NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 9 -- The Country Music Association issued the following news release: * * * - The Music Event of Summer Features Epic Collaborations and Must-See Performances from More Than 30 of Today's Biggest Music Superstars - "CMA Fest" Hosted by Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini with Special Guest Host Bobby Bones * * * "CMA Fest," the Music Event of Summer, brings the hottest music acts together on one stage for three full hours of epic collaborations and must-see performa  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 8 -- The American Farm Bureau Federation issued the following news release: IDEAg Group, producers of Farmfest, will showcase a hops demonstration yard at the farm show in August. A hopyard has been constructed; hops have been planted and begun climbing support ropes. This is the first year that hops are growing on the Farmfest grounds. The show kicks off Aug. 6 at the Gilfillan Estate in Morgan, Minnesota (Redwood County). The yard features two hop varieties - Casca  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 11 -- The American Farm Bureau Federation issued the following news release: Broadband is no longer a luxury but a necessity for modern agriculture and the quality of life for rural Americans, Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst told a House subcommittee today. "While most Americans take broadband for granted, 26.4% of rural Americans lack access to broadband," the Missouri farmer told the Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit. "Th  more

FENTRESS COUNTY, Tennessee, July 10 -- The Conservation Fund issued the following news release: * * * - Partnership with the State and The Conservation Fund opens new public recreational access, secures habitat for endangered species and protects ecologically sensitive forest in the Cumberland Plateau * * * The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, announced today the protection of 3,041 acres that have been added to the state's Skinner Wildlife Mana  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 10 -- The Country Music Association issued the following news release: The Country Music Association's acclaimed CMA Songwriters Series Presented by U.S. Bank has announced a performance in Charlotte at the McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square Wednesday, Aug. 7 featuring Russell Dickerson, Lindsay Ell, Jordan Reynolds and Frank Rogers. The series hosts an intimate round of performances with some of Country Music's top songwriting talent taking turns sharing the stories b  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 11 -- The Edison Electric Institute issued the following news release: The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) today announced the winners of its 2019 Business Diversity Awards. Presented annually, the awards recognize companies for their outstanding efforts in advancing purchasing opportunities for diverse suppliers, including minority-, women-, veteran-, and LGBTQ-owned businesses within the investor-owned electric power industry. DTE earned the industry's overall Exce  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 10 -- The National Cotton Council issued the following news release: Recently implemented policies based on National Cotton Council resolutions regarding warehouse bale shipment reporting are aimed at enhancing the industry's reputation for timely delivery by getting U.S. raw cotton into customers' hands faster. Recently implemented policies based on National Cotton Council resolutions regarding warehouse bale shipment reporting are aimed at enhancing the industry's re  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 12 -- The National Cotton Council issued the following news release: The National Cotton Council (NCC) is grateful for EPA's decision granting use on cotton of sulfoxaflor (commercially known as Transform Copyright (c) ) - a uniquely designed insecticide that targets piercing/sucking insect pests such as aphids and plant bugs. "We appreciate EPA's decision to make sulfoxaflor available for use on cotton," said NCC Chairman Mike Tate, an Alabama cotton producer. "EPA ha  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 11 -- The National Cotton Council issued the following news release: The National Cotton Council has initiated a pilot of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, a program designed to confirm and increase awareness of the fact that U.S. cotton producers are farming responsibly and striving for continuous improvement. The Protocol is being managed by Ken Burton, Protocol executive director. A multi-stakeholder board of directors will be appointed in the coming weeks in preparat  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation issued the following news release: * * * - Seven projects will preserve forest and stream habitats, benefitting game species, forest-dependent birds, and fish and mussel species * * * The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today awarded $1.3 million in grants to seven conservation projects that will restore, enhance and protect shortleaf pine and riparian forests and in-stream habitats in Alabama, Kentucky and Tenness  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, July 10 -- The Society of Professional Journalists issued the following news: The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased that the Board of Immigration Appeals has reopened the case of jailed, Spanish-language journalist Manuel Duran. Duran was arrested in April 2018 while covering a protest in Memphis on immigration policies. Charges related to the protest were dropped but he was picked up by immigration agents and detained. Many press freedom groups, including   more

MONTGOMERY, Alabama, July 12 -- Southern Poverty Law Center issued the following news: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has proclaimed Saturday as Nathan Bedford Forrest Day in his state, honoring a Confederate general who became the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, a terrorist organization that targets African Americans. Pretending that this state holiday is about preserving Southern history - rather than openly endorsing the false notion of white supremacy - is an insult to Tennesseans. Confe  more

MONTGOMERY, Alabama, July 11 -- Southern Poverty Law Center issued the following news: Manuel Duran, an investigative journalist who was detained after reporting on the collusion between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement in Memphis, Tennessee, was released today from ICE detention and will be reunited with his fiancee. "I feel like I'm reborn," Duran said moments after his release. "I am happy for this day. It has been a very difficult time but thanks to   more

ATLANTA, Georgia, July 11 -- The Southern Regional Education Board issued the following news release: Three educators and two schools were honored this week with the Southern Regional Education Board's Readiness awards. These national awards recognize outstanding teachers and leaders offering SREB's Readiness Courses, which help underprepared students succeed in high school and postsecondary programs without the need for remediation. The award winners were honored at SREB's Making Schools Work   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 12 -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued the following news release: Teamsters who work at Republic Services, Bill Gates' giant trash corporation [NYSE: RSG], are fighting back against discrimination. African-American employees in Memphis and Millington, Tenn., have filed U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges against Republic, alleging that the company intentionally shorts pay checks, creates meritless discipline, and suddenly chang  more