By Thomas Vaughn The assassination of Pakistani politician and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto last Thursday created even more carnage and chaos in that already chaotic country, and sent shock waves around the world.?? Bhutto was a charismatic, courageous, controversial figure in Pakistani politics??As of this writing, the details of her death are reasonably clear.??She was…

WASHINGTON (AP) ‘ The housing market plunged deeper into despair last month, with sales of new homes plummeting to their lowest level in more than 12 years. The slump worsened even more than most analysts expected, heightening fears that the country might be thrust into a recession. New-home sales tumbled 9 percent in November from…

By Ric Edelman Q: My 10-year-old daughter received $100 and a Wall Street Journal subscription from her aunt for Christmas. She’s picked a few stocks to invest in, but we don’t know who to talk to in order to invest her money. Although it is “fun money,” she does plan to buy, hold and invest…

After a decision-making process that had the Warren County Commission stubbornly split down the middle during the second of two tense evenings of balloting, local attorney Steve Roller triumphed over former commissioner Bill Zechman by two votes, landing the 12-10 majority required to secure the appointment to the state Senate seat vacated by Jerry Cooper.…

Mother Nature wasn’t kind in 2007. The year brought a late freeze, a drought, record high temperatures and a bad taste to some Warren County residents. In April, a late freeze gripped the area. Temperatures dipped below freezing for three nights. According to a federal estimate, farmers in Warren County suffered $100 million in losses.…

Mary Winkler’s trial in Selmer, Tenn., polarized the local community ‘ and the nation ‘ as she escaped first-degree murder charges and received a 210-day sentence for shooting her sleeping husband in the back. During trial, Winkler claimed she suffered from years of abuse at the hands of her preacher husband, Matthew Winkler. She claimed…

After enduring a year marked by a federal trial, allegations of campaign fund abuse, and a drunk driving conviction, the 23-year tenure of state Sen. Jerry Cooper came to an end this month with his retirement from public office. One year is left on his sixth term. The Democrat from Morrison tendered his resignation following…

The legal troubles and retirement of former state Sen. Jerry Cooper topped the Standard’s list of top 10 stories for 2007 in somewhat surprising fashion. Cooper edged out the trial of Mary Winkler, a trial that drew national attention and even led to an ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’ appearance for Winkler. All nine Standard newsroom employees…

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) ‘ Osama bin Laden warned Iraq’s Sunni Arabs against fighting al-Qaida and vowed to expand the terror group’s holy war to Israel in a new audiotape Saturday, threatening “blood for blood, destruction for destruction.” Most of the 56-minute tape dealt with Iraq, apparently al-Qaida’s latest attempt to keep supporters in Iraq unified…

BY Charles W. Johnson Today I thought it might be fun to delve into the origin phrases that only make sense if you are aware of some little-known fact. Many phrases and sayings make sense the first time you hear them. Like the phrase ‘Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket.’ That makes perfect…