(AP) ? After a loner armed with assault weapons turned a scenic resort into a mass of mangled bodies and thrashing injured in 1996, Australia took quick and decisive action. Twelve days later, the government pushed through a tough ban on semiautomatic rifles. Australia, which had been bloodied by 13 mass shootings in the 15…

WASHINGTON (AP) ? In a bold wartime challenge to President Bush, the Democratic-controlled Congress cleared legislation Thursday to begin withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later. The White House dismissed the legislation as ?dead before arrival.? The 51-46 Senate vote was largely along…

MEMPHIS (AP) ? Jurors deciding the fate of a once-influential state senator charged with extortion and bribery failed to reach a verdict on their second day of deliberations Thursday and were to continue working Friday. The jurors must decide if former Sen. John Ford took illegal payoffs in stacks of $100 bills from an undercover…

By Jim Mullen Will I be the last person in the world to buy a $4,000 flat-screen plasma TV? I see the ads in the paper every day and all I can think is “Where is everyone getting $4,000?” The last time I had an “extra” $4,000 I wasted it on food, taxes and health…

Kara Beth Nunley will become the bride of Paul Nathan Hurst during a wedding ceremony taking place May 19 at Central Church of Christ. The bride-elect is the daughter of Bruce and Shirley Nunley. She is the granddaughter of Wilma and the late B.F. Yates and the late Corbet and Frances Nunley. The prospective bridegroom…

KNOXVILLE (AP) ? The U.S. House honored the Tennessee women?s basketball team with a resolution celebrating the Lady Vols? seventh national title. The resolution, introduced by U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Tenn., passed unanimously Wednesday night. ?I am very proud of our Lady Vols for bringing another national title back to Knoxville,? Duncan said.…

The Gold and Silver league opened its spring session on Tuesday with eight teams participating. By the end of the first day Beacon Federal was the league leader with three points, followed by Foster & Foster Realty, McMinnville Lanes, Warren County Nursery, Crouch Motors, Dr Pepper, Cumberland Lumber and Security Federal. Mickey Patton turned in…

May basketball camps The WCMS basketball coaches will be holding a pair of camps in May for young players. The May Mania Girls Basketball Camp is set for May 3-5, for girls entering fifth through eighth grade. The first two days of camp will last from 3:30-5:30, with the May 5 session from 10 a.m.…

NASHVILLE (AP) ? Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam ?Pacman? Jones? trial in Georgia on a felony charge of obstruction has been delayed. Jones, who was given a season-long suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, was scheduled to appear in a Fayette County courtroom on May 14 stemming from a February 2006 incident. A court clerk said…

(AP) ? NASCAR?s grand experiment, the Car of Tomorrow, took the next step last Saturday night in Phoenix, and it was not a big hit with many of the Nextel Cup drivers. Other than an exciting late-race duel between eventual winner Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, the 312-lap Nextel Cup race on the 1-mile oval…