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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A University of Tennessee poll shows an overwhelming majority of Tennesseans think texting behind the wheel is as unsafe as drunken driving. Yet 27 percent of respondents said they had texted while driving in the previous month.

The poll was conducted by UT's Center for Transportation Research. It showed a nearly equal percentage of people think drunken driving is highly dangerous, but a quarter of respondents said they had done it in the last 30 days, according to The Knoxville News Sentinel.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's top Republicans say they want to keep the current method of choosing judges and will introduce a constitutional amendment that would require voter approval.

Gov. Bill Haslam, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell announced Wednesday in Nashville that they oppose the popular election of Supreme Court justices and appellate court judges.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The father of a gay college student who died after being beaten says he's disturbed by anti-gay legislation being proposed in Tennessee.

Dennis Shepard spoke at a Nashville news conference Wednesday. Shepard's son, Matt, was 21 when he was beaten 14 years ago in Wyoming, tied to a fence and left in the cold by two men he met in a bar.

His death spurred passage of a measure that expanded an earlier federal hate crime law to include sexual orientation, among other things.

NASHVILLE,‭ ‬Tenn.‭ (‬AP‭) — ‬Two Republican state legislators are pushing a measure aimed at allowing local governments to display the Ten Commandments in county courthouses or on public grounds in Tennessee.

Sen.‭ ‬Mike Bell of Riceville and Rep.‭ ‬Matthew Hill of Jonesboro have introduced a bill authorizing counties and cities to set up displays of historical documents and monuments and writings,‭ ‬as the bill reads,‭ "‬recognized to commemorate freedom and the rich history of Tennessee and the United States.‭"

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.‭”