NEWS

Wal-Mart to hire vets, buy more American products

NEW YORK (AP) - Wal-Mart is rolling out a plan to help jumpstart the sluggish economy.

The plan has three parts: hiring more than 100,000 veterans in the next five years, spending $50 billion to buy more American-made merchandise in the next 10 years and helping its part-time workers move into full-time positions.

The president and CEO of Wal-Mart's

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Gov. Beebe delivers State of the State address

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - ARKANSAS LEGISLATURE

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe is urging a skeptical Republican Legislature to expand the state's Medicaid program under the federal health care law, a move he says will relieve the "hidden tax" everyone faces from hospitals treating the uninsured.

Beebe on Monday touted the benefits of the proposed expansion

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145 in TN sickened from meningitis outbreak

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -

The number of people sickened in Tennessee related to an outbreak of fungal meningitis climbed to 145, an increase of five more patients compared to last week.

Nationwide the number of people who have gotten sick has increased to 678 patients with 44 deaths. The outbreak is linked to steroid injections from a

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MS Senate committee passes charter school bill

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Legislation to expand charter schools in Mississippi is once again moving forward.

A state Senate committee approved Senate Bill 2189 on a split vote Tuesday.

The action came after Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves met privately with committee members Monday evening. The bill wasn't released until Tuesday morning.

M

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Tennessee under State of Emergency for ice, flooding

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

The State of Tennessee has declared a State of Emergency as of 4 p.m. Tuesday due to freezing rain and icy conditions in West and Middle Tennessee, and because of the possibility of severe flooding in East Tennessee from the rainfall that continues to move across the state.

The State Emergency Operations Center currently

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