By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard With the second section of the downtown project set to officially begin in the next couple of weeks, affected parties are gearing up for more street closures.Until recently, most traffic has been able to access East Main Street via Morford Street and Court Square while…

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard What used to the be the Park Theater needs a lot of work, Park Theater Group events committee chairman Kory Boyd says. Members of the group are involved in a variety of efforts to restore it. Just because Main Street has been under construction doesn’t…

By KEN THOMAS / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — A light on motorists’ instrument panels will soon warn them when a tire is underinflated. The safety regulation, issued by the government Thursday, has its roots in the Firestone tire recall of 2000. It requires new passenger cars to have tire pressure monitoring systems in place…

By LIBBY QUAID / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — There is food, and then there is superfood. Salmon, trout and albacore tuna may reduce the risk of heart disease. So may olive oil, almonds, walnuts, Cheerios and Boca Burgers. These foods, which go beyond basic nutrition and help fight disease or make you healthier, are…

By ERIN TEXEIRA / AP National Writer NEW YORK — Though income and education gaps between black and white Americans have narrowed significantly, black households still have barely one-tenth the net worth of white households, according to a new National Urban League report. Middle class blacks’ tenuous hold on prosperity reflects racial discrimination in housing…

By BEN FELLER / AP Education Writer WASHINGTON — After two years at Northland Pioneer College, many students are ready for a career or advanced university work — and some of them aren’t even finished with high school yet. The northeastern Arizona community college offers dual enrollment, which allows students in high schools to take…

By CHELSEA J. CARTER / AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Something must be wrong in the land of Muppets. First PBS announced that “Sesame Street” would kick off its 36th season this week with a multiyear story arc about healthy habits. No problem there; childhood obesity rates are soaring. Then I learned of…

By MARY DALRYMPLE / AP Tax Writer NEW ORLEANS — Attracted by radio announcements, TV ads and word of mouth, more than 3,000 people have sought out free filing help this tax season at the nonprofit Total Community Action center. Such volunteer sites may well find more traffic under a Bush administration plan to close…

By FRAZIER MOORE / AP Television Writer NEW YORK — For some viewers, NBC’s miniseries based on the Book of Revelation may seem the latest signpost on the road to Armageddon. “Revelations” premieres less than two weeks after the death of Pope John Paul II. Meanwhile, the right-to-die battle waged over Terri Schiavo echoes in…

KINGSPORT (AP) — The Iraqi people have the same hopes and desires as Americans — to live without fear in a society where they can make something of themselves — says a Kingsport doctor who served in the country with the Army Reserves. But Americans should “cut Iraq some slack” in comparing the fledgling democracy’s…