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Drama surrounds Michael Jackson case
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first week of the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor has had all the trappings of other courtroom spectacles involving the King of Pop: Dozens of sign-toting fans, TV crews, Jackson lookalikes and the familiar faces of the Jackson family enduring yet another public crucible.

Inside the courtroom, jurors heard intimate, riveting details of the pop superstar's life, including recordings of his drug-slurred voice, his hopes for a major comeback tour, even his love of spinach cobb salad with organic turkey breast.

But jurors have been reminded regularly that someone else is on trial here. And despite all the courtroom drama, the involuntary manslaughter case against Dr. Conrad Murray is relatively straight-forward. To win a conviction, prosecutors must simply prove that Murray acted with gross negligence as Jackson's personal physician in the days and hours before his death.

Murray, 58, a Houston cardiologist, sat silently as prosecutors called witnesses who said he never told them to call 911 after Jackson was found unconscious in the bedroom of his rented Los Angeles mansion. They suggested Murray could have instructed security guards, a chef and Jackson's personal assistant to make the crucial call, but he didn't.

One security guard said Murray delayed the call while telling him to bag vials of medicine.

In the eyes of prosecutors, Murray did nearly everything wrong and even abandoned the singer in his hour of extreme need when he left his bedside to make a phone call. Defense attorneys are aggressively challenging such claims.

Attorney Adam Braun, who briefly represented a doctor charged with overprescribing drugs to Anna Nicole Smith, said the first requirement for prosecutors is to prove the cause of Jackson's death.

A coroner's report said he died on June 25, 2009, of acute intoxication from the powerful anesthetic propofol, with the presence of sedatives known as benzodiazepines.

Prosecutors "have to show it was reckless both to prescribe and administer propofol and to leave it next to the bed," Braun said.

Thus far, prosecutors have focused their evidence on alleged serious acts of omission by Murray. Witnesses said he delayed asking others to make the 911 call; failed to have the proper lifesaving equipment on hand; and didn't tell paramedics that he had given Jackson propofol.

Central to their case is Murray's decision to provide the star with propofol, the drug Jackson called his "milk," delivering it in a cozy home bedroom rather than a hospital room where it is meant to be given with an anesthesiologist on hand and life-saving equipment such as a CPR machine available for any emergencies.

In pictures shown to jurors, there are fluffy pillows and a thick down comforter on Jackson's bed, but no CPR machine or oxygen monitoring equipment. A lawyer for the producer of Jackson's ill-fated "This Is It' concert said the doctor had ordered a CPR machine to be provided when they arrived for the shows in London but not before.

In his opening statement, prosecutor David Walgren said Murray told police he gave Jackson a small amount of propofol on the day he died and provided doses every night for about six weeks before that as a sleep aid.

Defense attorney Ed Chernoff countered that Jackson did not die because Murray gave him propofol; he died because he stopped giving it to him. Murray was actually trying to wean him from the drug when Jackson downed a fatal dose while Murray was out of the room, the lawyer said.

With no one present in the room when that would have occurred, lawyers will be asking jurors to infer it from circumstantial evidence.

Prosecutors also presented evidence that Murray denied important information to paramedics who arrived at the house. Paramedic Richard Senneff testified Friday that Murray didn't reveal he had given the singer propofol that morning, saying only that he had given Jackson the sedative lorazepam.

Prosecutors claim all those circumstances indicate that Murray's standard of medical care was below the level that would have been practiced by a reasonable physician.

Murray may be the only person who can tell jurors why he did what he did. But experts say it would be risky for him to testify and open himself up to accusatory questions from the prosecution.

Former federal prosecutor Marcellus McRae, who has been monitoring the trial, said the defense claim that Jackson killed himself is a risky strategy, and calling Murray to the witness stand would be a mistake.

"Dr. Murray doesn't have to prove he's innocent," McRae said. "If you take the stand, the impression is you're worried. You have some explaining to do. You only do that when you have to."

The one thing neither Murray nor his attorneys can address is the constant presence in court of the famous Jackson family and the message sent by their presence.

McRae said much of the drama swirling in the courtroom may not determine a verdict. But the presence of the Jackson family is a powerful factor.

"I don't think people compartmentalize the emotional and the rational," said McRae. "When you see that a person had a family and that family is in the courtroom, the basic instinct is to want there to be some responsibility."

He also notes the need for a sense of immediacy since Jackson died over two years ago.

"There's a linkage for people to see the wreckage caused by his death and the sense of devastation," he said. "All these people living and breathing in the courtroom makes it immediate."

Jackson's mother, Katherine, his father, Joe, and up to six of their famous children have been present daily.

Jurors have also seen a large photo of Michael Jackson's three children taken at his memorial. They have heard about his daughter crying out, "Daddy," when she saw him dying.

And during that poignant testimony, they have seen his mother's tears.

Murray has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of four years behind bars and the loss of his medical license.

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