LADY LAKE, Fla. (AP) ? Pulling blue tarps over the houses that still had walls, neighbors, jail inmates and National Guard troops picked up amid rain showers Saturday from dead-of-night thunderstorms that chewed through the middle of Florida, killing at least 20 people. The victims ranged from a 92-year-old man to 17-year-old Brittany May, killed…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) ? Rumors are swirling that Toyota Motor Corp. is close to making an announcement about where it will build its next U.S. assembly plant. But if a decision is coming soon, nobody’s talking. “We are actively looking at sites,” said Dan Sieger, a spokesman for Japan’s top automaker, and that’s the most anyone…

By DUANE SHERRILL A 100-person docket was heard Thursday by Judge Larry Ross in General Sessions Traffic Court. Included in traffic court action: ? Harold Ferrell Jr. was ordered to serve 120 days of an 11-29 sentence, pay $1,100 plus costs and lose his license for three years for third-offense DUI. ? Tony D. Pack…

The Great Race, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, is one of the premier cross country automotive events in the nation. The internationally known automobile enthusiast event, ?Great Race? has announced that McMinnville will be an official host city for ?Great American Race 2007.? The cross-country race for classic cars, hot rods and muscle cars…

Aside from leaving the Nursery Capital with a wintery landscape and giving students a break from classes, the first measurable snowfall of the year did little to disrupt normal travel. ?It all went pretty good and the roads stayed clear,? said Levie Glenn, assistant superintendent of the Warren County Highway Department. ?We got out on…

By DUANE SHERRILL Charges have been changed to second-degree murder for a man accused of shooting his ex-brother-in-law to death during a dispute in the Rocky River community last weekend. The suspect, Jimmy McCormick, 33, now stands charged with the Class A felony of second-degree murder, which, if convicted, could cost him 15 to 25…

By DUANE SHERRILL Cellphone pictures showing accused killer Mary Winkler sitting at a restaurant bar on New Year?s Eve, smoking and drinking, have caused a stir in what had become a quiet pre-trial haven for the widow of slain preacher Matthew Winkler. ?What were we supposed to do, sit home and cry?? said Winkler?s friend…

By Kathryn Lopez Now that Hillary has declared that she is “in it to win,” the 2008 presidential cycle promises to be the mother of all presidential cycles. If you think national politics have overdosed on estrogen after San Francisco congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s elevation to Speaker, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The night she took…

By James Clark People opposed to raising the minimum wage can spout a variety of statistics that indicate such a move will cripple American businesses. While you can jostle statistics to support just about any claim, there?s one figure that can?t be manipulated ? the federal minimum wage has not been increased since Sept. 1,…

By Troy Senik The Senate is continuing the debate over increasing the federal minimum wage from its current rate of $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour. With the House approving its version on Jan. 10, and the tentative endorsement of President Bush, the Senate?s vote on a minimum wage spike appears contingent on a…