By TOM RAUM / Associated Press Writer BOSTON (AP) — On rival John Kerry’s home turf, President Bush defended his record on both the jobs and terrorism fronts on Thursday and prodded the Massachusetts senator against taking his own state for granted. “The man who sits in the Oval Office sets the course of the…

Morrison resident and Grundy County native Waymon Tipton Northcutt, 75, died March 23 at Alvin C. York Medical Center in Murfreesboro.A retired member of the U.S. Army, serving his country in the Korean War, and a member of the Baptist Church, he was the son of Sam and Zelma Tipton Northcutt; and was preceded in…

By GEORGE GEDDA / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Former terrorism adviser Richard Clarke has touched off a furor by suggesting that President Bush, both before and after the Sept. 11 attacks, was inexplicably focusing on Iraq instead of al-Qaida. In response, the administration says Clark is a grandstander, a disappointed office seeker and…

By RON FOURNIER / AP Political Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — From the moment Richard Clarke slipped into the witness chair, his credibility was on trial — and the verdict could weigh heavily on President Bush’s re-election prospects. “To those who are here in the room, to those who are watching on television, your government failed…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government issued sharp warnings on Wednesday to paintball gun users, announcing new safety measures while investigations continue into two deaths caused by canisters flying off the guns. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said both deaths occurred after brass valves unscrewed from the pressurized carbon dioxide canisters on the guns, which turned…

By LISA LEFF / Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The debate over marriage for same-sex couples has forced journalists to rethink long-standing notions about objectivity, language and their audience, according to a panel of media professionals. Whether the gay civil rights battle can be compared to the struggle for equality fought by black…

By EILEEN ALT POWELL / AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Jenniffer Scheideler filed her income taxes electronically for the first time this year and found it fast and fun. Confined to a wheelchair with multiple sclerosis, Scheideler, 26, of New Milford, Pa., must depend on others to drive her, so “I can’t just…

By GINA HOLLAND / Associated Press Writer Kindergarteners and their teacher Stephanie Herndon, right, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, Wednesday, March 24, 2004, at Townsend Elementary School in Del City, Okla. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Steve Sisney) WASHINGTON (AP) — The case before the Supreme Court drew a varied crowd: Christians, atheists, politicians, educators and a…

By JASON STRAZIUSO / Associated Press Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the sink-or-swim approach that first-year teachers have endured for decades, Sabrina Scott-Feggins was hired, thrown into a classroom and told to teach. There was no guidance, and little help. Times have changed. Instead of watching other new teachers struggle through the same process, Scott-Feggins…

By SONJA BARISIC / Associated Press Writer A “Bucket of Blood,” and a cardboard caricature of Colonel Sanders are shown in an undated photo released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (AP Photo) NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The animal-rights activists who once suggested Ronald McDonald was a bloody butcher are going after Colonel…