NASHVILLE (AP) — State officials say a program that gives honorary badges and photo identification cards to certain individuals is a way to recognize their contributions in Tennessee, but critics believe it’s an invitation for the well-connected to brandish their influence and try to avoid getting tickets. The photo ID is an exact replica of…

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Interstate 69 is completed and truckers start making the long haul from Canada to Mexico, anyone who gets hungry around mile 760 will be welcome to stop at The White House — Jim Prather’s restaurant in Troy, Tenn. Some business owners along the Interstate 69 corridor are expecting the so-called “NAFTA…

KNOXVILLE (AP) — From restoring the cobblestone walk along the Mississippi River in Memphis to building an advanced materials research institute in Knoxville, a $286.4 billion national highway bill promises more than new concrete to Tennesseans. Two years in the making, the bill passed by Congress a little more than a week ago contains roughly…

NEW YORK (AP) — Susan Udin doesn’t expect problems when the time comes to settle her 92-year-old mother’s estate. Her mother, who lives in a nearby assisted living facility, has a will that divides her assets 50-50 between Udin and her sister. “There’s absolutely no mystery to it,” said Udin, who is 57 and a…

By RACHEL BECK / AP Business Writer NEW YORK — Worries about soaring inflation are starting to seem like childhood nightmares — lots of fear about what looms in the dark, but no evidence it’s really as scary as it seems. Sure, it costs more to fill up at the gas pump and home prices…

By Bruce Williams / Columnist DEAR BRUCE: My mother lives in a house that needs major repair. She wants to sell it and live with my wife and me. If she sells her house, she will realize a gain of about $680,000. Is there any situation that can help her minimize or avoid paying the…

By James Clark I guess I should begin by apologizing to my Business Pulse readers for my behavior over the weekend. It seems in the hours after watching the new “Dukes of Hazzard” movie, I let my emotions get the best of me.I hopped in my Blazer and figured the best way to work the…

McMinnville resident and Warren County native William Eugene Carr Jr., 89, died Aug. 6 at Raintree Manor after an extended illness.A retired farmer and a member of the Baptist Church, he was the son of William Eugene and Beulah Lusk Carr Sr.; and was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Fisk Carr; children, Leonard,…

Yucaipa, Calif., resident and Meridian, Ms., native Douglas Parrish Gunn Jr., 81, died July 27 at Wildwood Canyon Villa after an extended illness.A University of Tennessee graduate and a Westinghouse Electric Corporation sales engineer for 32 years in Portland, Ore., and Walla Walla, Wash., he grew up in McMinnville and graduated from school here. A…