The Tennessean

The Titans have landed free agent linebacker Will Witherspoon on a three-year contract with the team, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Discount retailer Dollar General Corp. sued its competitor Memphis-based Fred's Inc. on Tuesday, accusing the chain of illegally using its trademarked yellow and black colors in advertisements and promotional materials.

Home sales rose 3.2 percent in the Nashville area in February compared to a year ago, the fifth straight month of climbing sales, although home prices remain at a five-year low, according to figures released this afternoon by the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors.

This year's Tennessee State Fair will be run by Rockhouse Partners, according to the fair's Twitter account.

Tax collections continued to drop last month, led by another decline in sales tax receipts, falling $47.1 million short of estimates.

The Titans will pick up quarterback Vince Young's $4.25 million roster bonus on Wednesday, the date it is due payable.

The sponsor of a measure that would declare an income tax and payroll tax unconstitutional in Tennessee says it's necessary because of the poor state of the economy. The proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey of Germantown was approved 7-3 in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. The earliest it could go before voters is 2014. Even though the state constitution already says an income tax is not allowed in Tennessee, Kelsey said the difficult economic times may prompt lawmakers to try to pass an income tax. "We've got eight members of the Legislature who proposed an income tax this year, so if we don't address this issue now, then when are we going to address it?" Kelsey asked. "In these difficult economic times, I think Tennesseans need the assurance that they will not face an income tax." He said the measure would also clarify that a city or county "cannot enact any tax t hat's not specifically authorized by the constitution and the Legislature." Kelsey said the legislation is also necessary because it's uncertain how the Tennessee Supreme Court will rule in the future. However, lawmakers opposing the measure said it's not needed because of what's currently in the state constitution and that Kelsey's motivation is strictly political. "We're doing some political pandering," said Sen. Joe Haynes, D-Nashville. "I'm just not in the mood to pander this morning." Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle said Kelsey is creating an unnecessary concern. "People of Tennessee are not under siege of having an income tax," said Kyle, D-Memphis. Despite the opposition, Kelsey believes he has support to see the measure through. "I'm cautiously optimistic with 15 co-sponsors we can get it passed," he said.

FRANKLIN — A healthier Harpeth River one day could flow through Franklin with the removal of the only dam currently standing on the river's 125-mile path.

The test results are in: Fog, not foul play, may be to blame for dozens of bird deaths near Exit 11 of Interstate 24.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A Chattanooga woman has pleaded guilty to faking breast cancer for financial gain.

Kentucky freshman John Wall was named the SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings was awarded SEC Coach of the Year today in a vote by the league's coaches.

A gasoline tanker truck that caught fire at a convenience store in Nashville injured one person Tuesday morning.

The suspect in the shooting death of a Dickson woman Monday was apprehended Tuesday about 8:45 a.m. at a residence on Wolfe Road in White Bluff.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A shooting Tuesday morning at an Ohio State University campus maintenance building left one employee dead and two others wounded, the university said. A suspect was taken into custody.

A mix-up between a Wii game and a .380 caliber pistol led a 3-year-old to pluck the real gun from an end table and shoot herself in the abdomen, ending her life, Wilson County Sheriff Terry Ashe said.

With questions at the linebacker position, the Titans will entertain free agent Will Witherspoon today.

Jimmy Bradford Jr., who ran the J.C. Bradford regional brokerage here for the better part of two decades and helped build Nashville's reputation as a banking and finance center, died Monday at the age of 76.

Tennessee has a bigger financial stake than most of the nation in getting every resident counted, but a growing Latino population could make that tougher in this year's Census.