McMinnville resident and Danville, Ill., native Martha Jo Bratcher, 67, died June 3 at her home.A retired educational assistant at Warren County Middle School and a member of Ivy Bluff Church of Christ, she was the daughter of the late Wiley and Mabel Mason Todd; and was preceded in death by sisters, Dorothy Crowley and…

McMinnville resident and Van Buren County native Casteen Vivian Hillis, 81, died May 31 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville after a brief illness.A retired factory worker with McMinnville Garment and a member of the Church of Christ, she was the daughter of the late Hershel and Avo Cole Moore, and was preceded in death…

NEW YORK (AP) — Perhaps because he was busy with other things — like the news, for instance — Brian Williams let last week’s minor milestone of six months since replacing Tom Brokaw as NBC’s chief anchor go unnoticed. “Here is the God’s honest truth,” Williams said. “Until your phone call, I had not realized…

NEW YORK (AP) — While Congress and the White House wrangle over federal policy on illegal immigrants, states and cities are wrestling with ways to accommodate their children — most of them U.S.-born American citizens, all with full rights to public education. The debate is often bitter and unpredictable as politicians argue whether to expand…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Southern states are preparing to grovel over gravel once again, but this time they’ll be doing so as allies, not competitors. With Congress poised to devote nearly $300 million as early as this summer for highway construction and upkeep, the region’s political leaders are determined to finally put their territory on the…

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s the day the music died. WCBS-FM, the top oldies station in the nation for more than three decades, stunned its legion of listeners by abruptly switching formats this weekend. Goodbye, Buddy Holly and the Beach Boys. Hello, Duran Duran and Jet. “I’m sure this move angered and bewildered its listeners,”…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The days of buying some cold remedies off the shelf in drug stores soon may be gone, a casualty of the methamphetamine epidemic. Already more than a dozen states have laws that require retailers to sell Sudafed, Nyquil and other medicines only from behind the pharmacy counter. Now Congress is working on…

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — Bending the ears of lawmakers and their constituents, President Bush used his weekly radio address Saturday to ask Congress to set aside partisan differences and act on energy, trade and spending issues and fix Social Security. Bush said that by Congress’ August recess he wants an energy bill on his desk…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Plenty of vacation guides list camps that allow dogs or rank pet-friendly hotels, but until now there’s been no way to know which airlines are safest for four-legged travelers. That’s about to change. Starting June 15, airlines must report how many pets are killed, lost or injured on their flights. The government…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Southern rock died as a distinct genre in the 1980s, but the raw, scruffy spirit of the music made by groups like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers is alive and well in contemporary country. Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson and Shooter Jennings echo Southern rock’s 1970s heyday. Brothers Johnny and Donnie Van…