2021

Rachel Schaffer Lawson has joined Dickinson Wright PLLC’s Nashville office as of counsel.

Lawson is an alcohol and hospitality lawyer who focuses on helping business owners with their legal needs. She joins Dickinson Wright from Schaffer Law Firm, which she founded in 2011.

73. How US states help rich foreigners shield assets - Friday, October 8, 2021

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A mention of "tax havens" typically conjures images of sun-soaked Caribbean escapes like the Cayman Islands or the buttoned-down banks of Switzerland. Not South Dakota.

But a report detailing how world leaders and some of the planet's wealthiest people hide their riches has drawn new scrutiny to the growth of tax havens in the United States.

74. Anti-vaccine chiropractors rising force of misinformation - Friday, October 8, 2021

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The flashy postcard, covered with images of syringes, beckoned people to attend Vax-Con '21 to learn "the uncensored truth" about COVID-19 vaccines.

Participants traveled from around the country to a Wisconsin Dells resort for a sold-out convention that was, in fact, a sea of misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines and the pandemic. The featured speaker was the anti-vaccine activist who appeared in the 2020 movie "Plandemic," which pushed false COVID-19 stories into the mainstream. One session after another discussed bogus claims about the health dangers of mask wearing and vaccines.

75. Microsoft: Russia behind 58% of detected state-backed hacks - Friday, October 8, 2021

BOSTON (AP) — Russia accounted for most state-sponsored hacking detected by Microsoft over the past year, with a 58% share, mostly targeting government agencies and think tanks in the United States, followed by Ukraine, Britain and European NATO members, the company said.

76. Ex-CEO who oversaw doomed nuclear project sentenced - Friday, October 8, 2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A utility executive who repeatedly lied to keep investors pumping money into South Carolina's $9 billion nuclear reactor debacle will spend two years in prison for fraud, a federal judge decided on Thursday.

77. McGlinchey adds Schwegler to corporate law team - Friday, October 8, 2021

Michael Schwegler has joined McGlinchey Stafford’s Nashville office where he will work in its national business corporate practice.

Schwegler has represented lenders, creditors and businesses in commercial and consumer lending transactions, consumer finance regulation and compliance, real estate, workouts, bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters.

78. Hooker wins starting quarterback job at Tennessee - Friday, October 1, 2021

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Hendon Hooker has played well enough to finally earn the starting quarterback job at Tennessee.

Volunteers coach Josh Heupel had left open the issue of who his starter is the past five weeks after initially naming Joe Milton, a redshirt junior transfer from Michigan. But an injury to Milton opened the job up to Hooker, a redshirt senior transfer from Virginia Tech.

79. Southern Baptists press for sex abuse review to advance - Friday, October 1, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — A top Southern Baptist Convention committee is facing mounting pressure from within the denomination to move forward without further delay an investigation into how it handled sexual abuse allegations.

80. Union jobs? Ford's plan for new EV factories raises question - Friday, October 1, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — Ford's blockbuster announcement this week that it would build four sprawling new factories in Kentucky and Tennessee by 2025 and hire nearly 11,000 workers raised a big unanswered question: Just how good will those jobs be?

81. Green energy takes hold in unlikely places with Ford project - Friday, September 24, 2021

GLENDALE, Ky. (AP) — When Ford revealed plans to ramp up its commitment to the fledgling electric vehicle sector, the automaker chose to create thousands of jobs and pump billions in investments into two states where Republican leaders have vilified the push for green energy and defended fossil fuels.

82. Georgia QB feeling better every day with Vanderbilt up next - Friday, September 24, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — JT Daniels is feeling better every day, a health update that bodes very well for second-ranked Georgia.

Not so much for the rest of the Southeastern Conference.

Daniels sat out Georgia's win over UAB trying to let an oblique injury heal up a bit more before diving into SEC play. The quarterback has yet to lose a start as Georgia's quarterback, and he goes his seventh straight victory Saturday when the Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0) visit Vanderbilt (1-2, 0-0).

83. US easing virus restrictions for foreign flights to America - Friday, September 17, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. said Monday it will ease airline restrictions this fall on travel to the country for people who have vaccination proof and a negative COVID-19 test, replacing a hodgepodge of rules that had kept out many non-citizens and irritated allies in Europe and beyond where virus cases are far lower.

84. UN agency: Innovation continued even as coronavirus emerged - Friday, September 17, 2021

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.'s intellectual property agency said Monday that innovation marched forward last year despite the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Technology, pharmaceuticals and biotech industries boosted their investments, even as hard-hit sectors like transport and travel eased back on spending.

85. Probe of Southern Baptist sex abuse response moves forward - Friday, September 17, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Rev. Marshall Blalock feels the weight of his new responsibility.

The South Carolina pastor serves as vice chair of a recently formed Southern Baptist Convention task force charged with overseeing an investigation into how a top denominational committee handled sex abuse allegations, a review that comes years into the SBC's public reckoning with the scandal.

86. Study: State worker pension systems in best shape since 2008 - Friday, September 10, 2021

Pension systems for state government workers across the U.S. are in their best shape since the Great Recession began more than a dozen years ago, according to a study released Tuesday.

The Pew Charitable Trust report credits a booming stock market over the past year as well as states' longer-term steps, which include boosting taxpayer contributions to public pension funds and reducing promised retirement benefits, particularly to newly hired workers.

87. Militia leader gets 53 years in Minnesota mosque bombing - Friday, September 10, 2021

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The leader of an Illinois anti-government militia group who authorities say masterminded the 2017 bombing of a Minnesota mosque was sentenced Monday to 53 years in prison for an attack that terrified the mosque's community.

88. No time for excuses or pouting for Titans after ugly loss - Friday, September 10, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is about to find out if the Titans are who they thought they were coming into this season.

The Titans came into this season with high expectations as the defending AFC South champs. That swagger deflated quickly as the Arizona Cardinals scored the first 17 points in romping all over them in a 38-13 flop Sunday that had fans booing before halftime and leaving before the fourth quarter.

89. After Ida oil spill, divers put containment dome on pipeline - Friday, September 3, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — The company overseeing the response to a large oil spill spurred by Hurricane Ida said Tuesday that a containment dome has been placed over a broken undersea pipeline, stemming the flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

90. Divers identify broken pipeline as source of Gulf oil spill - Friday, September 3, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Divers at the site of an ongoing oil spill that appeared in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida have identified the apparent source as one-foot diameter pipeline displaced from a trench on the ocean floor and broken open.

91. Bone McAllester Norton combines with Spencer Fane - Friday, August 27, 2021

Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, one of Nashville’s largest law firms, will combine with Spencer Fane, an Am Law 200 ranked law firm with offices in 20 cities nationwide.

The combination will become effective Oct. 1 and position the firms to expand both in terms of size and geography.

92. EXPLAINER: How did Tennessee flooding downpour fall so fast? - Friday, August 20, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — A rural Tennessee community was pummeled Saturday with up to 17 inches (43 centimeters) of rain in less than 24 hours, shattering the state record for one-day rainfall by more than 3 inches and leading to quick-rushing floods that killed at least 22 people and left a trail of destruction.

93. How AI-powered tech landed man in jail with scant evidence - Friday, August 20, 2021

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Williams' wife pleaded with him to remember their fishing trips with the grandchildren, how he used to braid her hair, anything to jar him back to his world outside the concrete walls of Cook County Jail.

94. Rescuing ‘Someone like me’ - Friday, August 13, 2021

Margie Quin recalls the breakthrough with a bit of wonder lingering as she shared the memory: A handful of special agents listening intently to a newly rescued sex trafficking survivor who had just turned 18.

95. Samsung slashes prices in bid to boost foldable phone sales - Friday, August 6, 2021

SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers.

The electronics giant on Wednesday launched its effort to turn things around with two new products designed to function as both a phone and, when unfolded outward on a hinge, a tablet.

96. Automakers pledge to increase U.S. electric vehicle sales - Friday, August 6, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring the U.S. must "move fast" to win the carmaking future, President Joe Biden on Thursday touted a commitment from the auto industry to make electric vehicles up to half of U.S. sales by the end of the decade.

97. Marchetti receives national recognition - Friday, August 6, 2021

L. Gino Marchetti, Jr., managing partner of Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti and Blair PLLC, was recently presented the Richard Boyette Award from the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence for outstanding contributions to the foundation.

98. Evictions expected to spike as federal moratorium ends - Friday, July 30, 2021

BOSTON (AP) — Evictions, which have mostly been on pause during the pandemic, are expected to ramp up on Monday after the expiration of a federal moratorium as housing courts take up more cases and tenants are locked out of their homes.

99. Titans claim ex-Jet Ficken to address kicking concerns - Friday, July 30, 2021

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee's search for a solution to their kicking problems continued Sunday when the Titans claimed Sam Ficken off waivers from the New York Jets and waived undrafted free agent Blake Haubeil.

100. Crispy chicken and open dining rooms; McDonald's sales soar - Friday, July 23, 2021

McDonald's posted better-than-expected sales in the second quarter as dining rooms reopened and new products like its crispy chicken sandwich brought in customers.

Revenue jumped 57% to nearly $5.9 billion in the April-June period. That beat Wall Street's forecast of $5.6 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet.