Tyann Nelson

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT/MT10)  --  Sheriff Robert Arnold says Rutherford County’s Adult Detention Center is badly understaffed and is asking County Commissioners for a budget increase.

Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Lisa Marchesoni says there are currently only two deputies on each floor of the jail. Each floor houses roughly 150 to 200 inmates. She says some guard posts in the jail are routinely left unmanned, a situation that's dangerous for the guards as well as the inmates.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (NELSON) -- A new survey suggests schoolyard bullying and violence are a frighteningly common experience. Nearly one student in three was involved in a physical fight within the last year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 33 percent of the nation’s students have been in a physical fight, one or more times in the last twelve months.

Tennessee students fared only marginally better. The CDC says about 31 percent of the state’s high schools students were involved in a fight in the previous year.  

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (NELSON) -- Last Friday's mass shooting in Colorado continues to be the topic of conversation nationwide. WMOT News spoke with students on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University to get their reaction to the  tragedy.

Twenty-four year old James Holmes is the primary suspect in the shooting. Holmes is accused of entering a packed Colorado movie theater and opening fire on the audience. Twelve people died while 58 people were injured.

MTSU student Parham Abdi says the shooting left him feeling vulnerable.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (NELSON) -- More than 300 Tennessee education professionals are in the Mid-State this week to learn how to use the arts to make learning any subject more interesting.

The Tennessee Arts Commission is hosting their second annual Creativity in Education Institute July 15th-18th on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. Entitled Create 2012 the Institute is a professional development opportunity for teachers, superintendents and principals.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (NELSON)  --  Two out of ten Tennessee teens are not being taught about HIV and AIDS, according to a recently released nationwide survey.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2011 survey shows that approximately 20% of Tennessee’s high school students are not being taught about AIDS in school.

Statistics also show that more than 17% of Tennessee’s high school students are sexually active.

Middle Tennessee State University senior Joshjuan Jones says his Memphis high school didn’t provide much sex education of any kind.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (NELSON) -- A new federal study shows that about one Tennessee teen in ten reports being the victim of dating violence.

According to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 9 percent of high school students have been purposefully hit, slapped, or physically hurt while in a relationship.

Surprisingly, male teens report abuse nearly as often as female students. However, the female population’s domestic violence rate is slightly higher at 10.1 percent. For Tennessee males the rate is 8.7 percent.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (NELSON)  --  About 250 high-school juniors and seniors from across Tennessee are attending the Governor’s School for the Arts. The school is being held again this year at Middle Tennessee State University.

Schools from all over Tennessee have students enrolled in the Governor’s School for the Arts.

The school is a month long, intensive program that allows students to focus on their areas of interest, dance, music, visual arts, filmmaking, and theater.

Murfreesboro eleventh graders Max Farley and Gaven Marlow are representing Siegel High.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (NELSON)  --  Two Mid-State university students are planning a study-abroad trip with a twist. 

Belmont University students, Riley Hutchins and Dan Franquemont are currently raising funds to study abroad at sea.

While on the journey, the two plan to visit seven different countries and film every moment of the journey. They hope to create a 16-week series called, “2 Guys, 1 Boat, and An Adventure of a Lifetime.”

Student Riley Hutchins, is more than a little excited about the trip.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn (NELSON) --  Student volunteers from Middle Tennessee State University are headed to Japan to help with the nation’s ongoing disaster recovery.

Ten students and two professors from MTSU left the Mid-State Monday morning to participate in a restoration mission in Fukushima, Japan.

According to a press statement from Middle Tennessee State, 95 percent of the rubble remains to be cleared away following the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown that killed nearly 16,000 people.  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NELSON) --  The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is celebrating the start of summer by opening a couple of new exhibits. 

A media preview for the exhibition, Creation Story: Gee’s Bend Quilts and the Art of Thorton Dial was held Thursday, May 25th. The shows examine the connections between folk and self-taught artists of the American South.