CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Gov. Phil Bredesen told mayors from Hamilton, Knox and Shelby counties he will not change the state’s education funding formula to give extra money to their public schools in his 2007 budget proposal. Bredesen…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Gov. Phil Bredesen’s campaign for re-election accidentally sent e-mails to about 300 state employees’ e-mail addresses, campaign officials said. The state Republican Party issued a news release about the e-mails Friday afternoon and it…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Last year added five events to the nation’s list of weather disasters that did a billion dollars or more in damage, the National Climatic Data Center said Friday. Four hurricanes and a Midwest drought joined…

RALEIGH, N.C. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Army officials are investigating allegations that members of the celebrated 82nd Airborne Division appear on a gay pornography Web site, a spokeswoman said Friday. Authorities at Fort Bragg have begun an inquiry into whether…

VITERBO, Italy Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — An Italian judge heard arguments Friday on whether a small-town parish priest should stand trial for asserting that Jesus Christ existed. The priest’s atheist accuser, Luigi Cascioli, says the Roman Catholic Church has been…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The first inhalable version of insulin won federal approval Friday, giving millions of adult diabetics an alternative to some of the regular injections they now endure. The Food and Drug Administration said the Pfizer Inc.…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The economy lagged during its last lap of 2005 but still managed to finish the race — for the whole year– with a respectable showing. Gross domestic product clocked in at an annual rate of…

By GREG GIUFFRIDA / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE — The assistant commissioner of the Department of Commerce and Insurance resigned Friday after state Rep. Judd Matheny accused his former political foe of sending defamatory e-mails under someone else’s name. Doyle “Butch” Lewis Jr.’s resignation is effective immediately, according to a statement from TDCI released Friday…

Do you like eating out? Sure you do.In an effort to put residents in touch with some of the menu items available at Warren County restaurants, the Standard offers a guide called Warren County Dining.The 16-page guide contains menus from area restaurants like Charley’s BBQ, J’s Restaurant, Gondola, and Main Street Bakery. The idea is…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard People building or remodeling a home will be held under a tighter smoke alarm requirement aimed at cutting down fatalities which make Tennessee a leader in fire deaths every year.The new law, which took affect Jan. 1, requires smoke alarms to be installed in each…