NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Jack White has issued a written apology to The Black Keys, his former bandmate Meg White and others over comments he made in a recent Rolling Stone magazine interview.
Last year, his personal opinions about The Black Keys were revealed when his wife included a message from him in their divorce case. He was asked again about the band during the recent interview and told Rolling Stone he felt The Black Keys were capitalizing on a sound he helped make popular.
White explains in a letter dated Saturday on his website that he thought it would have seemed petty if he had declined to discuss the issue with the magazine.
In his letter, he spoke positively of the Black Keys, who are also based in Nashville and got their start as a bluesy two piece like White’s own White Stripes.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam on Saturday launched a re-election bid that bears little resemblance to the often contentious campaign of four years ago.
Haslam hosted a gathering at Nashville’s Loveless Cafe to celebrate the kick-off of election season. He faces little serious competition in the primary, and will likely have a vast fundraising and name-recognition advantage over the Democratic nominee in the general.
“When we started five years ago, many of you jumped in to help us, and we weren’t a sure bet at all,” Haslam told supporters. “You knocked on doors with us all across the state and we couldn’t be more grateful.”
Haslam touted improving student test scores, corporate recruitment and passing balanced budgets, and said the next four years would represent a continuation of those themes. The governor declined to elaborate on specific policy initiatives he plans to introduce in a second term, saying “there will be a time to announce those.”
The governor ruled out a state income tax or any increase in the state’s sales tax, but declined to say whether a gas tax increase could be necessary to help fund the state’s road program. “It’s just way early to say on any of those things,” he said.
Four years ago, Haslam battled state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, Memphis prosecutor Bill Gibbons and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp for the Republican nomination.
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HARRIMAN, Tenn. (AP) - Two people riding in a car that struck a train were killed in the collision in Roane County.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol says 22-year-old Roderick Patrick Drummond, of Greenville, South Carolina, and 18-year-old Jadah Gallaher, of Harriman, died in the Friday night crash.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (https://bit.ly/1pvp8gn) two other men in the car were injured when the 2000 Nissan Maxima hit the train at a crossing near Tennessee 27. The conditions of the two men at the University of Tennessee Medical Center were not known on Saturday.
The train crossing is in an unincorporated part of the county north of the Harriman city limits.
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Information from: Knoxville News Sentinel, https://www.knoxnews.comhttps://www.knoxnews.com
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville International Airport is allowing travelers to carry beer and alcoholic drinks throughout the secure area of the airport, instead of confining them to designated areas.
The Tennessean reports (https://tnne.ws/1wIjCch) the change is the result of new liquor and beer permits acquired by the Metro Nashville Airport Authority. Under the old policy, restaurants had to get their own alcohol permits.
There are restrictions: the drinks must stay in the secure areas of the airport and travelers can’t take them onto planes.
Local brewery Yazoo has a kiosk that takes advantage of the policy change. It features a sign alerting customers that they can take cups of beer to the gate to wait for their flights.
A spokeswoman says the airport authority sought the change to provide convenience to travelers.
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