By JOSEPH WHITE / AP Sports Writer FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — George Mason won its first postseason game in 18 years. The Patriots beat Tennessee 58-55 in the opening round of the NIT on Wednesday night, coach Jim Larranaga’s latest milestone in the steady climb he has produced with the Colonial Athletic Association school in…

By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS / AP Sports Writer KNOXVILLE (AP) — Cedric Wilson and Jason Witten returned to Tennessee on Wednesday to help an old friend impress NFL scouts. Quarterback Casey Clausen, who ended just finished his Tennessee career, was on campus with other former Volunteers participated in Pro Timing Day. Wilson, a receiver during…

NASHVILLE (AP) — BlueCross BlueShield, the state’s largest insurer, agreed Wednesday with HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, to end a long-running dispute over rates at the company’s 14 hospitals in Tennessee. The new contract, which starts April 1 and ends Sept. 30, 2006, includes BlueCross Blue Networks P and C statewide, plus Blue…

By AMBER McDOWELL / Associated Press Writer COOPER NASHVILLE (AP) — A package of bills that would require all Tennessee nursing homes be equipped with smoke alarms and fire sprinklers got a step closer to passage Wednesday with approval by a Senate committee. Sponsored by Sen. Jerry Cooper, D-Morrison, the two bills — which would…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Nearly 60 percent of Tennesseans say they would support a state income tax if it were paired with sales tax cuts, according to a new poll. The poll by Middle Tennessee State University found 59 percent support the measure, down from 62 percent in a MTSU poll last fall but still within…

MT Media Relations BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Marcus Taylor’s three-run homer highlighted a six-run third inning, and Eric Blevins tossed six shutout innings, as Middle Tennessee defeated Samford, 10-0, and swept a two-game series from the Bulldogs at Griffin Field. The Blue Raiders (13-3) used two big innings to post their ninth win in 10 games…

By JEFF DONN / Associated Press Writer BOSTON (AP) — The widely used osteoporosis drug Fosamax keeps strengthening bones for at least a decade, a study found, easing fears that the medicine might eventually boomerang and start making hips and spines brittle and prone to break. The study is the longest test yet of Fosamax,…

By LYNN ELBER / AP Television Writer Neal David Sutz is pictured at his home, Tuesday, March 9, 2004, in Mesa, Ariz. Sutz is a critic of talk show host Phil McGraw of the “Dr. Phil” television show. (AP Photo) LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Neal David Sutz walked through the Paramount studio gate, he…

By ALEX DOMINGUEZ / Associated Press Writer Scientists say an enzyme in the brain that monitors energy in cells also appears to regulate appetite and weight, a discovery that could lead to new treatments for obesity. The enzyme is known as AMP-activated protein kinase, or AMPK. It’s activity is regulated by the hormone leptin, which…