WASHINGTON (AP) — The 14-hour lines of traffic fleeing Houston — complete with cars that ran out of gas — show that four years after the Sept. 11 attacks, it is difficult to evacuate a major metropolitan area. Experts say the consequences could be far more deadly in the event of a radiological or other…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Military units have been battling the ravages of hurricane winds and flooding for nearly four weeks along the Gulf Coast. Now their leaders must navigate a different turbulent path: Congress. Political leaders led by President Bush are considering how and when the military should take greater control of relief efforts during national…

PERRY, La. (AP) — One by one, they traveled through the floodwaters to get their first glimpse at what happened to their homes, their towns and what once were fields of rice and sugarcane. They came back with stories of flooding to the rooftops, stilts where their houses once stood, coffins and refrigerators bobbing in…

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — Gasoline prices that reached all-time highs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina fell by an average of 20 cents a gallon in the past two weeks as some Gulf Coast refineries resumed production, according to a nationwide survey. The weighted average price for all three grades of gasoline was $2.84 a…

NASHVILLE (AP) — A Vanderbilt football player was shot in the arm and two other players injured at a party in a university apartment building early Sunday, a university spokeswoman said. University officials said George Smith was shot in the arm at about 2 a.m. by someone who is not a Vanderbilt student. He was…

NASHVILLE (AP) — If automaker Nissan decides to moves its North American headquarters from California to Tennessee where the bulk of its production facilities are, experts say it’s likely the company would have to fill much of its work force locally. “When a headquarters comes in, particularly that large a headquarters, not everybody is going…

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Nashville police department is investigating the death of a man who police stunned with a Taser. Patrick Aaron Lee, 21, died Saturday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center after Officer Jonathan Mays and Officer Jamie Scruggs used their Tasers to restrain him late Thursday outside the Mercy Lounge nightclub, police spokesman Don…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Tennessee’s expanded pre-kindergarten program will be in place this week, with hundreds of new classrooms devoted to teaching 4-year olds welcoming students. At a pre-K classroom in Cleveland, teacher Doreen Scott watched last week as Caleb Spires played with toy farm animals. Scott asked about a pig the boy had in his…

By MATT GOURAS / Associated Press Writer FRANKLIN — Gov. Phil Bredesen will be getting a list of ideas for new ethics laws from a special panel later this week, and he said he will push for most of the suggestions. The panel appears to be on the verge of making recommendations stronger than those…