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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Three of Tennessee's congressional representatives have signed up to take "dates" to tonight's State of the Union speech.
 
The political action group No Labels is sponsoring the initiative that asks representatives to arrange to sit with members of the opposite political party at the president's speech to promote political civility.
 
No Labels launched the dates program at last year's State of the Union address, shortly after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot at a political event in Arizona.
 

MOBILE,‭ ‬Ala.‭ (WMOT) ‬- The Blue Raider men’s‭ ‬and women’s‭ ‬basketball teams are on quite a roll.‭ ‬

The Lady Raiders extended their winning streak Saturday night to‭ ‬10‭ ‬games with a‭ ‬60-53‭ ‬victory over South Alabama at Mobile.‭  ‬

The men’s team‭ ‬also beat‭ ‬South Alabama.‭ ‬The‭ ‬68-47‭ ‬win gave the men their‭ ‬11th-straight victory to improve to‭ ‬19-2‭ ‬on the season,‭ ‬marking the best start in MTSU history.‭ ‬

The‭ ‬men's and women’s squads  remain the Sun Belt’s only undefeated teams.‭ ‬

NASHVILLE,‭ ‬Tenn.‭ (‬AP‭) — ‬A proposal to cut some students‭' ‬lottery scholarships in half is a hot topic this legislative session.

The plan,‭ ‬suggested by a panel of state lawmakers,‭ ‬would reduce by‭ ‬50‭ ‬percent the lottery scholarship awards for students who do not meet both standardized testing and high school grade requirements.

Right now,‭ ‬students can get a scholarship worth‭ ‬$4,000‭ ‬for each of four years if they either earn a‭ ‬3.0‭ ‬grade point average in high school or score a‭ ‬21‭ ‬on their ACT college entrance exam.

CROSSVILLE, Tenn.  (AP)  --   Crossville woman says a convicted murderer sitting on‭ ‬California’s‭ ‬death row has taken her on a‭ ‬26‭ ‬year-long roller coaster ride.

Wesley Shermantine is one half of the notorious‭ "‬Speed Freak Killers‭" ‬who‭ ‬may have committed as many as two-dozen murders in the‭ ‬1980s and‭ ‬90s during a drug-fueled rampage that terrorized California’s Central Valley Region.

The bodies of more than a dozen victims are still unaccounted for.‭ ‬Shermatntine now says he’s willing to‭ ‬show authorities where‭ ‬some of those bodies are buried.‭

WASHINGTON‭ (‬AP‭) — ‬Tennessee’s‭ ‬Republican‭ ‬Senator’s‭ ‬are‭ ‬reacting strongly to President Barack Obama’s decision to‭, at least temporarily‭, ‬block‭ ‬the‭ ‬$7‭ ‬billion Keystone oil pipeline.

Lamar Alexander‭ ‬says he can’t understand why the president failed to move ahead on a‭ ‬project that would,‭ ‬as the Senator put it,‭ ‬“...make us less reliant on oil from hostile countries.‭”

Senator Bob Corker was even more scathing,‭ ‬saying the president’s decision is‭ ‬election year politics and concluding,‭ “‬...we really need the energy and the jobs.‭”

NASHVILLE,‭ ‬Tenn.‭ (‬AP‭) — ‬A constitutional amendment to ban an income tax in Tennessee has passed the House.

The measure was approved‭ ‬73-17‭ ‬Thursday.‭ ‬The companion legislation passed the Senate last year.‭ ‬The measure must now be approved by a two-thirds vote of both chambers in the next General Assembly before it's placed on the ballot in‭ ‬2014.

Opponents of the legislation say it's unnecessary because the state constitution already bans an income tax and that the measure is politically motivated.

NASHVILLE,‭ ‬Tenn.‭ (‬AP‭) — Tennessee's unemployment rate fell four-tenth to‭ ‬8.7‭ percent in December,‭ ‬the lowest rate in three years.

State officials say that just over‭ ‬11,000‭ ‬people gained employment last month over November when the rate was‭ ‬9.1‭ ‬percent.

From November to December,‭ the professional and business services sector added jobs, as did durable goods manufacturing,‭ ‬and the clothing and accessories sectors.