By BILL KACZOR / Associated Press Writer Michigan State University sorority sisters Andrea Kitamura, of Chesterfield, Mich., left, and Amanda Wilcox, of Ann Arbor, Mich., both 21, pause during spring break on Thursday, March 11, 2004, at Panama City Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Bill Kaczor) PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — “Girls Gone Wild” is turning…

By DAVID DISHNEAU / Associated Press Writer FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — One morning last month, WJTM-FM began the day with its usual fare of Christian preaching and prayer. But that afternoon, the programming changed to something that some longtime listeners find offensive — National Public Radio. WJTM, a station reaching 1.2 million listeners on the…

By MARTHA WAGGONER / Associated Press Writer The Rev. Mac Legerton, executive director of the Center for Community Action, stands outside the center in Lumberton, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2004, as he talks about the upcoming bus trip to Washington. (AP Photo/Karen Tam) LUMBERTON, N.C. (AP) — Half a world away from where America spends…

OAK RIDGE (AP) — Tearing down remnants of wartime Oak Ridge is turning out to be more difficult and expensive than predicted. Dismantling the massive K-25 and K-27 buildings where uranium was once enriched for bombs ultimately may cost $400 million to $500 million, up from earlier estimates of no more than $300 million. Shuttered…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — With the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga spending $2.86 million in state money on athletics this year, faculty members requested a report on the cost and benefits of the football program. UTC’s faculty senate voted Thursday to have a panel report in the fall on the “total financial costs of continuing the…

MEMPHIS (AP) — Gov. Phil Bredesen met Friday with Tennessee’s first HOPE scholars, saying the financial benefits of the lottery-funded college scholarship program are “opening a new world of opportunity to these and other students across the state.” Bredesen was joined by state Sen. Steve Cohen in congratulating the 18 students at the University of…

By TOM SHARP / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — The state has agreed to settle two lawsuits over services for mentally retarded citizens at a first-year cost projected at $18 million, which Gov. Phil Bredesen has included in his budget. Two lawsuits were filed four years ago alleging the state was not providing adequate…

NASHVILLE (AP) — An earthquake will jar West Tennessee Saturday and a fleet of planes will be sent over the rippled landscape to shoot pictures of the damage. That’s the scenario for Operation Heartland ’04, one of the largest emergency preparedness exercises in the region. “This is going to really test our capabilities to see…

By MIKE BRANOM / Associated Press Writer ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Mario Moore’s outside shooting allowed Vanderbilt to turn a struggle into a rout. Moore scored a career-best 26 points and hit six 3-pointers, the last breaking open a close game, to lead the sixth-seeded Commodores past Western Michigan 71-58 in the first round of…

By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS / AP Sports Writer Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer gestures as he speaks about players and the upcoming season during a news conference Friday, March 19, 2004 in Knoxville. (AP Photo/Wade Payne) KNOXVILLE (AP) — The competition to find Tennessee’s new starting quarterback started Friday, and coach Phillip Fulmer hopes to…