By LISA FALKENBERG / Associated Press Writer DALLAS (AP) — A federal appeals court has agreed to hear a request from the woman formerly known as “Jane Roe” to reconsider the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion. Norma McCorvey, who joined with anti-abortion activists nearly 10 years ago, is seeking…

By MARY DALRYMPLE / AP Tax Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration predicted Thursday that a record number of taxpayers can expect a refund this year, and that the average tax refund check will be $300 bigger than last year. The Treasury Department credited the most recent round of tax cuts, passed in May,…

By WILL LESTER / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The government’s do not call registry is a resounding success, according to an Associated Press poll that found three-quarters of the people who signed up reported fewer telemarketing calls. The news was not so good for the government’s efforts to reduce unwanted e-mail. The poll…

By RENEE C. LEE / Associated Press Writer DALLAS (AP) — An experimental vaccine wiped out lung cancer in some patients and slowed its spread in others in a small but promising study, researchers say. Three patients injected with the vaccine, GVAX, had no recurrence of lung cancer for more than three years afterward, according…

By LAURAN NEERGAARD / AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Just thinking a medicine will make you feel better actually may — even if it’s fake, according to new research examining the placebo effect. One region of the brain is activated by the expectation of pain relief, researchers said. This, in turn, leads to a…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Veteran Republican Reps. Bobby Wood and Raymond Walker announced Thursday they will not seek re-election this fall. Wood, 68, of Chattanooga, is one of the longest-serving members of the House. He was first elected in 1976. “Life is a relay race,” Wood said. “I’m announcing that I’m stepping off the course. It’s…

By KARIN MILLER / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — A complaint filed Thursday with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance accuses state Rep. Susan Lynn of violating campaign finance laws against fund-raising while lawmakers are in session. John Rutherford, former executive director of Tennessee Citizen Action, says in the complaint that Lynn solicited contributions…

OAK RIDGE (AP) — First he nearly lost his hand trying to get his work done. Then Joseph Vought lost his job. The senior technician at Oak Ridge National Laboratory severed the tendons in his left hand in an October band-saw accident. Last week he was fired for violating safety procedures. “It was just a…

JOHNSON CITY (AP) — Five television stations across the state will be broadcasting the Tennessee Lottery drawings, but upper East Tennessee players won’t see them unless they have cable TV. WKRN in Nashville is producing the segment and was the first station selected earlier this month. Officials announced Wednesday that WBIR in Knoxville, WMC in…

First Baptist Church, located on the corner of Spring and Donnell streets, will present Greg Buchanan in concert Feb. 22 beginning at 6 p.m.The world-class harpist whose aggressive style of playing usually redefines the listener’s concept on the harp.Buchanan began playing the harp at age 9 and continued mastering the instrument throughout his adolescent and…