DYERSBURG, Tenn. (AP) A live-in baby sitter police initially thought was a woman but turned out to biologically be a man has been indicted on kidnapping charges, authorities say. Edward Sadowski, also known as Erika Sadowski, is accused of taking two children and keeping them from their home in West Tennessee for close to 14…

NASHVILLE (AP) GORE Former Vice President Al Gore got the same question at a hometown book signing Friday that he gets all over the world when pitching his documentary and book on global warming. Will he run for president in 2008? “I’m not planning on it, but thanks for encouraging me,” was the pat answer…

(AP) Some examples of corporate investment in Tennessee and how they may be affected by the new tax incentives: ? BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has announced its new Chattanooga headquarters project will cost nearly $300 million ? up from previous estimates of $226 million. That would put the insurance company over the $250 million tax…

Thomas Vaughn Last Thursday, the United States Senate rejected two proposals for timetables for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.?The discussions and debates were long, lively, sometimes contentious, but mostly civil. The most radical proposal, predictably, was from Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. He urged his colleagues to vote for ?redeployment? of all U.S. troops from Iraq…

Morton Kondracke Political Washington, D.C., was understandably fixated on the outcome of the June 6 congressional race in San Diego as a harbinger for November’s elections. But the defeat of California’s Proposition 82 could end up being more important for the country’s future. Proposition 82 would have committed America’s largest state to provide preschool education…

Guest Editorial: By Bill Zechman Two governing bodies that affect our lives and fortunes considered pay raises for their own members last week. After a short debate and some jostling with an amendment, the Warren County Commisson rejected a salary hike that might have boosted the annual earnings of each of the 24 members by…

Lisa Hobbs I understand why there needs to be a ban against hand-held cellphone use in vehicles. Some people seem to be having a problem. I think having one hand on the wheel and one hand on the phone, as well as concentrating on a conversation while concentrating on the road, might be a bit…

WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court made it easier Thursday for workers to show they suffered retaliation after accusing employers of discrimination. By a 9-0 vote, the justices said that Sheila White, a Tennessee railroad forklift operator, was improperly punished when her employer suspended her for 37 days over a Christmas holiday and reassigned her to…

Dave Ramsey Dear Dave,My wife is divorcing me, and we just had our first baby boy. I feel it?s my responsibility to take care of her until the divorce is final and to keep her in a safe vehicle. Right now she?s driving a 1982 Honda Civic, and it?s so small any kind of wreck…

James Clark photo Wilcher?s Sawmill has expanded to open Wilcher?s Quality Metal and Building Supply on Sparta Highway. The new business will have its grand opening with hamburgers and hotdogs this Friday. Pictured, front row, from left, are Debra and Holly McBride. Back row, Morgan Wilcher, Michael Lockhart and David McBride.