Local News

Authorities in Mount Juliet arrested a teenager after police said he pointed a gun at another driver. According to officers, a man was driving on Lebanon Road when a person in a vehicle behind him pointed a weapon. The man let the teen pass, and he was reportedly stopped by officers a short time later while pulling into a gun store. The suspect has only been identified as a 17-year-old.

A Sumner County court is deciding to place a perjury case for former Vanderbilt nurse, RaDonda Vaught, on hold.  The charges stem from marking that she was not indicted on any felonies on a state firearms from two years ago.  At the time, Vaught was under indictment for the reckless homicide charge she was convicted of this spring.  Her attorney says a judge has decided to continue the case until next year, and will likely dismiss the charges if she has no further legal issues.

Dallas’s Law is now officially in effect in Tennessee. Governor Bill Lee signed the law yesterday, which requires additional training for security guards in venues that serve liquor. The law is named after Dallas Barrett, who suffocated to death last year while being held down by several security guards at a bar in Nashville. Seven people have been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated assault in connection to Barrett’s death.

Southern Baptist Convention leaders are considering changes to prevent future sexual abuse.  An SBC task force released a list of recommended reforms yesterday.  Among the suggestions is hiring a trained staff person or independent contractor to receive abuse reports made to the Executive Committee.  The proposal also includes required sexual abuse prevention and survivor care training for nearly all workers, volunteers, and students.

Biologists at Austin Peay State University say a rare plant is about to make a big stink.  The university has announced their corpse flower, named Zeus, may bloom within the next two weeks.  Peay State points to a 2010 scientific study that defines the smell of the bloom as a combination of cheese, sweat, garlic, decomposing meat, and rotting fish.  The school offers visitors an opportunity to see, or smell, the plant in-person at the Sundquist Science Complex.