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NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today issued the following statement on the exoneration of Lawrence McKinney: “Today I granted Lawrence McKinney’s request for gubernatorial exoneration from his 1978 convictions. Though the facts of this case are complex and reasonable minds may draw different conclusions from them, ultimately I respect the determinations of the Shelby County Criminal Court and District Attorney General that Mr. McKinney was not guilty of the crimes for which he was convicted and would not have been prosecuted if the DNA testing results had been available at the time of trial. Mr. McKinney was released after more than 30 years in prison when the court set aside his convictions in 2009. “In the eyes of the judicial system, Mr. McKinney is innocent. While I appreciate the hard work and recommendations of the Board of Parole, in this case I defer to the finding of the court charged with determining Mr. McKinney’s guilt or innocence.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Martin Technologies officials announced today that the engineering and manufacturing company will establish new operations in Lawrenceburg.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Danny Howard Goodman Jr. of Ridgely as district attorney general for the 29th Judicial District. Goodman replaces retiring C. Phillip Bivens. The 29th Judicial District includes Lake and Dyer counties.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Agilent Technologies’ officials announced today that the company will expand its logistics operations in Shelby County. The life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemicals company will invest $600,000 and create approximately 100 new jobs in Memphis.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed M. Wyatt Burk of Shelbyville as Circuit Court Judge for the 17th Judicial District. He replaces Judge Lee Russell, who has retired. The 17th Judicial District includes Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore counties.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Mars Petcare officials announced today that the global leader in pet care will expand its U.S. headquarters in Williamson County.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the September murder of Michael Heatherly.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Kyle E. Hedrick of Chattanooga as Circuit Court Judge for the 11th Judicial District. He replaces Judge W. Neil Thomas III, who has retired. The 11th Judicial District serves Hamilton County.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Toyota Boshoku Tennessee, LLC officials today announced that the company will expand its operations in Jackson. The automotive components manufacturer will invest $31 million and create 139 new jobs in Madison County.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Barry Ross Tidwell of Murfreesboro as Circuit Court Judge in the 16th Judicial District, which includes Rutherford and Cannon counties.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Angelita Blackshear Dalton of Nashville as Criminal Court Judge for the 20th Judicial District, replacing retiring Judge J. Randall Wyatt. Dalton, 46, has served as Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge for Division III since 2006. In that role she has presided over civil and criminal cases. She was chosen by her peers as presiding judge in 2010 and in 2017. She has also served as co-chair of the Court Operations Committee overseeing implementation of recommendations of the Domestic Violence Safety Assessment commissioned by the Nashville mayor’s office.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the state will re-issue a $5,000 reward and match for information leading to the apprehension, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the homicide of Lorenzen Wright.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the participants selected for the 2018 Governor’s Academy for School Leadership (GASL), a one-year fellowship program for assistant principals to increase their leadership capacity. The third annual academy is a unique partnership between the state of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and local school districts to cultivate and develop future school leaders and improve school effectiveness and student performance.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips today announced that for the fifth month in a row, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is lower than it has been in recorded history. The state unemployment rate for October 2017 held steady at 3.0 percent, matching the historically low rate set in September. Tennessee first marked an all-time low unemployment rate in June at 3.6 percent, which was bested by the July rate of 3.4 percent, and then in August fell to 3.3 percent.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Brooklynn M. Townsend as special judge for the General Sessions Court of Polk County. Townsend’s appointment fills a temporary vacancy due to the disability of Judge Billy D. Baliles.