NEW YORK (AP) A terrorist plot to flood lower Manhattan by attacking train tunnels under the Hudson River used by tens of thousands of commuters was thwarted before the conspirators could travel to the United States, authorities said Friday. Eight suspects ? including an al-Qaida loyalist arrested in Lebanon and two others in custody elsewhere…

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) For the third straight summer, some illegal immigrants who have been caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are being flown back home. The flights, part of the Homeland Security Department’s so-called repatriation program, aim to reduce the chances of migrants recrossing the porous Arizona border by flying them deep into the interior of…

Chuck Shepherd Ron ?King Suki? King won the U.S. checkers championship in June in Medina, Ohio, claiming the $6,000 first prize by emerging from a field of 41 competitors whose intensity generally rivals that of more popular and complex games. King, the world ?free style? champion, is known as the Muhammad Ali of checkers for…

CLINTON, Tenn. (AP) A 62-year-old woman pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of stealing money from her Anderson County church and was ordered to pay more than $54,000 in restitution. Edna Faye Hamilton was the bookkeeper for 18 years at Pleasant View Baptist Church and was indicted in March on accusations of stealing cash and…

NASHVILLE (AP) HICKEY TennCare director J.D. Hickey, who presided over changes at the state’s expanded Medicaid program that included cutting 170,000 residents off its rolls, is leaving state government for the private sector. Gov. Phil Bredesen on Friday named Darin Gordon, the TennCare Bureau’s chief financial officer, to succeed Hickey. “I want to thank J.D.…

NASHVILLE (AP) Motorists who fail to make room on Tennessee roads for emergency vehicles and law enforcement now face fines as high as $500. Gov. Phil Bredesen, state safety and transportation officials, the Tennessee Trucking Association and local law enforcement unleashed a statewide media blitz Friday to inform drivers of the new ?move over? law…

Charlie Johnson Not long ago I did a column on English errors that really aren?t errors, according to some grammarians at any rate. I personally find this an interesting subject, since English is so riddled with rules, some of which can be broken, and some of which are just broken. Herewith a few more of…

Editorial Our Viewpoint So often the state of Tennessee is ranked near the bottom of national lists. We?re 47th when it comes to high school graduation rate. Only four states have a worse infant mortality rate than Tennessee. The relative health of our residents lags near the back of the pack at 48th. But alas,…

Thomas Vaughn What does the American Dream mean to you??I?ve asked that question often to my Motlow students. Their answers follow the widespread belief that America is a land of opportunity, where individual initiative and hard work lead to economic success. Our faith in the American Dream has persisted through the vagaries of war and…

It’s once again time for the Standard to echo a familiar refrain: Get out and vote. But before you do, it?s important to make an informed decision, to know the people you are selecting to lead this community. That?s why the Standard is holding a candidate forum this Thursday night at the Warren County Administrative…