ESCANABA, Mich. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Principal Mike Smajda was horrified to learn that one of his first-grade pupils at Lemmer Elementary School had watched “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Not long afterward, the boy was playing in a leaf pile…

CHICAGO Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Leave it to the Dutch to help demonstrate the health benefits of chocolate. A study of older men in The Netherlands, known for its luscious chocolate, indicated those who ate the equivalent of one-third of…

WILLOW GROVE, Pa. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Max and Leo race around one of the kennel’s two-room doggie suites, still filled with boundless energy even after a day of treats and activities. “You want me to read a story?” says…

WASHINGTON Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A variety of interest groups have joined forces to fight a proposed bulk e-mailing fee they claim strikes at the heart of online communication — a level playing field for rich and poor. America Online…

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Divorce put David List and his 2-year-old daughter on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and he worried that she would soon forget him. She hasn’t, though. List’s divorce agreement guaranteed him “virtual visitation”…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The Supreme Court refused without comment to consider an appeal by Tennessee death row inmate Gregory Robinson. Robinson was convicted in 1998 of ordering a Memphis gang to kill Vernon Green, an innocent bystander…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — Nashville will dedicate a new Public Square being converted from a parking lot in honor of the 200th anniversary of the city’s incorporation. The square, which sits next to the Metro Courthouse and overlooks…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — A Tennessee businesswomen’s group is searching for at least 50 female entrepreneurs or senior executives from across the state who are interested in serving on boards for Tennessee companies. Concerned about a lack of…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The state Senate voted Monday to name a Nashville songwriter Tennessee’s poet laureate of Christian country music. Hugh X. Lewis, 73, of Nashville has written more than 250 country and Christian songs that have…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh says it was a coincidence that he happened to be in a Nashville courtroom on the day a judge decided to dismiss more than 70 tickets. The Covington Democrat said…