CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — State Department of Human Services officials expect to have 2,000 pending TennCare appeals hearings completed by Dec. 13, officials said. About 3,300 hearings had been held as of Nov. 21, said Michelle Mowery Johnson,…

HOUSTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Calling the Bowl Championship Series “deeply flawed,” the chairman of a congressional committee has called a hearing on the controversial system used to determine college football’s national champion. A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, charged…

HOUSTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — To earn the same $700,000 that every other school in the Big 12 will receive from Saturday’s conference championship game, Texas has to work a little harder. The Longhorns must play a team they’ve already…

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Florida State coach Bobby Bowden picked up the phone Monday and called, of all people, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. Bowden wanted advice. Nothing could have said more about the revamped Atlantic Coast Conference:…

LOS ANGELES Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The UCLA-Southern California game used to be a big deal, and not just because of their intense rivalry. That hasn’t been the case in recent years. But it’s a big deal now — a…

ATLANTA Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — LSU will get a chance to do some scoreboard-watching Saturday, hoping against long odds that the Southeastern Conference championship game leads to the chance to play for an even bigger title. A lot has to…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Tennessee freshman LaMarcus Coker will be sidelined for spring practice after undergoing open shoulder surgery, team officials said Friday. Coker was discharged from the hospital Friday after the surgery to repair torn ligaments. His…

INDIANAPOLIS Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Top draft pick Marlin Jackson might make his first NFL start for the Indianapolis Colts if veteran cornerback Nick Harper is unable to play Sunday. Harper has yet to practice this week after straining his…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Military officials for the first time Friday detailed and broadly defended a Pentagon program that pays to plant stories in the Iraqi media, an effort the top U.S. military commander said was part of an…

BELLEVILLE, Ill. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A lawsuit seeking to potentially cover hundreds of thousands of America Online Inc. subscribers accuses the Time Warner Inc. unit of illegally billing customers by creating secondary accounts for them without their consent. The…