MEMPHIS (AP) — Terry Roland, the Republican who lost a special election for state Senate by 13 votes to Democrat Ophelia Ford, was expected to meet with Shelby County elections officials Thursday to discuss his requests for voting evidence. Roland lost to Ford by a vote of 4,333 to 4,320. Ford’s brother, John Ford, represented…

By LUCAS L. JOHNSON II / Associated Press Writer MEMPHIS — A court hearing Thursday is expected to make clear whether a former state senator will continue to fight charges that he accepted payoffs from undercover FBI agents. Former Sen. Roscoe Dixon, a Memphis Democrat, is one of five current or former state lawmakers arrested…

JOHNSON CITY (AP) — Upper East Tennessee is parched from a lack of rainfall, with lake levels dropping and the dirt cracking. The Tri-Cities of Bristol, Johnson City and Kingsport have gotten less than an inch of rain this month, which is 2.41 inches below normal. There’s no significant chance of rain in the short-term…

NASHVILLE (AP) — A citizens advisory group has recommended a route for the northern section of Appalachian Corridor J, a proposed state route that will traverse the Cumberland Plateau north-south from the Kentucky border to Chattanooga. The Citizens Resource Team was charged with selecting a route from Interstate 40 in Cookeville up to Kentucky that…

By GARY TANNER / Associated Press Writer SMYRNA — Two groups of refugees totaling 120 from Hurricane Katrina were flown into Smyrna on Wednesday and will be housed in shelters here and in Milan, a state spokeswoman said. The evacuees were relocated from Beaumont, Texas, in advance of Hurricane Rita, which was moving toward that…

By MIKE HARRIS / AP Motorsports Writer Tony Stewart is red hot, Roush Racing has half the 10-man field and Ryan Newman owns the first win of this year’s 10-race NASCAR playoff. Yet Jeremy Mayfield still considers himself every bit as much a contender in the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship as any of…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Randy Robitaille had a goal and two assists, and starting goalie Chris Mason stopped 16 of 17 shots Wednesday night to lead the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues in the exhibition opener for both teams. Scott Hartnell and Ryan Suter each had a goal and…

By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS / AP Sports Writer KNOXVILLE — Tennessee fans aren’t the only ones noticing how differently quarterback Erik Ainge has played so far compared to a year ago. Ainge, a sophomore, was the starter in the middle of last season and may be most noted for leading the Volunteers to a win…

By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS / AP Sports Writer KNOXVILLE — Considering the way No. 10 Tennessee’s offense and special teams have struggled, the Volunteers may need to count on the defense to put points on the board. Tennessee held Florida to a touchdown and three field goals and sacked Chris Leak five times, but it…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher needs only one victory to become the 34th NFL coach with 100 career victories. Asked about reaching the century mark Wednesday, he gave all the credit to his players. “I haven’t had much to do with our wins around here. It’s the players that’ve been doing that,” Fisher…