NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Many county heath departments soon will offer primary care services as part of the state’s “safety net” program for adults who lost TennCare coverage and other uninsured Tennesseans. Eight counties already offer primary care…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — State officials say the future of TennCare is brighter following reforms to control costs, but advocates for people dropped from the public health program maintain the changes were unnecessary and plan to keep explaining…

By George Plagenz / Columnist The sanctuary wasn’t much — one end of a vacant store. Instead of stained-glass windows, worshipers looked up at empty shelves that once held things such as aspirin, cough syrup and spray cans of shaving cream.The exterior wasn’t much either. It looked more like — well, a vacant drug store…

By Jim Mullen / Columnist The airlines seem to think the reason they are going out of business has something to do with the high price of gas and the brutal competitiveness of the business.I wonder if there’s more to it than that. Could it be that when I showed up at my local airport…

JERSEY CITY, N.J. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Two police officers in an emergency truck plunged more than 40 feet off an open drawbridge in thick fog. One was killed; the other was missing and feared dead. The vehicle fell into…

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A woman who police thought deliberately tried to swallow her cell phone during an argument with her boyfriend was apparently the victim of an assault instead, authorities said. Police have a suspect in…

ANCHORAGE, Alaska Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Climate change could thaw the top 11 feet of permafrost in most areas of the Northern Hemisphere by 2100, altering ecosystems across Alaska, Canada and Russia, according to a federal study. Using supercomputers in…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Three growing entitlement programs consumed nearly half of all federal spending in 2004, and budget analysts expect them to make up an even bigger share in the future. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid accounted for…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Think popping extra pain pills can’t hurt? Think again: Accidental poisonings from the nation’s most popular pain reliever seem to be rising, making acetaminophen the leading cause of acute liver failure. Use it correctly and…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — President Bush, bruised by months of setbacks, enters the new year hoping to win congressional battles over tax cuts and immigration, get rebellious Republicans back in step and nurture a new democracy in Iraq —…