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Counterfeit bills in circulation
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A rash of phony bills of multiple denominations has police suspecting there may be a counterfeiting ring in Warren County.
“There are too many popping up for it to be a coincidence,” said McMinnville Police Lt. Nicole Mosley of the sudden influx of counterfeit bills “We’ve gotten quite a few in the past few weeks. Usually you will get one and then not see another for many months. Now, they’re popping up everywhere.”
Mosley said an unusual characteristic about the recent rash of counterfeit bills is there are many denominations being passed.
“We’re talking about $5s, $10s, $20s and $100s,” Mosley said. “We usually see just $20s and $100s. It’s much rarer to see the lower denominations being counterfeited and passed.”
Mosley said the lower denominations are much easier to pass since they do not command the attention $20s and $100s command at the cash register.
“No one checks the lower denominations so they pass on through,” said Mosley, adding counterfeiters will often wait until a store is busy to pass fake bills knowing they will not be as closely scrutinized.
The quality of the recent counterfeits are quite high, Mosley admits, noting it makes them harder to spot. There is also a rumor the special ink markers used to catch counterfeit bills are not working on some of these fakes.
“Something that merchants need to be careful of is not to use the pens to doodle or write on other things because it makes them less effective,” Mosley advised. “Use the pens only on bills.”
Those suspecting they have been given a counterfeit bill should report it immediately and not return it to the customer as some businesses have reportedly done.
“First off, make sure they pay you with good money and hold on to the bad and contact us,” Mosley said, noting if the money turns out to be good, it will be returned to the rightful owner by the U.S. Secret Service. “It’s important that people report counterfeits so we can look at serial numbers and for a pattern since we believe there is a local tie to all of this.”
Mosley said if a bill does not feel right, it’s always a good idea to go further by either using a special marker or by calling authorities. The downside of the issue is the person who is left holding the phony bill is also the one left holding the bag, meaning the last person to possess the money is out that amount.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community