Hermitage resident John Howard Locke, 82, died Oct. 26.A member of Hermitage Church of Christ and a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Kathy Locke Smith; and brother, Aubrey Locke.He is survived by his wife, Curlene Locke; daughters and sons-in-law, Patsy and Terry Cobb, Brenda and…

By MATT SLAGLE / AP Technology Writer Halloween has long been an excuse to dress up, go door-to-door and beg for large quantities of candy. If you’d rather be horrified from the comfort of home, video games can provide a nerve-racking alternative to H.P. Lovecraft novels or slasher flicks starring Jason and a gang of…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration’s long-awaited plan on how to fight the next super-flu will likely include beefed-up attempts to spot human infections early, both here and abroad. Expect recommendations on how to isolate the sick. Governors and mayors are on notice to figure out who will actually inject stockpiled vaccines into the arms…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saddam Hussein accepted an 11th-hour offer to flee into exile weeks ahead of the U.S.-led 2003 invasion, but Arab League officials scuttled the proposal, officials in this Gulf state claimed. The exile initiative was spearheaded by the late president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al…

NEW YORK (AP) — John Fogerty is back on Fantasy Records. Most music fans would gloss over such a small detail, but for years that simple statement was about as realistic as Neil Armstrong flying back to the moon. When the California-based record label was sold last year, it ended one of the most famously…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald will not produce a report that ties up all the loose ends of his nearly two-year investigation into the leak of the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame. Despite the indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, several important questions are unanswered:…

NEW YORK (AP) — The door to a Hunter College lecture hall opens, and in steps Madonna. There’s no tweed for this professor-for-a-day; she wears a black dress and form-fitting boots that stretch to her knees. She’s the latest participant in “Stand In,” one of MTV Networks’ hottest features, particularly given its brevity and relative…

By DAVID GERMAIN / AP Movie Writer California’s future is at stake, and it’ll take a big-screen action hero to set things right. His name doesn’t begin with A, as in Arnold; it begins at the end of the alphabet. “The Legend of Zorro” reunites Antonio Banderas as the masked swordsman who fights for the…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The prosecution’s conclusion: Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff zealously pursued information about a critic who said the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to make the case for war. The view of the president and vice president: I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby is a dedicated public servant who has worked tirelessly on behalf…

WASHINGTON (AP) — How does George W. Bush find the path to recovery after a week of bad news staggered his presidency? The week that was: conservatives in the president’s own party hounded him into withdrawing Harriet Miers’ Supreme Court nomination; the U.S. death toll in Iraq surpassed 2,000; and Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief…