East Tenn. State joins Diamond Head Classic

HONOLULU (AP) — East Tennessee State is replacing Texas Tech among the eight teams competing in the Diamond Head Classic in December.

Officials said Monday the Bucs would be part of the field including Hawaii, San Diego State and others.

East Tennessee State (17-14) coach Murry Bartow says the trip will give the school good exposure and let its players compete against some of country's best basketball programs.

Also in the tournament are Arizona, Indiana State, Miami (Fla.), Ole Miss and San Francisco.

The eight teams will play Dec. 22-25 in a bracket-style tournament.

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Roommate convicted of murder in player's stabbing

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A jury on Monday convicted the roommate of Middle Tennessee basketball player Tina Stewart of second-degree murder in the stabbing of the athlete at an apartment they shared.

Jurors spent about two hours deliberating before reaching a verdict against 19-year-old Shanterrica Madden. Madden also was convicted of tampering with evidence for trying to hide the knife used in the stabbing March 2, 2011. She could face 15 to 60 years in prison for the murder conviction at sentencing, which is scheduled for July 16.

Madden showed no emotion after Rutherford County Circuit Court Judge Don Ash read the verdict in a crowded courtroom.

Stewart was fatally stabbed in the chest at the off-campus apartment the two shared in Murfreesboro. Madden acknowledged stabbing Stewart but claimed she had acted in self-defense against her larger and more athletic roommate.

Prosecutors had argued for first-degree murder when they said Madden's action was premeditated and intentional after Stewart reported her for smoking marijuana.

The 21-year-old Stewart was a veteran on the Lady Raiders team, which was preparing for the Sun Belt Conference tournament when she was killed. After Stewart's death, the Middle Tennessee women lost in an emotional opener at the conference tournament, received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and then lost in the first round.

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Jostens moving Topeka production work to Tenn.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Memorabilia maker Jostens says 372 jobs will be affected when it moves all production work from its Topeka plant to Clarksville, Tenn., beginning in July.

The Minneapolis-based maker of yearbooks, class rings and similar products informed its Topeka workers of the decision Monday.

The Topeka plant mainly produces Jostens' line of memory books. Jostens says the 372 production jobs will be phased out.

The company plans to keep 87 employees in Topeka, mainly in customer service, art, marketing and technical support.

Jostens has been steadily cutting jobs and production in Topeka over the past several years.

Monday's announcement came one year after Jostens announced it was cutting 83 full-time and seasonal jobs in Topeka as production of diploma covers moved to a plant in Shelbyville, Tenn.

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Federal jury convicts Brentwood developer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Brentwood developer has been found guilty of making false statements to a bank and forging the signatures of two investment partners in relation to a $337,000 loan.

A federal jury in Nashville convicted 61-year-old David E. Miller Friday of two counts of making a false statement to a bank and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Miller, who has been a real-estate developer for more than three decades, solicited investors to purchase a tract of land in Williamson County. He told investors that the land would be a cash deal, but he sought the loan to partially purchase the properly. He also failed to tell investors that he had pledged the property as collateral for the loan.

Miller faces a maximum of more than 30 years in prison.