NASHVILLE (AP) — The son of late NFL Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton signed Monday as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans. Jarrett Payton, a running back from the University of Miami, joined 26 other free agent signings by the Titans. Payton ran for 985 yards and seven touchdowns in his final…

By DUNCAN MANSFIELD / Associated Press Writer KNOXVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority has applied with two different groups for Energy Department funding that could lead to the next generation of nuclear power plants in the United States. “This is not something that is going to happen next year, obviously,” TVA director Bill Baxter…

By BILL POOVEY / Associated Press Writer CHATTANOOGA (AP) — As a descendant of American Indians who settled near the Tennessee River, Corky Allen applauded Monday as Gov. Phil Bredesen donated state land for a unique national park. Allen, wearing a red feather in a black cap with a “Euchee” symbol that he identifies as…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Tennessee state troopers will soon carry Bushmaster semiautomatic AR-15-type assault rifles on patrol, the Tennessee Highway Patrol announced. The THP is buying 1,000 of the weapons to give troopers “the ability, if they have to, to resort to deadly means of force that is also an accurate means of force,” Lt. Rex…

By SCOTT REEVES / Associated Press NASHVILLE (AP) — A new law is intended to strengthen the state’s Do-Not-Fax program by shifting the burden to companies sending unsolicited advertising by fax. The law signed last week by Gov. Phil Bredesen requires companies to obtain permission from the recipient before sending a commercial fax. The old…

KNOXVILLE (AP) — The potential invasion of a new disease that could damage or kill oak trees and other plants has Tennessee agricultural officials scrambling to prevent it. The fungus-like pathogen commonly known as Sudden Oak Death has already had a negative impact in the western United States. It was first reported in 1995 in…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — The state has spent almost $500,000 so far to defend convicted rapist and accused serial killer Thomas Dee “Zoo Man” Huskey, the most expensive criminal defense in state history, officials said. Legal expenses for Huskey exceed $483,878, which includes the cost of his lawyers and defense experts, according to officials at the…

By TOM SHARP / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Phil Bredesen this week will submit to the Legislature what he calls the nation’s most restrictive driver’s license policy. Bredesen proposed a change to the state’s driver’s license law earlier this year; the new version is slightly more restrictive. Several lawmakers have been attempting…

By JOHN GEROME / Associated Press Writer Loretta Lynn poses in the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., in this undated photo. Muddy electric guitars swirl as Lynn sings about a woman on death row. (AP Photo/Force Inc., Russ Harrington) NASHVILLE (AP) — Eerie guitar licks creak and swirl as Loretta Lynn sings about a woman…