BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) — Hurricane Rita plowed into the Gulf Coast early Saturday, lashing Texas and Louisiana with driving rain, threatening to flood low-lying regions and knocking power out to half a million people as transformers exploded in the pre-dawn sky. Rita made landfall at 3:30 a.m. EDT as a Category 3 storm just east…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Singer Mindy McCready overdosed on antidepressant medication early Friday after quarreling on the phone with the father of her unborn child, police said. She was taken to by ambulance to St. Thomas Hospital where she was in fair condition Friday afternoon, hospital officials said. According to a police report, McCready was talking…

LEBANON (AP) — The judge who ordered a Mexican immigrant to improve her English or possibly lose custody of her daughter has been disciplined by state judiciary officials. Documents from the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary — which is charged with overseeing the conduct of the state’s judges — show disciplinary action was taken against…

NEW YORK (AP) — Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said Friday it will close an undisclosed number of plants as part of a sweeping restructuring aimed at improving its North American tire business and saving up to $1 billion over the next three years. The Akron, Ohio-based company, the world’s largest tire maker, did not…

NASHVILLE (AP) — An audit released Friday showed that the office of Gov. Phil Bredesen failed to file proof that it had reviewed its internal accounting procedures. The regularly scheduled audit, done by Comptroller of the Treasury John Morgan, didn’t find anything wrong with the way Bredesen’s office spent its budget. But the governor’s office…

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — The 101st Airborne Division’s commanding general helped pack up the division’s flag and streamers Friday to carry with him as the 101st continued its latest deployment to Iraq. Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Turner took the colors with him when he boarded a plane for Kuwait on Friday night. They will…

By MATT GOURAS / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE — The Republican business owner who lost a special election in Memphis for state Senate by just 13 votes to Ophelia Ford filed a challenge Friday, saying illegal voters swayed the election. Terry Roland said a review of ballots showed a number of problems, including voters who…

MEMPHIS (AP) — Roy Hallums, an American contractor who was kidnapped in Iraq and held for more than 300 days, says during an upcoming TV interview that his captives used beatings and a gun to force him to criticize the president in a video released to the public. Hallums, 57, describes his experience as a…

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Mark Martin is hoping his version of “old-school racing” will be the order of business Sunday at Dover International Speedway. Martin wants less squabbling, fewer cautions and more hard racing. He agrees with the position of NASCAR, which issued a series of fines, point reductions and threats of even greater punishment…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Nashville defensemen Danny Markov and Kimmo Timonen scored power play goals, and Yanic Perreault added an even-strength goal to lead the Predators to a 3-2 exhibition win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. Aaron Johnson and Jaroslav Balastik scored for Columbus. The Predators are 2-0-0 in the preseason, while the…