News

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  A new study says Middle Tennessee’s non-profit sector is t and contributes, directly or indirectly, nearly $21 billion each year to the local economy each year.

The study was conducted by the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University for Nashville’s Center for Non-Profit Management.

Dr. Murat Arik, the report's author, says that about one-in-four Middle Tennessee residents are employed in the non-profit sector.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — The Tennessee Department of Health is urging people to protect themselves from viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. Last year Tennessee experienced 33 human cases of West Nile virus, including one in December.

Health Department spokesman Dr. Abelardo Moncayo says four out of five people with West Nile won't show symptoms, but others will develop severe illness that can result in permanent neurological damage or even death.

JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will create nine recovery courts to combat mental health and substance abuse issues.

The Jackson Sun reports the courts will combine the services currently found in drug courts with those of mental health courts and veterans courts.

Department Commissioner Douglas Varney says that because so many people dealing with substance abuse also have a mental health issue, the recovery courts will help them get all the help they need at one time and in one location.

WASHINGTON (AP/WMOT) — The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that could end tax-free shopping on the Internet for many shoppers. Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander is a prime sponsor of the measure.

The bill now goes to the House where it faces opposition from some lawmakers who regard it as a tax increase.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  --  Al-Jazeera plans to open a news bureau in Nashville.The Tennessean reports (http://tnne.ws/18HPsHc) the news organization that bought Al Gore's Current TV for $500 million earlier this year has said it will begin broadcasting Al-Jazeera America sometime late this summer. The network plans news bureaus in 12 cities across the country.

Bob Wheelock, executive producer of Al-Jazeera English, confirmed Nashville as one of the bureau sites during an interview with WWJ-AM 950 in Detroit on Thursday.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Tennessee’s poorest students may find it harder to stay in college next year as federal sequestration budget cuts take hold.

Money for so-called Opportunity Grants, federal tuition aid reserved for the neediest students, will be reduced in the coming school year.  Federal funding for college work-study programs is also expected to fall.

According to Tennessee higher education officials, 1660 needy students could lose federal tuition assistance, while 720 students participating in work-study could lose their positions.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Amazon is hiring again here in Tennessee.

The online retail giant announced this past week that it’s taking applications at its Lebanon, Chattanooga, and Murfreesboro fulfillment centers.

The Murfreesboro facility is a million-square-foot warehouse that employees more than a thousand workers.

The open jobs are hourly positions picking and packing customer orders.

Applications are being taken online at workatamazonfulfillment.com.   

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Two men remain in the Williamson County jail today after Franklin police say they swallowed more than 50 balloons of heroine.

Officers set up surveillance Monday in the parking lot of a Cool Springs business following on an anonymous tip about drug activity. Police say they saw two men acting suspiciously and took them into custody.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The National Weather Service is warning that Tennessee will see heavy rains and possible flooding this weekend.

Nashville based Weather Service Forecaster Sam Herron says heavy rains will start in West Tennessee this evening and arrive in Middle Tennessee tomorrow morning.

Herron says this is a slow moving system that will likely dump two to three inches of rain on ground that’s already saturated and streams that are already running high.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  In 2009 Tennessee loosened laws governing the production of alcoholic beverages, leading to a dramatic rise in the number of breweries and distilleries operating in the state.

One of the newest companies is Mayday Brewery located in Murfreesboro. 

The operation is still small enough that owner Ozzie Nelson gives most of the tours. Nelson is clearly proud of his brewery and enjoys showing it off.