WASHINGTON (AP) — Faced with the unprecedented destruction of a major U.S. city and communities across the Gulf Coast, President Bush is using an address to the nation to offer a package of new federal aid to help uprooted hurricane victims rebuild their lives. Bush was announcing his reconstruction plan in New Orleans on Thursday…

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Matching generous tax incentive packages offered by surrounding states is key to attracting more film and television production to Tennessee, according to producers and filmmakers who attended a public discussion hosted by the state’s Film Production Advisory Committee. The committee was established by Gov. Phil Bredesen in May and is composed of…

WINCHESTER (AP) — A suspect has been identified in the shooting death of a store clerk who went missing Christmas Eve, officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Franklin County Sheriff’s office said. Frankie Shea Ledbetter, 20, disappeared from the Whistle Stop Market in Winchester around 11 p.m., and her body was found four…

MEMPHIS (AP) — The Port of Memphis, the nation’s fourth largest inland port, will update its security system as part of a $6.5 million grant from the federal Department of Homeland Security. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Tuesday that Memphis was among 36 cities approved for funds specifically for protecting and securing ports and maritime…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Sweeping ethics reform began to take shape Wednesday amid a show of bipartisanship by legislators charged with drafting new laws in the wake of the Tennessee Waltz scandal. A key Democrat agreed to work with Republican Sen. Mike Williams on his omnibus ethics bill, which proposes everything from tightening up campaign donations…

NASHVILLE (AP) — The estimated count of Katrina evacuees in Tennessee has risen from 15,500 on Sunday to 20,000, state officials said Wednesday. The higher number doesn’t reflect an influx of refugees into the state over the past few days, just a better count of how many are here. “This has always been tricky to…

By ROSE FRENCH / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE — Some 2,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees have applied for unemployment benefits through the Tennessee Department of Labor, officials say. And while many evacuees in Tennessee still aren’t sure if they’ll return to their Gulf Coast homes, there are those who have begun to put down roots. They’re…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A night game in the middle of the week can be an inconvenience for a college football team, with practice schedules juggled and players missing classes. Those often-televised games can also be a nuisance for fans who have to wake-up early the next day. Still, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino doesn’t mind having…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt will honor running back Kwane Doster, who was shot to death in the offseason, with a ceremony at halftime of its home opener against Mississippi on Saturday. Doster was killed in his hometown of Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 26, 2004. The 2002 Southeastern Conference freshman of the year would have been…

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — C.J. Leak doesn’t have a defined role at Florida. It’s not too different from his three years at Tennessee. Leak, the older brother of Gators quarterback Chris Leak, was hired during the offseason to work as an assistant in Florida’s football offices. He does whatever the coaches ask: makes copies, handles…