By DAVID ESPO / AP Special Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Buoyed by the prospect of strong gains in Texas, a financial advantage and a relative shortage of competitive seats, Republicans are strongly positioned to hold control of the House in 2004, according to strategists in both parties. At the same time, Democrats point to their…

By CALVIN WOODWARD / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — For all the clumsiness in his claim, John Kerry is hard to refute on the suggestion he’d win a popularity contest against President Bush abroad. Republicans have demanded he name names of leaders supposedly supporting him, chastised him for taking politics beyond the water’s edge…

By MERRILL HARTSON / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush’s re-election campaign is boosting its estimate, to more than $1 trillion, of the amount it claims taxpayers would be billed over 10 years if Democratic rival John Kerry’s spending proposals became a reality. The new figure is about $100 billion higher than a…

By MIKE BRANOM / Associated Press Writer Vanderbilt center Dawid Przybszesski (13) jumps into the arms of one of the Vanderbilt coaching staff members after the team defeated North Carolina State 75-73 in Sunday, March 21, 2004, in Orlando. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Vanderbilt’s Matt Freije shouted at the beginning and…

By ALICIA CHANG / Associated Press Writer Like most yo-yo dieters, Jacqueline Foss struggled with different fad diets only to watch the pounds creep back. Left with little choice, she turned to an unlikely source to help her slim down — the Internet. Foss enrolled in an online diet program where she recorded her weight,…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — A group of inmates at the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville will soon be sharing their cells with four-legged, furry roommates. Beginning July 1, the maximum-security prison will be the first site for Puppies Accomplishing Worthy Service, or PAWS, a dog-training program that eventually may involve prisons across the state. Through…

By MICHAEL P. REGAN / AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A tail wind of improving economic conditions blew many major companies to record revenues in 2003, but none was able to knock Wal-Mart Stores Inc. off the top of the Fortune 500 list. With sales of almost $259 billion — nearly a quarter…

By KARIN MILLER / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — Mental health advocates, always a presence at the Capitol, are particularly anxious this year, concerned about proposed limits on anti-psychotic drugs. Many are worried that Gov. Phil Bredesen’s proposed TennCare overhaul will force them to stop taking drugs that keep them stable, contributing members of…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Students flooding the Tennessee Student Assistance Corp. with applications for financial aid have created a $15 million financial shortfall for the agency, its director said. The TSAC has requested additional funding from the state. The Senate Education Committee last week approved the money, but the measure must be approved by both houses…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — A bill pending in the General Assembly would raise legislators’ salaries for the first time in 16 years, something some lawmakers say is necessary to attract and retain quality members. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Kernell, would bump the salaries from the current $16,500 to $24,600. It’s an amount based on…