WASHINGTON (AP) — The wheels on the bus aren’t the only things going round and round. The dials on the fuel pump are spinning, too, for school districts that face soaring costs just as 25 million children get back on the bus for a new school year. Most buses use diesel fuel, which has jumped…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The case of an Alabama gas station owner fatally run down by a driver escaping with $52 worth of fuel came as no shock to industry experts, who say such behavior is a natural byproduct of skyrocketing gas prices. “As the price of gas climbs, people’s values decline,” said Jeff Lenard,…

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Once again, Iraq’s leaders came to a dramatic last-minute standoff at midnight over a draft constitution. And once again, they could not get a deal. The Shiite-Kurdish faction that runs the country said it had come up with a constitution that would work — but fundamentally transform Iraq from the highly…

President Bush laughs as he poses for a photo with troops upon his departure from the Salt Lake City International airport, Monday, Aug. 22, 2005. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) BOISE, Idaho (AP) — President Bush, defending his Iraq war policy in the face of anti-war opposition and slumping approval ratings, says pulling out before the mission…

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Groups opposed to stricter federal penalties for cockfighting have paid lobbyists close to $600,000 since 1999 to defeat such legislation, federal records show. The United Gamefowl Breeders Association is the most active in supporting those lobbying efforts, according to records and interviews by the Washington bureau of The Knoxville News Sentinel. The…

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The American Medical Association spent $9 million last year lobbying Washington lawmakers directly but also is trying for results by taking its message on the road. The huge doctors’ trade group hopes an ad campaign on impending Medicare cuts will inspire Ohio senior citizens to call Congress. The Ohio campaign to…

NASHVILLE (AP) — One state lawmaker is fighting what he calls “unseemly night-before-session fundraisers” by asking caucus leaders to support a ban on fundraising from Jan. 1 to the end of each legislative session. Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, said he would like to have his suggestion acted on during a special session on ethics this…

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The University of Wisconsin-Madison topped the list of the nation’s party schools Monday despite a decade-long effort by school officials to reduce its reputation for heavy drinking. UW-Madison has ranked among the top party schools on the annual Princeton Review report in 13 out of the 14 years it has compiled…

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Store owners could be sued for causing injuries in a drunken driving accident if they sold gas to an intoxicated driver, the state Supreme Court has ruled. The court was reviewing a lawsuit filed by two men who were severely injured in 2000 when they were struck head-on by Brian Lee Tarver,…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Some lobbyists in Nashville are giving money to legislators and failing to report all the generosity, records show. A Chattanooga Times Free Press analysis of campaign finance records shows 186 lobbyists reported contributing a total of $245,180 to legislative campaigns or political committees last year. Candidate and political committee records show lobbyists…