AYDEN, N.C. (AP) — Don Lloyd stepped up a ladder and dipped his empty bottle into a tank of water that six hours earlier had been flushed out of three nearby pens filled with thousands of hogs. “There, that’s pig water,” Lloyd proclaimed as he held up the bottle and tipped it back for a…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As a member of the Elite Operations Division in the video game “True Crime: Streets of LA,” the character Nick Kang must find his way to a truck heist at the flagship Puma sportswear store. Lucky for him, he has a Motorola handset with built-in global positioning system technology. In the…

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Dillard’s Inc. plans to increase profits by selling more house brands and emphasizing the value of its apparel, the department store chain’s president said Saturday at its annual meeting. Dillard’s, which has 329 stores in 29 states, mainly in the South and West, is viewed by some analysts as a…

By James Clark Kay Hobbs, pictured with Trixie, an American Eskimo spitz, has joined the staff at The Grooming Shop. The store is located at Cumberland Plaza in back of The Pet Shop. The city pool has opened. Summer is here. Rejoice, rejoice.As you can probably tell, I’m excited about the arrival of summer. And…

McMinnville resident and Warren County native Paul Nelson Walker, 77, died May 19 at his home.An employee of Standard Auto Parts for 43 years, a member of Bethel United Methodist Church and American Legion Post 173, he served his country in the U.S. Air Force during World War II.The son of Joe and Aline Cantrell…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard DA investigator Jason Rowland and Police Lt. Derwin Adcock lead Stanard Phillips II in cuffs from the Stroud Street residence where he had been staying illegally for several weeks. (Duane Sherrill photo) A convicted child molester was arrested Friday morning after lawmen raided the home…

NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is facing a new reality: Its customers want more than just the lowest price. The world’s largest retailer, which only a few years ago could do no wrong, is now suffering from the kind of problems that have plagued weaker rivals like Kmart: cluttered stores, merchandise that turned…

By George Plagenz / Columnist This incident happened quite a few years ago. I was a young clergyman driving down the streets of Boston. I made a left-hand turn at a light where it was clearly marked, “No left turn.” A policeman spotted me and pulled me over to the curb.I was wearing a clerical…

By William Rusher / Columnist Bill Clinton’s desire to succeed Kofi Annan as secretary-general of the United Nations when the latter steps down next year has now graduated from the rumor stage to that of a fact as well-established as such a thing can reasonably be at this point in the game.In a way it’s…

By James Clark / Columnist Here’s a hair-brained bill that’s been proposed by your friends and mine in the Tennessee Legislature. This bill, should it somehow eke through and become law, would make parents volunteer in their child’s school for 12 hours a year.The law would apply to parents of children in grades K-4. In…