(AP) - Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry rolled up big victories and a pile of delegates in five states Tuesday night, while rivals John Edwards and Wesley Clark kept their candidacies alive with singular triumphs in a dramatic cross-country contest. Edwards easily won his native South Carolina, and Clark, a retired Army general from Arkansas, eked out a victory in neighboring Oklahoma. Howard Dean earned no wins and perhaps no delegates, his candidacy in peril. Joe Lieberman was shut out, too, and dropped out of the race.

BELTON — Gov. Rick Perry and Shirley Neely, the newly appointed Texas Commissioner of Education, visited Belton High School on Tuesday as part of an 11-city trip meant to tout the seven education excellence initiatives he proposed last week. Perry held what he billed as a “round table discussion of school issues,” with school administrators, teachers and students, but what participants said really amounted to a reiteration to them of his education initiatives, with just enough time left afterwards for him to take two questions. The “round table discussion” was closed to reporters, but open to photo journalists.

WASHINGTON (AP)

AUSTIN (AP) — Blacks and Hispanics are significantly more likely to be pulled over in Texas by law enforcement officers, according to a study released Tuesday that reviewed data from more than 400 agencies across the state. More disturbing to civil rights activists, minorities are more likely than whites to be searched following routine traffic stops by six of every seven departments in Texas, according to the study.

WASHINGTON — Clothing chain Gadzooks Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday and sought approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas to close about 156 stores as it moves to sell clothes only for girls. Gadzooks warned in December it might have to seek Chapter 11 protection, and in January it hired advisers and formed a restructuring committee. The company said its conversion to women’s-only apparel hadn’t met its expectations.

BELTON — The Belton City Council, which held a special meeting and a public hearing, voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of a voluntary annexation of 5.234 acres of land which is a section of the property where the new H-E-B is scheduled to be built. The land is located northwest of the intersection of Lake Road and Main Street and is part of the 28-acre site which will be occupied by the 93,000-square-foot H-E-B. The request for annexation was submitted by V.W. Barge, who is selling the land to the H-E-B corporation.

COPPERAS COVE

By ERIC DRENNAN BELTON

After stellar careers on the high school gridiron, several area athletes today will take the first step toward playing at the collegiate level. Three football players from Temple and five from Belton highlight the group of area players who today are expected to be part of national signing day

AUSTIN (AP)

LUBBOCK (AP)

By MARCUS HOOD The Temple College softball team had a conference-best 0.78 earned-run average last year. But it