By MATT GOURAS / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — When Gov. Phil Bredesen unveils his budget to Tennessee lawmakers Monday, he will ask the state to more than triple its spending on pre-kindergarten. Improving preschool education is at the heart of the governor’s agenda for the year — but it may be a tough…

NASHVILLE (AP) — The state will try to get more high school dropouts to earn an equivalency diploma by using money from a federal grant to pay GED test fees for Tennessee residents. James Neeley, commissioner of the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, announced Friday that about $500,000 will pay for roughly 7,000…

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Board of Education tentatively approved a policy that bans the sale or distribution of food in pre K-8 schools that don’t meet certain nutrition standards. The board unanimously voted in support of the regulation on Friday, but it still must go through a public hearing and win a final approval.…

By CHRIS JONES / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE (AP) — Many high school administrators, teachers and students said they are torn about the State Board of Education’s approval Friday of a statewide uniform grading scale. Some contend the change will cause a major shift for public high schools and put several students at a disadvantage.…

NASHVILLE (AP) — A state lawmaker says he thinks a federal judge has overstepped his authority with TennCare and might as well kick Gov. Phil Bredesen out of office while he’s at it. U.S. District Judge William J. Haynes ruled Friday in a seven-page decision that Bredesen cannot reform TennCare by removing 323,000 TennCare enrollees…

By Joan Ryan My friend Susan is showing me the baby’s room with its wood crib and changing table and, in the closet, tiny blue sweaters and mint-green blankets folded in soft stacks like a summer layer cake.Her son is 13 months old, blond, green-eyed, stunning. He’s holding tight to one of Susan’s fingers, lurching…

By Thomas Vaughn President Bush created quite a stir, at home and abroad, with his second inaugural address. He spoke briefly, but boldly, about his grand scheme to spread freedom and democracy around the world. His overall theme would have made Thomas Jefferson proud. In about 21 minutes, he mentioned words like “freedom” and “liberty”…

By Charles W. Johnson It’s odd how words are coined to describe one thing, and then come to be used to represent something totally different. Being a movie lover I’ve always wondered where the term “blockbuster” came from. I’ve heard several theories over the years, one being that the movies are so popular the lines…

Our Viewpoint The normal reaction anytime someone mentions cutting down a tree is: Nooooo!That’s why it was a pleasant change when city officials announced plans to cut down trees around Warren County Courthouse and that announcement wasn’t greeted with an onslaught of resistance. There’s no need for it.Most of the trees surrounding the courthouse are…

Our Viewpoint It’s been a long battle and a battle that’s not over yet. Today is a monumental one for Iraqi citizens as they have a chance to vote in the country’s first free election in 50 years.Iraqi officials are hopeful that around 8 million of the country’s 14 million voters will turn out for…