Even before the recession, more than one in five Americans needed help from family, friends or outsiders to pay for basic needs, according to a survey by the Census Bureau.

U.S. Sen. John McCain said Saturday that he enjoyed reading running mate Sarah Palin’s new memoir and downplayed any tension between their campaign aides as “no big deal.”

When tickets to see Sarah Palin in Michigan ran out, people drove to her appearance here, three hours away.

Scientists are preparing the world’s largest atom smasher to explore the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs.

Police found him sitting on the floor of his old apartment near a bucket of urine, still dressed in his hospital gown.

Last week a reader sent a message about the three freshman football players who were charged with attempted armed robbery.

Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to bring five accused co-conspirators in the 9/11 terrorist attacks to criminal trial in federal court in New York is a victory for American justice. Republican senators, of course, strenuously tried to generate baseless partisan controversy over the decision last week in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearings. But for all their hyperbole, they could not refute the central issue: The terrorist acts charged against the defendants were criminal acts and not the acts of a hostile state in a bona fide war. The defendants should be prosecuted in a United States federal court as a matter of law and constitutional duty.

Hamilton County schools face a $12.5 million shortfall next year, but also need to spend more than $150 million for new or replacement schools, administrators said Saturday.

All Americans naturally want all Americans to have whatever medical care is necessary and has prospects of being beneficial in making our lives longer and more comfortable. But not all ills can be cured. And certainly, not all treatments can be provided “free.”

KNOXVILLE -- Few things have been easy for Tennessee's fifth-year-senior class.

Iran will begin large-scale air defense war games tonday aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities from possible attack, a senior military commander said Saturday, reflecting the country’s concern that Israel could make good on threats to strike militarily.

Northwest Georgia's substitute teachers aren't targets of the budget ax like they are in some districts that are curbing costs in the face of another tight year predicted in 2010.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is asking the Volunteer State to join the movement for better health.

ATHENS, Ga. — Kentucky needed help for its first win at Georgia in 32 years.

You may have heard of “gerrymandering” — a process by which lawmakers carve up states into ridiculously shaped legislative districts to ensure the election of someone from a certain political party or race. Gerrymandering is concerned not with ensuring that the will of the people is carried out but with protecting certain individuals or constituencies.

Reenactors participate in a living history demonstration at Point Park atop Lookout Mountain on Saturday.

You can scarcely turn around these days without someone imploring you to “go green” and “save the planet” — sometimes by methods that may not do the planet much good.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- A season full of unexpected moments came to a predictable end for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Saturday.

The state of Tennessee has ordered Chattanooga to boost its staff and spend more money on stormwater and water quality programs to correct deficiencies that date back more than a decade.

The owner of a Walker County quarry still is not sure what to do with the 3 billion gallons of water in it, though the topic came up at last week's North Georgia Water Planning Council meeting.