SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Lawmakers voted Saturday to ban the sale of violent or sexually explicit video games to minors in Illinois, a move other states and cities have tried but federal courts have repeatedly struck down. The measure now goes to Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who proposed the ban late last year after hearing…

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Fans of roller coasters that launch like rockets, gravity-smashing spin rides and water park splashes are in for a treat this year. After a few years of belt-tightening, theme and amusement park owners have spent big bucks improving their attractions following their strongest attendance period last year since the 2001 terrorist…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 800 convicted sex offenders in 14 states got Medicaid-funded prescriptions for Viagra and other impotence drugs, according to a survey by The Associated Press. The majority of the cases were in New York, Florida and Texas. Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, is administered differently in every state. Thus,…

NEW YORK (AP) — Even God is vulnerable to low television ratings. CBS’ decision this month to cancel the drama “Joan of Arcadia” after two seasons has baffled and angered its fans. Many are peppering CBS and anyone who will listen with e-mails trying to find some way to keep the series alive. It’s a…

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY / AP Music Writer WOMACK Lee Ann Womack admits she was a bit nervous when she released her latest record, “There’s More Where That Came,” after a three-year absence. But her fears that fans were over her proved unfounded. Her latest album, with its stripped-down sound and retro feel, has garnered…

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) — The caller’s voice is tentative, shaky — a little guarded. Listening to her, Amanda Horowitz can hear children chattering in the background. Maybe, she thinks, they’re the kids this woman is calling about. “Are you concerned about someone in the children’s life that may be at risk to sexually abuse them?”…

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush is marking this Memorial Day weekend with words honoring men and women who have died in the nation’s service to provide freedom for Americans today. “Our citizens live in freedom because patriots are willing to serve and sacrifice for our liberty,” Bush said Saturday in his weekly radio address. On…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Some former workers with a Cookeville trucking company are trying to challenge their layoffs because they didn’t get the required 60-day warning they would be out of work. “They didn’t tell us until it already happened,” said Kristy Law, who worked at Service Transport’s service department in La Vergne for seven years…

NASHVILLE (AP) — A Nashville mother faces criminal charges after she hired a stripper to dance at her 16-year-old son’s birthday party. Anette Pharris, 34, and four others were indicted by a grand jury on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and involving a minor in obscene acts. “It’s a bunch of…

NASHVILLE (AP) — A suspect who police said had just put a rock of crack cocaine in his mouth died about an hour after he was stunned with a Taser, but a preliminary autopsy Saturday determined he choked to death. Nashville officers were using the stun gun to try to get Walter Lamont Seats, 23,…