Virginia Gayle Reagan, 58, died at St. Thomas Hospital after a brief illness. She is survived by her husband, Andrew (Junior) Reagan; sons, Roy and Dennis Reagan; sister, Judy Mason Prosser; four grandchildren, several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother, Geneva Brown (Shaw) and brother, Monroe Reynolds. The Reagans lived…

Jimmie L. McGee, 88, of McMinnville (Irving College community) died Tuesday, Feb. 6 at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville. He was born on Nov. 4, 1918 in Warren County. SSGT Jimmie L. McGee was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving his country during WWII; he fought in battles at Naples-Foggia and Southern France and…

Annie Frances Stewart, 94, of Houston, Texas, formerly of McMinnville, died Tuesday, Feb. 6. Survivors include her daughter Kathleen S. Gunter of Houston, Texas; four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild; and several nieces and nephews. Funeral service is 3 p.m. Sunday in the McMinnville Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at Gardens of Memory.…

Food in America is affordable. According to the latest statistics compiled by USDA?s economic research service, American families and individuals currently spend, on average, just under 10 percent of their disposable income on food. Applying that statistic to the calendar year means the average household will have earned enough disposable income ? that portion of…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Firefighters doused the last flames and watched for hot spots Thursday at a chemical distribution plant that was devastated by fire a day before. Robert Garner, senior vice president of environmental affairs for plant owner Chemcentral Corp., said an environmental team was ready to begin its investigation in tandem with…

LITTLE ROCK (AP) ? Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said Thursday that while he would like to see Chattanooga land a planned Toyota Motor Corp. assembly plant, his state would still benefit if the plant goes instead to eastern Arkansas. Bredesen, speaking in Nashville, denied a report that said his administration had asked Memphis city officials…

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) ? Anna Nicole Smith, the former Playboy playmate whose bizarre life careened from marrying an octogenarian billionaire to the untimely death of her son, died Thursday after collapsing at a South Florida hotel, one of her lawyers said. Smith, 39, collapsed and was unresponsive while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Cafe…

NASHVILLE (AP) ? Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen announced his support Thursday for a statewide ban on smoking in the workplace. Bredesen, a Democrat who is also working to triple the state?s cigarette tax to 60 cents per pack, called the smoking ban ?one of the single biggest things we can do to improve our health…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) ? Tennessee led the nation in prescription drug use and ranked second in prescription drug spending in 2005, according to a report by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. The insurer?s study ?Inside Tennessee?s Medicine Cabinet? found that the state’s prescription drug use stood at 17.3 prescriptions per person compared with the U.S. average of…

Title loan businesses can charge exorbitant annual interest rates, which may explain why there are so many in McMinnville. An anti-predatory lending group is hoping the General Assembly considers legislation to ease the interest rates. MEMPHIS (AP) ? An anti-predatory lending group in Memphis has drafted a bill expected to be considered by the General…