Bill Goldberg, pro wrestling star of the 90’s, when pro wrestling ruled the entertainment universe, relaxes during an interview Wednesday May 25, 2005 in Atlanta (AP Photo/Gene Blythe) ATLANTA (AP) — In the late ’90s, when pro wrestling ruled the entertainment universe, a man called Goldberg was its biggest star. Snarling, snorting and ripping his…

LONDON (AP) — There will be at least five dozen performers, from Bono to 50 Cent, in five venues across the world, from Rome’s Circus Maximus to the streets of Philadelphia. All will unite behind one simple message for world leaders: end poverty in Africa. Twenty years after he organized the landmark Live Aid concerts,…

NASHVILLE (AP) — The state’s tourism commissioner says promoting Tennessee Civil War sites is unexceptional and thinks a plan to create a larger driving trail could bolster tourism. Susan Hinchcliff Whitaker said that nothing is really working with the state’s current Civil War efforts. But Tennessee could be included as part of a larger driving…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Tennesseans are split on whether the war in Iraq is worth fighting and how quickly troops should leave the country, a new poll shows. The poll of 600 registered Tennessee voters commissioned by the Chattanooga Times Free Press and other news organizations found that 48 percent of voters believe the war was…

KINGSPORT (AP) — The state’s transportation commissioner says he feels frustration when driving through construction projects that are not moving quickly but says the state’s highway network is in good shape. “I try to be patient,” TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely said. “These transportation projects take a while — longer than I would like in many…

NASHVILLE (AP) — State officials say they will begin sending letters next week notifying TennCare enrollees they are being cut from the program. A federal appeals court last week approved Tennessee’s procedures for removing people from TennCare, allowing the state to move ahead with its plans. “If the appeals court had come back and said…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Special education students are having trouble passing the three Gateway exams needed to graduate with a regular diploma, a new state report shows. Starting this year, all students are required to pass the end-of-course exams in biology I, algebra I and English II. The state Department of Education recently conducted a sample…

GATLINBURG (AP) — Scientists have already found 1,600 species of beetles in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and they’re going back for more. Researchers will search the Smokies this month to uncover and collect more species in the park’s third Beetle Blitz as part of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, a project ongoing since…

CROSSVILLE (AP) — A no-kill animal shelter that cares for abused pets from 32 Tennessee counties is closing because of financial troubles. The Road Home Animal Rescue, which serves much of Middle and East Tennessee, will close after the 50 animals on site have been adopted, said founder and director Howard Loftin. Loftin is resigning…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — A Tennessee Higher Education Commission committee is completing its three-year overhaul of the formula used to make budget requests from the state, and the new requirements could be in place by this fall. The commission will vote on the revamped formula July 14 at its annual summer meeting. If approved, the commission…