By LISA HOBBS / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard The city and county have scheduled Feb. 4 as “Welcome Home I-Troop Appreciation Day.”“This is for the veterans who have returned home,” said McMinnville Mayor Royce Davenport. “I want to encourage everyone to attend the parade. We need to show we really appreciate everything these…

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard BENNETT Widespread rumors that a student brought a loaded gun to Warren County High School earlier this week are not true.School officials say there was a threat where a special education student made mention of a gun, but there was never a gun on school property.“There…

MEXICO CITY Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — It has been a trying week for Mexico-U.S. relations: a tense border confrontation between U.S. agents and apparent drug traffickers, a Mexican group’s offer to print maps of the Arizona desert for illegal migrants…

DAVOS, Switzerland Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The global threat that most preoccupies the world’s business leaders is the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, according to a study released Thursday at the World Economic Forum. Other global risks, such as terrorist…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Higher productivity and more jobs fueled growth in the nation’s urban areas in 2004, but declines in manufacturing could spell trouble for the Midwest, according to a new report. The study by Global Insight, released…

ATLANTA Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — On the stage, Thelma Ferguson has the moves, twirling and keeping in step with the other dancers. But she’s only a novice — one of many. The 50-year-old suburban mom is taking dance lessons to…

SAN JOSE, Calif. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — In a sign that video games are becoming more popular as family entertainment, a national survey released Thursday indicates joysticks aren’t just for kids. Thirty-five percent, or about one in three parents, say…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — California became the first state to declare secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant Thursday, putting tobacco fumes in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene because of its link to breast cancer.…

ALBANY, N.Y. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The disparity between rich and poor is growing in America as the federal minimum wage has remained flat for years, union membership has declined and industries have faced global competition, according to a study…

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Tennessee’s rich families have gotten wealthier at a pace that is leaving poor families in the dust, according to a study that supporters of tax system changes said should get Gov. Phil Bredesen’s attention.…