COOKEVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Kareem Grant scored 31 points and hit seven 3-pointers in leading Tennessee State over Tennessee Tech 72-63 on Saturday. Grant sank 16 of 23 shots overall, including 7 of 10 3-pointers for Tennessee State…

By Duane Sherrill / Columnist Why aren’t the Seahawks getting any respect despite having the best record in the NFC?At last check, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a four-point favorite against the Seahawks in next week’s Super Bowl. This lack of respect for the Hawks comes despite the fact they finished 13-3 during the regular season,…

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Middle Tennessee cruised to a 73-59 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday behind 21 points from Adam Vogelsberg. Middle Tennessee (10-9, 3-4 Sun Belt) scored 30 points off turnovers by Louisiana-Lafayette (5-14, 1-7). The game…

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard The Warren County Elementary Basketball Association’s championship tournament tips off Monday night at the Charlie Dalton Gym, with Eastside’s girls and Dibrell’s boys entering as the No. 1 seeds.With the tournament going to a five-team format this year, the top three seeds on the boys’…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The wakeup call apparently didn’t come until No. 3 Memphis got behind. The Tigers seemed a little groggy for the noon start before shaking off the cobwebs and running away for a 94-61 victory…

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Thirteen people have been indicted in a drug trafficking ring that allegedly moved more than a ton of marijuana over a period of 10 years, federal authorities said. The defendants are charged with conspiracy…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce is preparing for a visit to the city by President Bush next week. Local business leaders have been invited by the chamber to a Wednesday morning speech at…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — An industry trade magazine has ranked Nashville No. 1 for businesses seeking to expand or move for the second year in a row. State leaders touted the ranking by Expansion Management, a 45,000 circulation…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A former state employee was sentenced Friday to two years in federal prison for her role in a conspiracy to award fraudulent driving documents to illegal immigrants. Blanca Tovar also must spend two years…

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — An East Ridge driving school was searched as part of a federal investigation into a scheme to fraudulently obtain driving licenses and certificates for illegal immigrants. The investigation, code-named Operation Crooked Highway, led to…