NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The state Supreme Court is deciding whether a federal program that lets some Davidson County sheriff's deputies act as immigration agents violates the Metropolitan Charter.
In court on Thursday, attorney Bill Harbison argued the charter reserves all law enforcement duties for the police while the sheriff's office is confined to running the jail and serving warrants.
That separation of powers was put in place in 1962 when Nashville and Davidson County combined to form a metropolitan government.
Assistant Metro Attorney Keli Oliver argued that interviewing detainees to determine their immigration status was permissible under the powers granted to the sheriff's office because it pertains to managing the jail.
The Supreme Court was asked by a federal judge to decide the question, which is at the heart of a federal suit challenging the program.
Opponents of the federal program, known as 287(g), believe it unfairly targets for deportation people who commit minor infractions such as traffic violations. Supporters say the program helps the federal government identify law-breakers.
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Supreme Court hears immigration enforcement claims
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - FedEx Corp. said Thursday that its FedEx Express business completed its acquisition of Polish courier company Opek for an undisclosed sum.
Fedex said the acquisition gives FedEx Express access to a nationwide domestic ground network with an estimated $70 million in revenue and 12.5 million shipments each year.
The Memphis, Tenn.-based shipping company added that the growth of the Polish economy and increased interest in e-commerce there has significantly boosted demand for shipping services, making it a key market for growth.
Opek was founded as a family owned company in 1994. Its network covers all of Poland and includes an automated hub near Warsaw, along with additional hubs in Lodz and Katowice.
The company operates a total of 44 stations throughout Poland and employs more than 1,200 workers, along with more than 1,300 contract drivers.
FedEx began service to Poland in 1989 and started regular flights from Paris to Warsaw in 2004.
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FedEx completes deal for Polish courier Opek
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee's unemployment increased slightly in May, the first increase in two years.
The 7.9 percent unemployment rate is up from 7.7 percent in April.
Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis said in a release on Thursday that the increase in the jobless rate is mainly due to people "re-entering the workforce to look for work."
The national unemployment rate for May was 8.2 percent, 0.1 percentage point higher than the previous month.
Education and health services saw the biggest increase compared with last month, at a growth rate of 1.5 percent. Next were jobs in mining, logging and construction at 1.2 percent, and positions in government at 0.2 percent.
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Tenn. jobless rate increases slightly in May
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Knoxville man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of copyright infringement and trafficking counterfeit labels in a case involving hundreds of fake CDs, DVDs and other items.
Forty-nine-year-old Ernest Chie Ekwuribe pleaded Thursday to a two-count indictment that came after the Motion Picture Association of America alerted Knoxville police. Federal prosecutors said the association received a confidential complaint of movie piracy by a business owned by Ekwuribe.
He is to be sentenced Oct. 4.
Man pleads guilty in copyright infringement case
