By Jim Miller / Columnist Dear Savvy Senior, Can cancer or a heart attack actually be inherited? I just turned 50 last month and am trying to make some healthy changes, and would like to know if tracing my family’s health history is worth the effort. Fine at 50 Dear Fine, Just as you can…

By Margo Howard / Columnist Dear Prudence: My wife and I are friends with a number of married couples with whom we enjoy socializing. We’re all fairly young, and until two years ago, all of us were childless.Now, three of the couples have children, and while we still enjoy socializing with them, we’ve begun to…

By LONNIE WILKEY / Special to the Southern Standard Terrell Marcom, the 2005 Small Church Pastor of the Year, is modest about the growth he has seen in nine years as pastor of Excell Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tenn.“Clarksville is booming. The city is growing around us,” the McMinnville native said.What’s more, he continued, “there…

Talia Vaughn, 4, enjoys a sandwich Saturday during Central Church of Christ’s Food and Raiment Day. (Bill Zechman photo) Central Church of Christ estimates Saturday’s Food and Raiment Day, a long-running holiday season benefit, served hot meals to more than 250 area citizens while providing for the clothing needs of scores of families.Volunteers delivered homemade…

The Hoppers will be in concert this Thursday at Friendship The Baptist Church in Rock Island. Admission is free, although a love offering is requested. (Photo provided) By this time of year, there’s always an ample supply of excitement and celebration in the air as the holiday season arrives.The beauty and wonder of Christmas will…

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ? A major hotel chain is going smoke-free next month and will add $200 to the bill of anyone who violates the policy, an executive said Monday. Westin Hotels & Resorts is banning smoking…

By RACHEL BECK / AP Business Writer NEW YORK Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ? When major shareholders attack corporate leaders over how they run their businesses and demand big changes, the ultimate goal usually is to send the stock price higher.…

DETROIT Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ? Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday its luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands will no longer advertise in gay publications, but the nation’s second-largest automaker denied that it made the decision under pressure from conservative Christian…

LOS ANGELES Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ? Time Warner Inc. is in discussions about finding a partner to boost advertising revenue at its America Online unit ? but AOL is not for sale, Chief Executive Dick Parsons said Tuesday. “We are…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ? Dozens of corporate and academic leaders pressed the Bush administration on Tuesday for more funding to aid U.S. manufacturing, calling for help in research and development, science education and immigration reforms to help attract the…