WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans lie awake at night counting sheep — or have a stiff drink or pop an allergy pill, hoping it will make them drowsy. But experts agree all that self-medicating is a bad idea, and the causes of chronic insomnia remain mysterious. Almost a third of adults have trouble sleeping,…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The public’s image of the Supreme Court has eroded over the past few years, with just over half of those in a new poll saying they have a favorable view of the high court. With major changes expected as aging justices leave the bench, 57 percent of people had a favorable view…

NASHVILLE (AP) — A disc jockey has sued Kid Rock for $575,000, claiming the entertainer punched him at an adult entertainment club in February. Jerry Campos of Cedar Hill, Tenn., seeks $500,000 in punitive damages and $75,000 in compensatory damages in the lawsuit filed Monday in Circuit Court. Nick Stern, a spokesman for the singer,…

MEMPHIS (AP) — The sister of former state Sen. John Ford and three state representatives are among 21 people considering a run for the vacated District 29 seat. The filing deadline to become a candidate is one week from Thursday. Ford held the seat for 31 years before resigning May 28, two days after he…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tennessee’s U.S. House members reported a broad range of wealth in their 2004 financial disclosure forms released Wednesday, though none measured up to their millionaire Senate counterparts. Rep. Zach Wamp, a Chattanooga Republican, reported the shortest list of assets — just one account worth $15,000 or less. By contrast, Rep. John Tanner,…

CLINTON (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority announced a $300 million project Wednesday to cut smokestack pollutants at the coal-fired power plant closest to the often-smoggy Great Smoky Mountains. The Bull Run Fossil Plant, which generates enough electricity to light the homes of Chattanooga and Knoxville combined, is getting a scrubber control system that is…

CLINTON (AP) — Tennessee Valley Authority directors say they will balance a staff recommendation for the federal utility’s first electric rate increase since 2003 against efforts by TVA managers to reduce operating expenses. “I think it is incumbent on TVA to do everything it can to reduce its own costs before we go to our…

NASHVILLE (AP) — An anti-tax group is throwing its weight behind the call for tougher ethics laws, saying it is important to also include open government issues in the debate. The Tennessee Tax Revolt has asked its 5,000 members to write the governor and key lawmakers, increasing pressure to make substantial changes to ethics laws…

MEMPHIS (AP) — State Sen. Ward Crutchfield and lobbyist Charles Love pleaded innocent Wednesday to bribery and extortion charges stemming from an FBI sting code named Tennessee Waltz. Crutchfield and four other current or former state lawmakers are accused of taking payoffs to support proposed legislation before the Tennessee General Assembly. Defense lawyer William Farmer…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen’s desire to overhaul the nation’s Medicaid program drew positive remarks from fellow Democrat U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., who’s running for the U.S. Senate. “All of this sounds positive. I haven’t seen the whole plan, so it’s kind of hard to comment,” Ford told the Washington bureau of…