FYFFE, Ala. (AP) — Once it seemed like everyone on Earth and beyond was watching this northeast Alabama town. A string of UFO sightings spawned international media coverage and a mini-industry in Fyffe in early 1989, with hundreds of people showing up to gaze into the night sky in search of flying saucers. Or whatever.…

WASHINGTON (AP) — National Geographic magazine, known for its breathtaking photography, decided this time a picture wasn’t worth a thousand words — or even six. The single-topic September issue, on the complex problems and promise of Africa, is the magazine’s first cover without a photograph or illustration since 1988 — and only the second since…

NEW YORK (AP) — Befitting any drama about a family that owns a funeral home, “Six Feet Under” gives itself a graceful send-off to end its five-season run. And befitting “Six Feet Under,” this finale is not without tears, histrionics, four-letter words, dark humor and (naturally) death. The Fishers wouldn’t have it any other way.…

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — Like the unsolved crimes he investigates, Detective Scotty Valens has a hidden past. “He’s very much veiled in some mystery about where he came from, how it is he got into the department so quickly, the secrets he holds,” says Danny Pino, who plays Valens on “Cold Case.” “Whenever there is…

(AP) — What do you call a minority that is becoming the majority? News that Texas is the fourth state in which non-Hispanic whites make up less than 50 percent of residents has renewed discussion about whether the term “minority” has outlived its usefulness; critics include both liberals and conservatives. While some think the complaints…

O’DONNELL NEW YORK (AP) — You say you like a drama where aliens imperil planet Earth? Well, brace yourself for three new intruders: ABC’s “Invasion,” CBS’ “Threshold” and NBC’s “Surface.” Or maybe you identify with women torn between career and family. Trading on that theme, “Ghost Whisperers” and “Close to Home” will soon come your…

WASHINGTON (AP) — More teens are saying there are drugs in their schools, and those who have access to them are more likely to try them, said a Columbia University survey released Thursday. Twenty-eight percent of middle-school-student respondents reported that drugs are used, kept or sold at their schools, a 47 percent jump since 2002,…

KNOXVILLE (AP) — A heroin network across Tennessee winds from Mexican distributors to several white middle- and upper-class customers in Knoxville and Nashville, federal prosecutors claim in court records for a drug-trafficking investigation conducted since last year. Six Knoxville residents have been arrested or placed on a federal wanted list, and nearly a dozen in…

RED BANK (AP) — A lot of teenagers will tell you that school stinks, but the ones at Red Bank High have a legitimate gripe. Vandals befouled the suburban Chattanooga building with fecal waste this week, causing the school to close Wednesday. Classes resumed Thursday after the local health department inspected the cleanup. Investigators are…

NASHVILLE (AP) — The State Board of Education is considering a new reading policy that calls for improvement in teacher training and offering more reading instruction and help to students whose reading skills lag behind their peers. Under the proposed policy, all schools would be expected to improve teacher training and provide at least 90…