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Victims say Suspects Ran Them Down in Vehicle

Posted on May 30, 2018

Two sisters are in custody charged with multiple counts of Attempted Murder. Officials say Tuesday night 24-year-old Jalisa Waterson and her 17-year-old sister were involved in a fight near Washington Pike and Whittle Springs.

Responding officer found four victims that had been hit by a vehicle. Three had to be taken to the hospital but have already been released.

Officials say the victims and suspects had been involved in an confrontation at Belle Morris Elementary School. Afterwards, the four victims were walking down Fairview Street when they say a Nissan Altima ran them down at a high rate of speed. The victims identified the driver and passenger as the sisters.

The two were charged with four counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder.

Gregg Wins 2018 Senior CLASS Award® in Softball

Posted on May 30, 2018

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – All-American shortstop Meghan Gregg has been selected as the 2018 Senior CLASS Award® winner in softball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Gregg is the second student-athlete from Tennessee to win a Senior CLASS Award following fellow softball athlete Madison Shipman’s win in 2014.

“I am so honored to receive the Senior Class Award,” said Gregg, who helped the Lady Vols to one Women’s College World Series appearance and two trips to the NCAA Super Regionals in her career. “Being able to join the list of athletes who have received this award in the past is so humbling because of their impressive athletic ability and high character. The four areas that this award highlights have all been achieved because of the core values of the Tennessee softball program. Living by the core values of Servant Warrior, Competitor, Integrity, Passion, Respect and Preparation, my teammates and I have grown into women of great character and esteem. I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given by being a part of such a prestigious program. I feel that I am confident and ready for the next chapter of my life because my coaches, Ralph and Karen Weekly, have prepared me for my future career.”

Already earning first-team All-SEC and first-team NFCA All-Region honors this season, Gregg set new Tennessee program records for career home runs (57), RBIs (263) and slugging percentage (.712). A 2017 first-team NFCA All-American, Gregg earned SEC Player of the Year, All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive Team honors as a junior after finishing the season ranked among the top-15 nationally in six major offensive categories and breaking the Tennessee single-season RBI record (79). Earning all-conference honors each season of her career, Gregg was named first-team All-SEC as a sophomore and to the Freshman All-SEC Team in 2015.

“Ralph and I are tremendously proud of Meghan,” said Karen Weekly, who serves as Co-head Coach of the Lady Vols along with her husband, Ralph. “Not only has she set a standard of excellence on the playing field, she is an exemplary student and leader in the community. The Senior CLASS award is one of the most prestigious honors bestowed upon a collegiate student-athlete, and Meghan is truly deserving.”

Beyond the field, Gregg has remained committed to excellence in the classroom, to prioritizing community outreach and to maintaining a high level of personal character. A 2017 third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American and an Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athlete, Gregg already has graduated with a degree in kinesiology with a concentration on pre-pharmacy and has been accepted to the University of Georgia’s College of Pharmacy. Gregg also has taken part numerous community service projects, most notably in Autism Speaks, the Challenger Games, Take Back the Night, Voloween events, MLK Marches, Goals for Girls, Light the Night and softball meet and greets. Selected by her coaches to take part in the VOLeaders Academy, Gregg participated in the VOLeaders Academy’s yearlong curriculum and a 13-day study-abroad trip to Brazil in 2016 where she and fellow Tennessee student-athletes learned about the nation’s culture and used sports as a means to enact positive change.

“Meghan Gregg is an exceptional student-athlete and role model,” said Erik Miner, the award’s executive director. “What she’s been able to accomplish on and off the field in her four years at Tennessee is remarkable. Our sincere congratulations to Meghan, her team and to the University of Tennessee.”

CONTACT
Erik Miner
(913) 563-5412
[email protected]

ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.

-UT Athletics

Craig Morgan to Receive One of the U.S. Army’s Highest Civilian Awards

Posted on May 30, 2018

Country star Craig Morgan—who spent almost 10 years on active duty in the U.S. Army in the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions—will be awarded the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in recognition of his dedication to entertaining troops and their families around the world.

The Outstanding Civilian Service Medal is one of the highest awards that the Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian. The Army is recognizing Craig for his significant dedication to supporting military members who have served their country, often in harm’s way.

Craig has made 15 overseas tours for U.S. troops and performed for more than 37,000 service members and their families all over the world. The presentation will take place at the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (GLAC AUSA) annual Army Ball on June 23 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Craig, who has scored numerous Top 10 hits over his career (“That’s What I Love About Sunday,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “Bonfire”), recently completed his 10th USO Tour to entertain U.S. military members stationed overseas. The eight-day tour visited seven countries and included stops in western Tokyo, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq and Spain as well as the Korean Peninsula where the U.S. Army veteran was once stationed.

Craig served in the Army for nearly two decades, both as an active duty soldier and in the reserves.

photo by Jason Simanek

Jimmy’s blog: Barnes OK with expanding NCAA field

Posted on May 30, 2018

By Jimmy Hyams

SANDESTIN, FLA. — The Atlantic Coast Conference has proposed expanding the NCAA men’s tournament field from 68 to 72 teams.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has no objection.

“I don’t think at any point in time when we expanded, has it ever hurt the tournament,’’ Barnes said Tuesday at the SEC Spring Meetings. “It’s only made it better.

“My gut feeling is it’s not going to hurt us in any way, shape or form. I think somewhere along the line it will be good because there are so many teams now (that are deserving of a bid.) There is real parity whether we want to admit it or not.’’

That parity has led many teams on the bubble to complain about being snubbed. In most cases, teams didn’t do enough to get an invite. But in some cases, teams compare resumes and feel they were more deserving that some teams that got an at-large bid into the 68-team field.

“Allowing more teams to get in it, I would be all for it,’’ Barnes said.

Barnes noted that the tournament has increased from 16 to 24 to 32 to 48 to 64 now 68 teams.

“At no point in time has expansion hurt us,’’ Barnes insisted.

Meanwhile, Barnes said he is unsure if he will sign another grad transfer.

Richmond grad transfer Khwan Fore, who committed to Tennessee April 30, said he has re-opened his recruiting, although UT is still an option.

“We’ll wait and see,’’ Barnes said about signing another grad transfer. “We are in position where we’ve got one scholarship. We’ll wait and see what we do with it.’’

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Darius Rucker Scores 9th No. 1 on the Country Charts With “For the First Time”

Posted on May 30, 2018

Darius Rucker scored his ninth No. 1 single this week as “For the First Time” ascended to the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

“For the First Time” is the second single from Darius’ 2017 album, When Was the Last Time, which also spawned No. 1 hit, “If I Told You.” Co-penned by Darius, Derek George and Scooter Carusoe, “For the First Time” also represents the 11th Top 10 hit of Darius’ country career.

“There’s a lot of nostalgia in ‘For the First Time,’” says Darius to Nash Country Daily. “The line ‘Say you never drank from the bottle of some two dollar wine, run barefoot through the mud’—that’s stuff you do in high school and college, so it was a fun one to write.”

Darius and Lady Antebellum will join forces for a co-headlining tour dubbed the Summer Plays On Tour. Kicking off on July 19 in Toronto, Ontario, the 30-date tour will make stops in Seattle, San Diego, Chicago and more. Darius will also perform at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on June 7 as part of CMA Fest.

photo by Jason Simanek

Barnes Adds Bryan Lentz to Basketball Staff

Posted on May 29, 2018

Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Tuesday that he has hired Bryan Lentz in a Video Coordinator/Director of Player Development role.

Lentz, who has prior history working alongside Barnes, fills the vacancy created when Riley Davis accepted an assistant coaching position at Texas-Arlington in April.

“I’ve known Bryan for a long time,” Barnes said. “He was with us at Texas, and he did an outstanding job. Then he took an opportunity at Appalachian State and was great there as well. When this position opened up, I immediately knew Bryan could be an ideal fit.”

Lentz comes to Tennessee following four seasons as an assistant coach at Appalachian State. Prior to that, the Hickory, North Carolina, native spent four years as a special assistant on Barnes’ staff at Texas, where he was involved in all aspects of internal operations within the Longhorns program. During his time at Texas, the Longhorns compiled an 87-48 record and made three NCAA Tournament appearances (2011, 2012, 2014).

Lentz began his coaching career working for nine years coaching alongside his father, legendary Lenoir-Rhyne head coach John Lentz. During that stretch, the Bears won five South Atlantic Conference regular-season titles, one SAC Tournament title and made to five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. In his final two seasons at L-R, Bryan served as the Bears’ associate head coach.

A four-year letterwinner at Lenoir-Rhyne—which is also Barnes’ alma mater—Lentz finished his collegiate playing career with 1,374 points and ranked fifth in school history in assists (388), steals (159) and free-throw percentage (.824). He was named South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year in 1996-97 and earned second-team All-SAC honors as a sophomore in 1997-98.

Lentz earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Lenoir-Rhyne in 2000. He and his wife, Christy, have two sons, Luke and Owen.

UT Athletics

If Morgan Evans Didn’t Write His Hit Song “Kiss Somebody” About Wife Kelsea Ballerini, Then Who?

Posted on May 29, 2018

With a title like “Kiss Somebody,” a lot of folks assume Morgan Evans wrote his hit single about his newlywed wife Kelsea Ballerini. Wrong.

The Aussie native didn’t write the song about his soulmate . . . he wrote it about his mate.

“A lot of people asked me if I wrote [“Kiss Somebody”] about Kelsea,” says Morgan. “No. The answer is absolutely no. It was inspired by a mate of mine, actually. I used to stay with him in Nashville before I moved here, and he went through this really rough breakup and he was devastated. And, I was with him through that period, and I went back to Australia. A year and a half later, I came back and he was still devastated over this situation. And, I was like, ‘Dude! You need to kiss somebody!’ And so, the lyrics kind of go, “Sometimes you’ve got to drink about somebody / Sometimes you’ve got to cry and miss somebody / Sometimes you’ve got to kiss somebody.’”

“Kiss Somebody,” which Morgan penned with Chris DeStefano and Josh Osborne, is currently No. 13 on the Mediabase chart.

If you’re wondering what is the first love song Morgan wrote about Kelsea, it’s “Dance With Me.”

“I’ve written a lot of love songs in my life, but this is my favorite one I’ve ever written,” says Morgan. “It’s my favorite one for a lot of reasons, it’s the first one I wrote for [Kelsea] . . . I wrote it one morning on a Tuesday at 9 o’clock in the morning. I was waiting for her to come on the TV. She was singing on the morning show. And the morning show was, like, talking about gossip or something like that, and it was the worse thing I’d ever seen so I couldn’t watch it. So I put it on mute, and I picked up the guitar and I just started playing this. This first verse and chorus came out in 20 minutes. It’s called ‘Dance With Me.’”

Watch Morgan perform “Dance With Me” below.

photo by Jason Simanek

Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation to Host Adoption Event at CMA Fest

Posted on May 29, 2018

Miranda Lambert may not be scheduled to perform during Nashville’s CMA Fest on June 7–10, but her MuttNation Foundation will be front and center each day from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. inside the Music City Center.

MuttNation will team with the Nashville Humane Association to host an adoption event for the third year. Since its inception in 2016, more than 100 shelter dogs have been adopted through the drive.

“MuttNation’s mission is to promote the adoption of shelter pets, spay and neuter, and to let everyone know why these things are so important,” says Miranda. “Since country music fans are the most passionate people out there, CMA Fest is a great place to accomplish these goals. And it’s the world’s best feeling when you make the perfect match between a rescue and a new owner, knowing it’s creating such an incredible bond that will grow deeper and stronger every day. It just fills my heart with happiness to be part of something so special.”

In 2009, Miranda and her mom, Bev, started the MuttNation Foundation, an organization with the mission of ending animal suffering and homelessness on every front. The foundation has successfully raised millions of dollars to aid organizations, government institutions and entities that build animal shelters for better care and increased pet adoption.

Bev Lambert will be on-site during CMA Fest to have photos taken with each adopting family.

photo by Becky Fluke

Sam Hunt Says Sturgill Simpson’s Records Are His “Favorite”

Posted on May 29, 2018

Three years after proclaiming himself a “Sturgill Simpson fan” on Twitter, Sam Hunt is still rocking out to the award-winning sounds of Sturgill.

While the two artists are on the opposite ends of the country music spectrum, Sam hasn’t shied away from giving Sturgill continued props for his 2014 album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, and his 2016 album, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, which won the Grammy award for Best Country Album in 2017.

“With my artist career, I definitely lean towards my more progressive tastes and sensibilities, but what I really love, I mean . . . I listen to, like, Sturgill Simpson,” says Sam on morning show Ty, Kelly & Chuck. “Sturgill Simpson’s records were, like, my favorite records . . . still in my Top 5. I’d listen to those two records nonstop for a couple years. A lot of people wouldn’t, I guess, think that that sound would appeal to me, but I love it.”

Sam copped a Grammy nomination for Best Country album in 2016 for his debut project, Montevallo. Sam’s new single, “Downtown’s Dead,” is currently No. 18 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after one week.

Check out what Sam had to say about Sturgill below.

Sam Hunt by JPA/AFF-USA.com
Sturgill Simpson by Carissa Riccardi

Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, FGL, Little Big Town, Dan + Shay & More Added as Performers at CMT Music Awards

Posted on May 29, 2018

CMT announced its second round of performers for the 2018 CMT Music Awards at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on June 6. The new additions include Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Lina, Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Backstreet Boys, Dierks Bentley with Brothers Osborne, and Darius Rucker with Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley.

Previously announced performers Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Kelly Clarkson, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt.

The CMT Music Awards, which will be hosted by Little Big town, will crown winners in eight categories. A number of artist earned multiple nominations for the fan-voted awards, including Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Brothers Osborne, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett and more. Voting is open until June 4.

Check out the nominees below.

Male Video Of The Year

Dustin Lynch — “Small Town Boy”
Jason Aldean — “You Make It Easy”
Blake Shelton — “I’ll Name The Dogs”
Jon Pardi — “Heartache On The Dance Floor”
Luke Bryan — “Light It Up”
Thomas Rhett — “Marry Me”

Female Video of the Year

Carly Pearce — “Every Little Thing”
Carrie Underwood — “The Champion”
Lauren Alaina — “Doin’ Fine”
Maren Morris — “I Could Use A Love Song”
Miranda Lambert — “Tin Man”
Kelsea Ballerini — “Legends”

Duo Video of the Year

Big & Rich — “California”
Brothers Osborne — “It Ain’t My Fault”
Dan + Shay — “Tequila”
Florida Georgia Line — “Smooth”
High Valley — “She’s With Me”
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill — “Speak To A Girl”

Group Video of the Year

Lady Antebellum — “You Look Good”
Lanco — “Greatest Love Story”
Midland — “Make A Little”
Old Dominion — “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart”
Little Big Town — “When Someone Stops Loving You”
Rascal Flatts — “Yours If You Want It”
Zac Brown Band — “My Old Man”

Breakthrough Video of the Year

Carly Pearce — “Every Little Thing”
Danielle Bradbery — “Sway”
Devin Dawson — “All On Me”
Lanco — “Greatest Love Story”
Russell Dickerson — “Yours”
Walker Hayes — “You Broke Up With Me”

Collaborative Video of the Year

Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line — “Meant To Be”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris — “The Champion”
Cole Swindell feat. Dierks Bentley — “Flatliner”
Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton — “Say Something
Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina — “What Ifs”
Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris — “Craving You”

CMT Performance of the Year

Andra Day, Common, Little Big Town, Lee Ann Womack, Danielle Bradbery — “Stand Up For Something” (CMT Artists of the Year 2017)
Backstreet Boys & Florida Georgia Line — “Everybody” (CMT Crossroads)
Charles Kelley, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Derek Trucks — “Midnight Rider” (CMT Music Awards 2017)
Earth Wind & Fire & Lady Antebellum — “September” (CMT Crossroads)
Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Keith Urban — “I Won’t Back Down” (CMT Artists of the Year 2017)
Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood — “The Fighter” (CMT Music Awards 2017)

Video of the Year