NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal judge has allowed more time for the construction of a mosque southeast of Nashville.

NASHVILLE, TN — In an effort to save lives, the Governor's Highway Safety Office is again working across the state to crack down on traffic safety violators including impaired drivers, seat belt violators, distracted drivers, and speeders, during its "More Cops. More Stops." campaign Thursday through Sunday.

KINSHASA, Congo — Soldiers backed by U.N. helicopter gunships battled rebels around a strategic army garrison near a mountain gorilla reserve in eastern Congo, as thousands of people continued to flee a 3-month-old rebellion allegedly backed by neighboring Rwanda.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is warning of a possible Syrian massacre in the city of Aleppo.

Memorial Health Care System and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee have not been able to reach an agreement in contract negotiations, leaving Memorial hospital patients out-of-network with the insurer on Aug. 1, Memorial said in a news release this afternoon.

NEW YORK — Facebook's first earnings report as a public company had solid numbers, but in the end it landed with a thud — much like its rocky initial public offering two months ago.

The planned segment on local radio and television personality Luther Masingill will run Friday at 6:30 p.m., according to Doris Ellis, program and community service director at WDEF-TV Channel 12.

More than 220,000 Tennesseans have voted early or absentee by mail for the Aug. 2 election, setting a record for a comparable election, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Pikeville Mayor Greg Johnson has been arrested on charges of official misconduct and felony theft in the wake of a monthslong investigation by the state, according to authorities.

An assisted living facility in Coalmont, Tenn., has paid more than $151,000 in back wages to 15 employees, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor.

NASHVILLE — State Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, is asking state Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman to conduct an independent review of the operations and effectiveness of a for-profit virtual school operating under contract with the Union County school system.

The body of a man who escaped the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Facility on Tuesday has been found.

Creative Discovery Museum will receive almost $148,000 as a recipient of the 2012 Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) “Museums for America” Grant.

Hamilton County Schools students saw improvement on all state test subject areas in the latest results released today by state officials.

Chattanooga officials are ready to use a $300,000 federal grant to train 60 people for jobs in the green sector.

Chattanooga’s top economic developer said today that his biggest fear is that the region sits on its past success.

General Sessions Judge David Norton has said publicly that his illness has created problems with his service on the bench and campaigning for the Aug. 2 election.

Memorial Health Care System announced layoffs and restructuring plans today, laying off about 70 employees, or less than 2 percent of its workforce, according to a news release.

A 53-year-old woman from Alabama has been charged with possession of methamphetamine, authorities said.

Two men and a woman were arrested in Jackson County, Ala., on various drug charges, including methamphetamine and illegal possession of Viagra, authorities said.

As testimony got under way this morning in a hearing on prayer before County Commission meetings, U.S. District Judge Harry S. “Sandy” Mattice signaled some of the constitutional difficulties of the lawsuit against Hamilton County.

The Hamilton County Commission faces a federal lawsuit for its use of public prayer prior to each meeting session. In July, the commission passed a new policy governing its prayer practice.

A suburban Philadelphia man is heading to federal prison for bilking devout customers out of more than $400,000 by promising holy land trips that never happened.

Coke and Pepsi are chasing after the sweet spot: a soda with no calories, no artificial sweeteners and no funny aftertaste.

Penn State's trustees may not like the NCAA's unprecedented sanctions against the university's football program, but they say the alternative — the so-called "death penalty" — would have been worse.

As reports emerged of a suspicious package sent to a university the suspect in the Colorado theater shooting once attended, the first memorial service was held for a victim of the massacre.

Stronger demand from North America and the world's developing markets helped German automaker Volkswagen record an 18 percent jump in second-quarter earnings.

The Senate has debated, sniped and voted on the politically fraught issue of tax cuts, and next week it'll be the House's turn. Still, Americans won't know until after the November elections how much more of their paychecks will go to the government next year.

Drugmaker Sanofi saw its net profit rise 35 percent in the first half of the year as it pushes into areas with long-term growth potential to off-set the expiration of profitable patents.

MINNEAPOLIS — The drought gripping more than half the country is a major reason why consumers can expect to pay 3 percent to 4 percent more for groceries next year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — Relentless GOP criticism of a 12-day-old remark about business owners has taken a campaign toll on President Barack Obama, forcing him to defend himself and giving Republican Mitt Romney a break from steady attacks.

DENVER — Some of the victims fighting for their lives after being wounded in the movie-theater shooting rampage may face another challenge when they get out of the hospital: enormous medical bills without the benefit of health insurance.

Trey Jackson has known he wanted to be an actor since he was young. After spending the last two months working on the set of the film "42" as the stand-in for Chadwick Boseman, who plays baseball legend Jackie Robinson in the film, Jackson is even more motivated, dedicated and energized.

In the record-breaking heat Chattanooga has experienced this summer, even walking to the mailbox can feel like an endurance sport. With proper preparation, however, physicians and researchers say there is no reason to avoid exercising, even on the hottest days.

Amid unusually heated rhetoric, the U.S. Senate on June 20 defeated efforts to nullify the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, known as MATS.

Q: I have a dark spot on my skin. Is it cancer?

Two men plan to enter the U.S. Courthouse in Chattanooga today and ask a judge to temporarily halt Hamilton County Commission's regular prayers during meetings.

Elections of new members of the Hamilton County School Board are among the most vital ballots.

The Hamilton County school district spends a staggering $9,398 per student, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.

Should the Georgia Bulldogs repeat as Southeastern Conference East Division champions this football season or take it a step further with a league title, they will look back fondly at early January.

Twenty-nine Chattanooga police officers have filed a lawsuit against Chattanooga, its mayor and police chief alleging age discrimination, due process violations and breach of contract for failing to fix pay problems among the ranks of sergeant and above.

District 1's school board election is most relevant to the good-school/neediest-school dilemma cited above.

Brash. Crass. Obnoxious. Polarizing.

KNOXVILLE — Tyler Bray has been linked to two separate car vandalism incidents at a Knoxville apartment complex, but the Tennessee quarterback is yet to face any charges.

In the drive by Volkswagen to give Americans a midsize sedan designed for them, the automaker still is trying to get the Chattanooga-made Passat's cupholders just right.

Chattanooga architect Blythe Bailey looks at dilapidated buildings and unkempt lots on Chattanooga's Glass Street and sees possibilities.

When three-term incumbent Chip Baker announced he wasn't going to seek re-election for the District 2 school board seat, 34-year-old Signal Mountain dentist Jonathan Welch quickly staked his claim on the post.

Dr. Jonathan Welch, a dentist who followed his father into practice, comes to the school board election with the quiet reserve of a listening doctor, and a quick assessment of the root of the issue that the school system most needs to address: the imbalance of performance between schools with strong parental support, and those without that critical support.

NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is probing complaints about challenges Republican election officials have made of some Rhea County voters seeking to cast ballots in the Aug. 2 GOP primary.

The race for the school board's 7th District seat between former teacher Donna Horn and former teacher and administrator Ralph Miller features two exceptional candidates.

District 7's election pits Ralph Miller, a veteran educator who retired 12 years ago, against Donna Horn, an equally impressive veteran educator who retired just last year, and whose insights and concerns are fresher, more vital and more to the point on current issues.

For the purposes of privacy I'll call him Jim Chappel, though that isn't his real name. But 40 years ago at Vestavia Hills (Ala.) Junior High he was generally regarded as one of the top five or 10 football prospects in the state.

Police concluded the water search for a man who escaped a local mental health facility by leaping into the Tennessee River on Wednesday.

With two older brothers and a sister who played competitive basketball, Brandon Born learned early how to compete against more experienced players.

Jacob Huesman was having a very good summer up until a few weeks ago when the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga redshirt freshman quarterback was diagnosed with a mild case of mononucleosis.

Q Mr. L asks: "I have heard that if you are a veteran, that when you sign up for Social Security you receive $100 more a month. Is this true?"

There were not a lot of hits Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Field, but there were plenty of baserunners.

Nearly a year after a Cleveland, Tenn., woman died in a boating accident on the Hiwassee River, the boat's driver has been charged in her death.

For the third time in 18 months, a member of the Grundy County Commission has resigned.

Covenant Transport announced its best quarter in years on Wednesday, growing net income to $4.3 million, or 29 cents per share.

MIAMI — As a backup to Chipper Jones, Juan Francisco patiently waits for his chance.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- State transportation officials have unveiled a pilot program intended to coordinate local and state planning for the state Route 60 corridor through Bradley County.

A Whitwell, Tenn., man has been arrested by Marion County authorities on sexual battery and rape charges in connection with an encounter with a 16-year-old girl, investigators said.

Chattanooga police and Crime Stoppers are searching for a man who stole money and cigarettes from the RaceWay at 5455 Hixson Pike.

East Ridge council members could be setting themselves up for a marathon meeting after packing a sizable number of hot-button issues into their meeting agenda tonight.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is using new technology to remove unsafe large trucks — including those with failing brakes or under- or over-inflated tires — from state highways.

Three weeks after promising to abstain from "negative" campaign advertising, Scottie Mayfield this week launched an attack ad condemning U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann's voting record — a record Mayfield praised as recently as May.

Like gamblers in a high-stakes poker game, Catoosa County and its two cities are facing off over how the local option sales tax -- 1 cent from every $1 purchase -- should be split during the upcoming decade.

An on-air challenge issued by Dade County, Ga., school board chairwoman Carolyn Bradford has launched a grassroots campaign to raise money for the local public library.

TVA officials told nuclear regulators Wednesday that they continue to try to get things right at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in North Alabama.

If lawmakers in Washington really wanted to help older, low-income workers they would lower the age limit for a person to be able to withdraw money from 401(k) retirement funds without having to repay it or pay an outrageous penalty fee to the IRS!

Chattanooga-based TransCard has sold a part of its business to U.S. Bank for an undisclosed sum in a deal that will add dozens of jobs to both companies.

• FARRAGUT, Tenn. — Ringgold's Richard Rebne, Niota's Jack Oliver and Chattanooga's Bruce Etter each totaled 54-hole scores of 6-over 222 and tied for eighth in the Tennessee PGA Professional Section Championship that ended Wednesday at Fox Den Country Club.