DURHAM, N.C. — When he decided to attend Duke University, Ross Goldstein was suddenly alone: He didn’t know anyone else planning to attend the private college in North Carolina, several states away from his New Jersey home. It’s a circumstance freshman college students have faced for generations — having to find a new group of…

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — With the waters receding, New Orleans faces a ghastly task of epic dimensions not seen by an American city in perhaps a century: collecting, identifying and then burying potentially thousands of corpses, many of them bloated, decayed or no doubt mangled beyond recognition. Already, officials said they have 25,000 body bags…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sandy Berger, President Clinton’s national security adviser who was once entrusted with the nation’s most sensitive secrets, was fined $50,000 Thursday for taking classified documents from the National Archives. U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson handed down the punishment in federal court, stiffening the $10,000 fine recommended by government lawyers. Under the deal,…

MIAMI (AP) — Video screens have shown up all over in recent years — cell phones, bathrooms, car head rests, subway cars, even elevators. Next up: a solar-powered video panel embedded in a tombstone that plays a clip reminiscent of “This Is Your Life.” Tasteless, you might say? A magnet for vandals? On the contrary,…

By BILL POOVEY / Associated Press Writer CHATTANOOGA — Days after driving out of New Orleans as the hurricane approached, Courtney Smith called the Red Cross in Chattanooga and volunteered at an evacuation shelter where she is helping more than 100 people survive and locate relatives. For Smith, 24, the hurricane and flooding interrupted her…

By STEVE LAWRENCE / Associated Press Writer SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday he will veto a bill that would have made California the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through its elected lawmakers. Schwarzenegger said the legislation, given final approval Tuesday by lawmakers, would conflict with the intent of voters when…

By ROSE FRENCH / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE — With one of the more robust economies in the Southeast, Tennessee looks attractive to the thousands of jobless Hurricane Katrina evacuees across the state plagued with uncertain futures. Many say they want to begin their new lives here and have already started looking for jobs, according…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When former hostage Roy Hallums called his daughter early Wednesday from Iraq with news of his rescue, he apologized for causing her so much grief and pain. After gunman abducted Hallums along with two other foreigners from a Baghdad office last November, his family worked tirelessly for the Memphis, Tenn., man’s…

NEW YORK (AP) — Lee Ann Womack’s return to rootsy country was richly rewarded Wednesday as she received six Country Music Association Award nominations, tying her with Brad Paisley as the most nominated artist. Womack’s album “There’s More Where That Came From” was nominated for album of the year and “I May Hate Myself in…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — After an inspection that cost $478,386, Tennessee transportation officials are removing improperly installed highway guardrail posts amid an ongoing state investigation of the work TDOT spokeswoman Kim Keelor said inspectors had a list of items to look for during their review. “We never were able to come up with a method to…