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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The Tennessee Department of Labor has released its county-by-county look at unemployment for December.

Middle Tennessee’s overall jobless rate fell to 6.9 percent in December, down three-tenths from the November rate and down a full percentage point from December 2010.

Williamson County has the region’s lowest unemployment rate at 5.4 percent in December. Hickman County has the worst joblessness at 9.8 percent. Hickman and Trousdale were the only counties in the mid-state to see unemployment rise between November and December.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  You’ve no doubt heard about the tarmac confrontation yesterday between the president and the governor of Arizona. That heated exchange reportedly centering on illegal immigration.

Immigration issues have figured prominently as well in the Republican presidential primary.

But Dr. Andrei Korobkov, a professor of political science at Middle Tennessee State University, says the current national debate ignores immigration realities on the ground.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  If you’re looking for something to do with the kids this weekend, here’s an idea.

The Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra will give a family concert tomorrow at the United Methodist Church on West Thompson Lane, beginning at 11 a.m.

Joe Lee is the Orchestra’s conductor.

"It's really designed for children of all ages, but especially the younger ones among us. It's a concert that will last only about an hour, and the selections are just perfect for the young listeners."

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.‭ ‬