AP Photo/SABC This video still taken, April 14, 2005, shows chimpanzee Charlie smoking a cigarette at the Bloemfontein Zoo, in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Keepers say Charlie picked up the habit by watching smoking visitors. People toss him the smokes and he puffs away.

HARROGATE (AP) — Statues of Abraham Lincoln are still rare in the South. But in this mountain town on the Kentucky and Virginia state lines, the bronze likeness of the 16th president serves as a reminder that not all Southerners supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. People in this part of Appalachia have a…

NASHVILLE (AP) — State consumer affairs officials fail to take timely action on complaints about businesses and haven’t updated the state’s “Buyer Beware List” since July 2003, according to a recent audit. The audit of the Department of Commerce and Insurance, which covered July 2001 through June 2004, also cites serious database problems — the…

NASHVILLE (AP) — An ethics bill that requires lawmakers and their spouses to disclose sources of income larger than $200 appears to have an exemption: House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. The bill, which is headed for a Senate vote Monday after passing the House last week, includes a loophole that would exempt Naifeh and his wife,…

NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal judge halted his review of the state’s policies and procedures for cutting 323,000 Tennesseans from TennCare, saying lawyers in the case needed to take further action before he could continue. U.S. District Court Judge William J. Haynes Jr.’s decision Friday surprised lawyers on both sides, who had been awaiting his…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Crime on Tennessee’s college campuses went up 6 percent in 2004, including a 25 percent jump in aggravated assaults, according to a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report released Friday. Overall, 8,684 offenses were reported last year, compared with 8,194 in 2003. More than a third of the crimes were related to larceny…

By MARGARET HOBBS / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard The Annual Iris Show, presented by Midstate Iris Association, will be held Sun., May 8 at SunTrust Bank in Murfreesboro.Entries of one stalk per cultivar will be taken from 7 a.m. till 9:30 a.m., with judging taking place at 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The…

By MARGARET HOBBS / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Having a birthday wish granted is wonderful for any of us, but imagine being asked what you would like for your 99th birthday.While getting her hair done at Sue’s Beauty Salon, Hilda Newman was asked by beautician Sue Sullivan what she would like to do…

By MARGARET HOBBS / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard St. Thomas Hospital executive chef Scott Ruse fills Naomi Duke’s plate with garden chicken pockets following his heart-healthy demonstration. (Margaret Hobbs photo) By MARGARET HOBBS / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard(McMinnville, Tenn.)Saint Thomas Health Services are known for saving lives and helping people live…

Monday, April 25WCMS baseball, at WCHS vs. Algood, 5 p.m.Boyd softball, at home vs. Grundy Co., 4 p.m.WCHS tennis, at White County, 3:30WCMS softball, at Tullahoma, 5 p.m./7 p.m.Boyd Middle soccer, vs. WCMS at Pistole Park, 5 p.m.WCHS softball, at Coffee County, 1 p.m. Var./3 p.m. JVBoyd soccer, at York, 5:30WCMS golf, at Riverwatch vs.…