News

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Up to 150 Memphis City Schools teachers could be fired over performance issues.

The Commercial Appeal is reporting that teachers are starting to get notices of termination. According to their contract, teachers must be notified by June 15 if they’re not being retained for the following academic year.

The number is three times as many teachers who were fired for any reason last school year, when principals recommended about 60 terminations. Principals reportedly identified teachers for the current round of terminations based on the last three years of student test scores and the teacher evaluation process begun this year.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (NELSON)  --  Three Mid-State students recently won a recording competition against competitors from some of the nation’s top schools.

Middle Tennessee State University Recording Industry majors Taylor Bray, Jeff Braun, and Grant Hartford took first place in the “Fantastic Scholastic Recording Competition” sponsored by the Shure Company.

The MTSU team won with a recording of an original composition called “Falliday” by aspiring singer-song writer, Rebecca Roubion.

Winning team member Taylor Bray gives MTSU faculty most of the credit.

“If you prove to them you’re willing to put the effort in and go the extra mile and if you’re serious and passionate about your craft their willing to invest to the same measure.”

MURFREESBORO, Tenn (WMOT)  --  State legislators recently wrapped up the work of the 107th Tennessee General Assembly and WMOT is asking newsmakers from across the political spectrum to share their impressions of the session.

Today we hear the views of Gera Summerford, president of the state’s largest teacher’s union, the Tennessee Education Association.

Summerford says that, compared to last year when the legislature enacted a number of measures the TEA opposed, this most recent session was far less confrontational.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Six of the 18 Tennessee schools honored this week for academic gains are located here in the Mid-State. Two are located in Rutherford County.

Principal Barbara Sales of Murfreesboro’s Hobgood Elementary and Principal Andra Helton of Rutherford County’s Thurman Francis Elementary picked up “Value-Added Achievement Awards” for their schools on Monday.

The awards are based on data tracked by the Tennessee Department of Education and indicate schools that show significant improvement in test scores year-over-year.

Hobgood Principal Barbara Sales said a dedicated staff and faculty is the key to her school’s success.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Crime on the campuses of Tennessee’s schools continues to fall.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says simple assaults were the most commonly reported offense in the state’s K-12 schools last year. Kristin Helm is with the TBI.

“Crimes against person’s actually decreased by 4.3 percent, and crimes against property decreased 8.2 percent, which gives an overall decrease of crime committed at school by about 5.5 percent from 2010 till 2011.”

Aggravated assaults were up slightly to 331 incidents and there was one murder reported in 2011.  Memphis police arrested a student in the stabbing death of a private school principle last August.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  -- WMOT is asking news makers to review the work of the just-completed 107th Tennessee General Assembly. Today the views of 13th District Republican Senator Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro.

Ketron describes the just ended state assembly as a “spectacular session.” He says that he and his fellow legislators passed a number of significant bills and still managed to end the session early.

“You know we cut a billion dollars…almost a billion dollars out of the budget and still kept our core services and kept the state going. We put money in the rainy-day fund because we know next year is going to be even tougher, because all the federal dollars have dried up; the stimulus packages, etcetera, have gone away.”

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Nelson)  --  Middle Tennessee State University is the only school in the Mid-State, and only one of two schools in Tennessee selected to participate in the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Golf Championships.

The announcement was made by The Men’s Golf Selection Committee’s ranking show on NCAA.com and this will be MTSU’s 5th consecutive year involved.

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville and a Vanderbilt University student, Adam Hofmann were also selected.

The Blue Raiders have won a NCAA berth six times in the program’s history.

Senior player, Hunter Green, will lead the Blue Raiders lineup. The three-time all-conference performer told WMOT news, “This is a tremendous opportunity for this team and we can’t wait to compete.”

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  -- WMOT News is asking news makers from across the political spectrum to offer their take on the just-completed 107th Tennessee General Assembly. Today the views of Eben Cathey of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

Cathey says the Coalition counts as a legislative victory the defeat of a bill that would have made harboring or transporting an undocumented person a felony. He says the Council is happy that it’s worst fears for the legislative session were not realized.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  WMOT News continues to search out those thin slices of the Tennessee economy that prospered during the economic downturn.

One sector that did reasonably well was what might be called low-end, or discount retailers. Chains like Walmart saw sales remain steady or even increase during the downturn as jittery shoppers looked to discount stores to help them stretch every dollar.

One of the sector’s biggest success stories was the Middle Tennessee based Dollar General chain of small retail outlets.  Middle Tennessee State University Economist Murat Arik says the Goodletsville company even outperformed retail power-house Walmart.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A jury has convicted the roommate of slain Middle Tennessee basketball player Tina Stewart of the lesser charge of second-degree murder.

The jury delivered the verdict Monday against 19-year-old Shanterrica Madden after deliberating for about two hours.

Stewart was fatally stabbed in the chest March 2, 2011, at the off-campus apartment the two shared in Murfreesboro. Madden acknowledged stabbing Stewart but claimed it was self-defense against her larger and more athletic roommate.

Prosecutors had argued for first-degree murder when they said that Madden was premeditated and intentional after Stewart reported her for smoking marijuana.