By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard STEVERSON Contract negotiations between HCA and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee have apparently “flatlined” and may well be beyond any kind of resuscitation after HCA announced Friday it was withdrawing from the latest round of mediated negotiations.Blue Cross officials quickly followed suit, saying…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard With her daughter accused of child neglect after a 4-year-old in her care drowned in a river last month, Wendy Barnhill says her daughter loves children and is devastated by the tragic accident.“She loved those kids so much,” Barnhill said, speaking for her daughter, Tonya…

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard LLEWELLYN McMinnville City Administrator Herb Llewellyn has been awarded a 2003 Muzzle Award by The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression.The award comes following an August, 2002 Southern Standard sports opinion column written by Dale Stubblefield that criticized the quality of food…

By Jim Glenn / Columnist Most people don’t think about their Social Security earnings record until it’s time to apply for retirement, disability or survivors benefits. By then, you may find that you should have taken action that would have made a difference in the amount of benefits you collect.The amount of your monthly benefit…

By James Clark / Business Pulse Editor I never miss a chance to land a political jab and there’s no better place for doing just that than today’s Business Pulse.I’m referring to the news that was coming from Washington about two days ago. According to reports, since the United States has blown up Iraq, there…

Austin Ray Comer, 85Westmoreland resident, formerly of Oakdale, Austin Ray Comer, 85, died April 10.A member of Wartburg Church of Christ and a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was preceded in death by his wife, Thelma Hobbs Comer and daughter, Janet Louise Comer.He is survived by sons, Ray Gary Comer of Westmoreland,…

By Morton Kondracke / Columnist Military victory in Iraq should give President Bush a political boost, but it’s also likely to unify fractious Democrats around two issues — the war’s aftermath and the U.S. economy.Polls indicate success in the war has increased national support for the conflict itself to around 75 percent. But Bush’s overall…

By Ed Kimbrell / Columnist We’ve all been dragged into this war. American troops on an aircraft carrier watch CNN to watch the war playing out, so we have soldiers watching soldiers. The world audience watches the soldiers, as well. TV cameras are as much weaponry as are Bradley tanks. And the phrase theater of…

By Amy Satterwhite / Columnist The friends of the National Rifle Association fund-raiser I attended in a neighboring state last weekend was not at all what I expected.After traveling to this event due to a family commitment, I have to admit I was less than enthusiastic. I thought it was the last place I wanted…

Our Viewpoint The Standard was a bit surprised to learn prosecutors tried for — and received — a felony indictment against Tonya St. Clair for child neglect.St. Clair has made headlines recently as the person who was in charge of caring for 4-year-old Damion Bouldin when he was allowed to wander down to the Barren…