NASHVILLE (AP) ? The former sheriff of Sumner County was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in a scheme to funnel taxpayer money to his brother through a construction contract. J.D. Vandercook was sheriff at the time he was indicted last year on eight charges of fraud and money laundering. The indictment…

NASHVILLE (AP) ? Only six of the state House?s 99 members did not make a request to spend $100,000 that may be available for each representative to spend on local projects, a lawmaker said Monday. Democrats have supported allowing each representative a chance to request money to be spent on local governments or nonprofit groups.…

By William Rusher The “compromise” immigration bill now before the Senate is a complicated piece of work, and nobody is happy with all of it. It may well fail to pass, at least when it reaches the House of Representatives. But it raises the whole question of what to do about illegal aliens in its…

By Kathryn Lopez I’ve come to hate immigration, which is an awful thing for any American — and one named Lopez at that — to admit. Immigration should be an inspirational topic about “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” But in 2007, it’s not: It’s a contentious, unserious, dangerous topic. Maybe I’ve caught Bush Derangement…

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Future Team… What team do you think Dale Earnhardt Jr., will join? Hendrick Motorsports GINN Racing

Austin reaches Mercer milestone Jason A. Austin, a college of pharmacy and health sciences major at Mercer University, has been named to the dean?s list for the fall semester. Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The university has 7,300 students and is located in…

McMinnville native and resident Robert Louis McKinley, 46, died Sunday, April 29 at River Park Hospital. He was born Feb. 19, 1961, the son of Bobby and Linda Rutledge, who survive. He was a member of the Church of Christ and a factory worker. Other survivors include wife Lisa Kay McKinley of Freemont, Ohio, daughter…

Elder James Franklin Patton, 96, of Morrison (Jacksboro community) died Thursday, May 17 at River Park Hospital. Born on Sept. 7, 1910 in Warren County, he was an ordained gospel The Baptist Church minister serving several congregations over the last 52 years. Amity The Baptist Church was the last church he pastored and he was…

McMinnville resident and Van Buren County native George Calvin Lytle, 67, died May 16 at River Park Hospital after a lingering illness. An employee of Cumberland Lumber, an avid sports fan, a Baptist, and a U.S. Marine veteran, he was the son of the late Arlow and Thelma Horn Lytle, and was also preceded in…

By Chuck Shepherd Religiously strict Saudi Arabia can?t have traditional Western-style beauty contests, but there was a pageant in April in remote Guwei?iya, about 75 miles from Riyadh: a beauty contest for camels. More than 250 owners brought more than 1,500 camels to be judged by such standards, said one organizer (according to a Reuters…