Tennessee
Parents Of Kids Killed By Tennessee School Shooter Hope To Keep Writings Secret
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group of Tennessee parents whose children attend The Covenant School, where a deadly shooting in March took the lives of three 9-year-olds and three adults, filed a motion Wednesday seeking to keep the shooter’s writings from being released to the public.
“The Parents see no good that can come from the release and wish to contend that the writings — which they believe are the dangerous and harmful writings of a mentally-damaged person — should not be released at all,” their filling reads.
Their motion comes just days after more than 60 Tennessee House Republicans called for the writings to be released.
In a Monday letter to Nashville Police Chief John Drake, House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said the timely release of the records is “critical to understanding the shooter’s behavior and motives” before lawmakers convene for a special session where they are expected to consider a proposal to remove firearms from people judged dangerous to themselves or others.
In addition, three conservative groups had previously filed lawsuits seeking to force Nashville police to turn over the records. The Covenant parents are seeking to intervene in those cases, which were filed by The Tennessee Firearms Association, Star News Digital Media and the National Police Association, a nonprofit that says it works to educate people about how to help police departments.
The groups sued after Nashville police denied their public records requests. Police claimed the writings were protected from release as long as they were part of an open investigation, but they indicated that they would release them at some point.
In late April, police said they were reviewing the writings for public release, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted that the release was coming “very soon.” A week later, police reversed course, saying that because of the lawsuits they would await the direction of the court.
Since then, the cases have become more complicated. In addition to the Covenant parents, The Covenant School is asking to intervene as well as the church that runs it, Covenant Presbyterian Church.
The Associated Press is one of several groups that have requested the writings but not filed a lawsuit to obtain them.
Police have said the shooter, Audrey Hale, had been planning the massacre for months. Hale fired 152 rounds during the attack before being killed by police. Hale was under a doctor’s care for an undisclosed “emotional disorder,” police said. However, authorities haven’t disclosed a link between that care and the shooting.
The three children who were killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. The three adults were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school, custodian Mike Hill, 61, and 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak.
Associated Press writers Jonathan Mattise and Kimberlee Kruesi contributed to this report.
Tennessee
Country music singer arrested for drug possession in Tennessee
Jamey Johnson was arrested for drug possession and speeding in Williamson County, Tennessee, on Sunday.
Saving Country Music was first to report the news, and TMZ confirmed it.
The arrest took place just more than a week after the release of his first album in 14 years, “Midnight Gasoline.”
News Channel 5 reports Johnson posted a $5,000 bond before he got out of jail Monday.
“We can confirm that Jamey Johnson was arrested on Sunday, Nov. 17 in Williamson County. The incident is still under investigation,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol wrote in a statement.
Johnson has served as a Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, George Strait and others.
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.
Tennessee
Lions Sign Former Titans LB
The Detroit Lions are adding a former Tennessee Titans draft pick to the practice squad ahead of Week 12.
Detroit announced Monday that former Titans linebacker David Long Jr. has signed with the team’s practice squad after standout linebacker Alex Anzalone was placed on injured reserve due to an arm injury.
Long Jr. started out the season with the Miami Dolphins but was waived on Nov. 13. He sat out due to injury when the Titans beat Miami as Hard Rock Stadium in Week 4. In six starts and eight appearances for Miami this season, Long Jr. totaled 38 tackles (26 solo).
Originally a sixth-round pick by the Titans in the 2019 NFL Draft, Long Jr. spent four years in Tennessee and proved to be a consistent presence for head coach Mike Vrabel’s defense. During his time with the team, he played in 50 regular-season games and made 26 starts while posting 230 total tackles (15 for loss), two forced fumbles, 14 pass breakups and four interceptions.
He also started two of five playoff appearances for Tennessee while tallying 27 total tackles and a sack in the postseason. Long Jr. played in the Titans’ AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 Playoffs.
He then signed a two-year, $11 million deal with Miami ahead of the 2023 campaign. Long Jr. immediately became an impact player for McDaniel, finishing his debut season with the Dolphins with a career-best 113 total tackles to go along with one sack and one forced fumble.
Though Miami decided to move on from his this season, Long Jr. now has a chance to eventually contribute to arguably the best team in the NFL. The Lions are currently 9-1 and coming off a 52-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. This matched their point total from the 52-14 win over the Titans on Oct. 27.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers Football: Are they Out of the Playoffs?
Are the Tennessee Volunteers out of the college football playoff race?
The Tennessee Volunteers earned their second loss of the season this weekend as the Georgia Bulldogs defeated them by a final score of 31-17. Tennessee jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first half, but it was all Georgia for the remainder of the game. The Volunteers would fail to score a single point in the second half.
That now puts Tennessee in the two-loss club in the SEC, which is getting lengthier by the weekend it seems. That also means they are no longer in as good of a position to make the playoffs this year and will be at the mercy of the committee at the end of the regular season to see if they made the top-12. So was Tennessee’s loss to Georgia enough to keep them out of the race?
The short answer is no. Tennessee certainly still has a chance to make the college football playoff this season, but fans are probably going to have to hold their breath. Because with there being so many two-loss SEC teams this season, someone is going to have to be left out of the mix.
Georgia is one of these teams. They have multiple wins over ranked opponents and their only two losses on the season came on the road against ranked opponents. Alabama has a loss to Vanderbilt and Tennessee but wins against Georgia, LSU and South Carolina. Ole Miss has losses to Kentucky and LSU but has wins against Georgia and South Carolina. Tennessee has losses to Arkansas and Georgia but has a win against Alabama.
And that’s the potential problem for Tennessee. They have one signature win on the schedule thus far. The rest of it is teams like NC State, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Oklahoma. Teams that have struggled a lot this season. The win against Florida certainly looks better as the season progresses, but when their schedule gets matched up against the rest of the SEC, it might cause some concerns from the committee. However, the win against Alabama could very well earn them a spot in the top-12.
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