Our Viewpoint When Phil Bredesen was elected Tennessee governor, he inherited a state up to its neck in financial woes. There were also rumblings that much of the state’s budget trouble had to do with closed-door discussions where lawmakers conducted deals free of public and media scrutiny.To abruptly halt those problems, Bredesen managed to pull…

By Mark A. Halcomb / UT Area Nursery Specialist Note: MTNA will not meet this month.I have needed this written documentation of this common problem for years. I finally found an easy-to-understand explanation.I have always felt lacking in my explanation of gummosis when visiting a good grower with a nice block of cherries. Last fall…

By J. Dale Beaty / Extension Leader It seems it was only a few weeks ago I put the lawnmower in the garage for the winter. It looks like that it may be time to get it out this weekend and see if the darned old thing will start.Now I don’t really mind mowing the…

BABY GIRLAnna Brooke Jones, daughter of Travis and Andrea Jones, was born Jan. 13 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20-1/2 inches in length. Her grandparents are Mark and Paula Prater; Linda Jones and Clifton Jones.

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Two teens were injured Tuesday morning, one critically, when their four-wheelers collided behind a residence on Old Rock Island Road.The most critically injured of the teens, Brandon Robbins, 14, was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center by LifeFlight helicopter. The other victim, Nicholas Locke, 14,…

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard COOPER A four-lane highway from McMinnville to Woodbury finally appears ready to hit the road, according to Gov. Phil Bredesen.Bredesen announced Monday morning that, after years of discussion, money has been earmarked for the first phase of a project which would transform Highway 70S (Nashville Highway)…

By MIKE GLOVER / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — John Kerry says he stands by his claim that some foreign leaders privately support him against President Bush. The White House, casting doubt on the Democrat’s credibility, suggested he was lying. “I’m not making anything up at all,” Kerry told The Associated Press in an…

By BEN FELLER / AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s schools, under deadline to get a top teacher in every core class, have won some wiggle room in areas where the task hasn’t survived a collision with local reality. Rural teachers, science teachers and those who teach multiple subjects will get leeway in…

The Nashville City Paper The Nashville-area job picture is expected to improve this spring, as 41 percent of surveyed companies report they intend to hire staff during the second quarter of 2004, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook.

The Nashville City Paper Proposed legislation to ban a state specialty license plate bearing a Confederate flag is unconstitutional, according to an opinion by state Attorney General Paul Summers.