Two Murray County officers are on paid leave, pending the results of a GBI investigation into the arrest of the accuser of a local judge.

NEW ORLEANS — Hurricane Isaac made landfall in southeast Louisiana late Tuesday as Gulf Coast residents hunkered down behind boarded-up windows with stockpiles of food and water, and wind-driven rain lashed bayous and beaches. New Orleans calmly waited out another storm on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's seventh anniversary, hoping the city's strengthened levees will hold.

U.S. District Judge Harry S. "Sandy" Mattice plans to release his decision Wednesday morning on a motion for preliminary injunction against the Hamilton County Commission's weekly prayers.

Tennessee safety officials today announced creation of a new unit to investigate identity theft and related fraud that city and county law enforcement agencies often don’t have the ability to pursue.

School officials say families interested in enrolling their children in kindergarten next year at Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts or Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences should begin preparations soon.

Paul Summers, a former Tennessee attorney general and judge, has been named to lead the investigation into allegations of misconduct in the 10th Judicial District.

A fire that broke out in a building at 716 East 12th St. was quickly brought under control by Chattanooga Fire Department firefighters this afternoon.

The Nightside Pachyderm Club will hear from Bill Payne about a fair tax Thursday night.

Hamilton County District Public Defender Ardena Garth has asked to remove all of her previous requests for Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman to recuse himself from cases.

Ales Campbell, a LaFayette supporter of recently defeated Walker County sole commissioner candidate Dr. Paul Shaw, has qualified to run as a write-in candidate against current Commissioner Bebe Heiskell in November, a news release states.

NASHVILLE — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says voters’ choice in this fall’s presidential contest are “really clear” between incumbent Democratic incumbent Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney.

Workers today mounted the first panel on what will be the largest solar park in Tennessee at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant site.

The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco has apologized for his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving, behavior that he said brought "shame" and "disgrace" on himself and the church, though legal experts said was unlikely to derail his promotion.

Memorial Health Care System and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee have reached a new agreement, which means the Chattanooga hospital will be back in BlueCross network beginning Sept. 1.

Christina Aguilera is comparing her upcoming album to a "rebirth."

Republicans eagerly looked to showcase Mitt Romney as a man who understands everyday Americans and a leader who can fix the economy, with GOP National Convention speeches Tuesday by the woman who knows him best and tough-talking New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Belgium's highest court on Tuesday granted conditional early release to one of the nation's most despised criminals, the accomplice and former wife of a pedophile and child killer, even though she let two of his victims starve to death.

A LaFayette native has qualified as a write-in candidate for the Walker County sole commissioner seat, the first write-in effort in more than 30 years.

The man who Cleveland police say stole computers and iPads from an elementary school was arrested this morning.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

Stock markets retreated Tuesday due to global worries about the impact of the eurozone debt crisis and as investors awaited a key speech by the U.S. central bank chief.

Lexmark is cutting 1,700 jobs, or almost 13 percent of its workforce, and says it will stop making inkjet printers as part of a drive to cut costs as it deals with shrinking sales of inkjets.

As tropical storm Isaac bears down on the Gulf Coast, there should be plenty of money — some $1.5 billion — in federal disaster aid coffers, thanks, in part, to a new system that budgets help for victims of hurricanes, tornadoes and floods before they occur.

For the thousands of Republican convention-goers who've been cooling their heels in Tampa, the party is finally on. But with New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast waiting fearfully to see where a massive storm makes landfall, politics has become an awkward enterprise and no one knows what sort of party it will turn out to be.

Apple's $1 billion court victory over Samsung poses a lot of questions for consumers. Will Samsung phones still be available for sale? Will they be more expensive? Will owners of existing phones need to worry?

Tony Scott has been cremated, and his widow will keep his remains at their Los Angeles-area home.

Isaac was on the verge of becoming a full-blown hurricane Tuesday as it rolled over the Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana, where residents of the low-lying coast left boarded-up homes for inland shelter while people in New Orleans waited behind levees fortified after Katrina.

LOS ANGELES — Neil Armstrong inspired millions with his moonwalk. Can a feisty robotic rover exploring Mars do the same for another generation?

TAMPA, Fla. — The Republican Party that’s showing its face to America this week is a restless institution that relies heavily on the uncompromising passions of tea partyers, anti-immigration activists and social conservatives. It’s a potent but unruly coalition that supplies vital energy today but poses serious challenges for the future.

TAMPA, Fla. — Republicans staged a remarkably subdued opening to Mitt Romney’s national convention Monday in the midst of a turbulent election year, wary of uncorking a glittery political celebration as Tropical Storm Isaac surged menacingly toward New Orleans and the northern Gulf Coast.

After more than three years and millions of dollars in losses, Erlanger at Hutcheson reported its first profits in July.

The former head of a local street gang now serving a life sentence for murder claims his attorney's mistakes in his 2008 trial prejudiced the jury and he's asking the court for a new trial.

A Chattanooga hotel developer is considering building a boutique hotel on a site near the south end of the Walnut Street Bridge, but the idea drew lots of questions at a neighborhood meeting Monday night.

In a second letter in two weeks to Walker County Schools, the Freedom From Religion Foundation cites Facebook posts and student comments to the media as further evidence of First Amendment violations.

The Tennessee Attorney General's Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the State Comptroller's Office jointly will investigate allegations of misconduct and financial improprieties in the 10th Judicial District, authorities said Monday.

A Calhoun, Tenn., volunteer firefighter was found shot and stabbed to death Sunday and today his wife's nephew remains held without bond in the slaying on first-degree murder charges, authorities said.

At least 150 cases remain at a standstill in one judge's court today, but a solution that would move them forward could arrive by Friday.

In the eternal battle between humans and mosquitoes, Brad Ledford fights on the front lines.

Robert Dunlap and his mother are among six families remaining at Chattanooga's Harriet Tubman public housing site.

Fifty athletes from eight states will gather in Ringgold, Ga., Saturday to compete in impressive feats of strength, accuracy and endurance.

Six Hamilton County schools are among the best in the state for academic performance and growth on state exams, officials announced Monday.

KNOXVILLE — Daniel McCullers has no problem admitting he'll be nervous before his first Tennessee football game.

KNOXVILLE -- In both sports and life there's a lot to be said for knowing who you are.

Watch as Times Free Press sports editors Jay Greeson and Stephen Hargis breakdown Week 1 of our area's high school football games and look ahead to this Friday.

Volkswagen took the top spot among automakers in a new national survey measuring "total quality," with the Chattanooga-made Passat landing a top three ranking in its segment.

Christopher Stewart believes everyone should do something important with his or her life. Not just anything, though. He believes they first need to ask what God wants and then act accordingly.

KNOXVILLE — Vincent Dallas had to dust off the offensive playbook over the weekend.

Nine months after turning LSU's Jordan Jefferson from a dual-threat quarterback into no threat whatsoever, Alabama's defense will try to do the same to Denard Robinson.

Local franchise owner Emily Hopper got her start with SpiritedArt when looking for part-time work to put her through law school.

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley closed the door on Da'Rick Rogers' career in orange after the Volunteers' Monday-morning practice, and the former Calhoun (Ga.) High School star moved 100 miles west to continue his playing career.

KINGSTON, Tenn. — Prosecutors expect Scottie Mayfield's son to plead guilty to vandalism in connection with a tire-slashing case left over from his father's unsuccessful congressional bid.

If you think that new cars are a big target for thieves, think again.The vehicles most likely to be swiped off the streets in Tennessee last year were old ones often stolen for their parts.

One of the coaches involved in Saturday's Georgia-Buffalo football game said Monday that the matchup "will go down in the history books at our program as one of the great opportunities that we've placed on our schedule."

Few people who came to hear me in most of the local country and rock music venues for four decades know that I started out playing bluegrass.

The Tennessee walking horse industry has come out swinging a "big lick" at the Humane Society of the United States for what one horse reform group insinuates is exploitation for fundraising.

If all goes as planned, there won't be a lot of excitement on kickoffs for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga this football season.

Chattanooga Christian sophomore Scott Stevens already has heard from Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Clemson asking about his interest in playing golf at those universities.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The City Council took another step Monday toward solving Cleveland’s flooding problems.

Three days after a burglary-related shooting in Rainsville, Ala., two store workers are in stable condition but will carry the reminders for the rest of their lives.

Mallory Young isn't accustomed to running among the lead pack. The Signal Mountain sophomore finished no better than 18th in any cross country meet last season, so having a chance to run toward the front was new to her.

Shortened television coverage and the prospect of a hurricane may curtail the Republican presidential campaign, but it's a sure bet that Mitt Romney's TV ads making deliberately false, race-baiting claims about President Obama's handling of two issues -- welfare work rules and funding for Medicare -- will continue to get plenty of airtime.

Walker Valley senior Sidney Hooper has committed to play softball at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn.

KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee's athletic department reported a $3.98 million deficit for the 2011-12 fiscal year, and the department's reserve fund has dropped to less than $2 million.

The Tennessee Valley Authority expects to spend as much as $1 billion to reduce harmful emissions from a coal-fired power plant by up to 95 percent.

With a street value of about $1.5 million, the largest methamphetamine stash in DeKalb County, Ala., history was discovered in an uninhabited mobile home, authorities say.

With the Republicans already controlling 85 out of the 132 available seats in the General Assembly — and potentially more after this fall’s election — this question may be better asked with the future tense: What will it mean to be a Republican in Tennessee?

Four Chattanooga pitchers combined to allow just four hits Monday night at AT&T Field as the Lookouts whipped Jackson 6-1 to square the series at two games apiece.

NEW ORLEANS — With its massive size and ponderous movement, a strengthening Isaac could become a punishing rain machine depending on its power, speed and where it comes ashore along the Gulf Coast.

After a three-month deadlock on how to share Walker County's $54 million sales tax revenue, several city leaders reached an agreement Monday night.

‘With a core belief in the primacy of individuals, the Republican Party, since its inception, has been at the forefront of the fight for individuals’ rights in opposition to a large, intrusive government.”

South Pittsburg and Baylor, 2011 state championship runners-up, are ranked first and second in their respective divisions in the initial Tennessee high school football poll for 2012.

DUNLAP, Tenn. — Sequatchie County junior Keely Frederick was so young when she began playing basketball, she can't remember not playing it. However, she should be able to remember her first volleyball match.

Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, died Saturday at 82. The hundreds of millions people around the world who viewed grainy, black-and-white TV images of that step never forgot that moment.

I recently read the article about how the poor Dalton schools are outperforming their wealthy counterparts.