FBI offers reward in vandalism at Tennessee pregnancy clinic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for vandalism at a women’s health clinic in Nashville.

The fire occurred at the Hope Clinic for Women on June 30. An incendiary device was thrown through the clinic’s front window and the building’s exterior was spray painted, the FBI’s Memphis field office said in a statement. The device did not ignite, but the FBI has labeled it as an arson investigation.

Gov. Bill Lee called the incident an act of “terrorism.”

The clinic offers pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and counseling.

5 police officers fired after Memphis man’s arrest, death

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Five Memphis Police Department officers were fired for excessive use of force, failure to intervene and failure to render aid stemming from an arrest during a traffic stop of a man who later died in a hospital, officials said Friday.

The police chief said Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith were involved in the Jan. 7 arrest of Tyre Nichols, 29, who was Black.

The Memphis Police Department conducted an internal investigation into the arrest of Nichols, who died three days later, and the discipline came after the probe’s conclusion, authorities said.

The five officers who were fired are all Black, according to the Memphis police public information officer.

The U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also is looking into the force used in the arrest.

Nichols’ family, along with protesters who rallied at a police station and the National Civil Rights Museum, have pushed for the release of police body camera footage and called for officers to be charged.

Relatives have accused police of beating Nichols and causing him to have a heart attack. Authorities said Nichols experienced a medical emergency.

Nichols was arrested after officers stopped him for reckless driving, police said. There was a confrontation when officers approached the driver and he ran before he was confronted again by the pursuing officers, who arrested him, authorities said. He complained of shortness of breath and was hospitalized.

Officials said a cause of death has not yet been determined.

Lawyer asks judge to remove himself from Young Dolph case

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The defense attorney for a man charged with fatally shooting rapper Young Dolph said Friday he has asked a judge to remove himself from the case based on claims that the judge is not being impartial.

Luke Evans, the lawyer for Justin Johnson, said he was not informed about an order issued in November by Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee limiting Johnson’s ability to communicate with people outside the jail other than Evans.

Coffee said during a court hearing Friday that he issued the order after Johnson was alleged to have made a recording heard outside the jail where Johnson is being held. Media outlets reported that the recording was a rap song made by Johnson and distributed on social media.

Coffee’s order restricts his visitation privileges and does not allow Johnson to communicate by phone or in writing with anyone outside the jail but his lawyer, including family. Evans said the recording in question was made on the jail’s phone, but he questioned whether Johnson actually made the recording.

Evans said Johnson was not given a court hearing to address the issue and the order is punitive.

“The paramount concern for Mr. Johnson is that he receives a fair trial in front of an impartial judge,” Evans told reporters after the hearing. “Our legal system is built on transparency, it’s built on process.”

Coffee said he issued the order for Johnson’s safety and he denied the accusations that he’s not being impartial. Coffee said he has not made any judgments about Johnson’s guilt or innocence,

The judge set a Feb. 2 hearing on the recusal motion.

Iowa State announces fall 2022 Dean’s List

AMES, Iowa — More than 10,200 Iowa State University students have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the fall semester 2022 Dean’s List. Students named to the Dean’s List must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded course work.

Morristown, TN

Margaret Emma Vick, 3, Political Science