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Federal online sales tax rules not soon
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Federal regs on online taxes 3-4 years off
ERIK SCHELZIG,Associated Press

 

CARTHAGE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker said Tuesday that could be three or four years before Congress passes national guidelines on tax collections by online retailers like Amazon.com.

Corker told reporters after a speech to the Smith County Chamber of Commerce that he understands the complaints of local retailers.

"The brick and mortar stores have turned out to be places where people look at the product and try it on and see if it works for them," he said. "And then they go to the Internet and actually buy the product with sales taxes.

"Obviously that's unfair."

Questions about online sales taxes have come into focus in Tennessee after the state last year struck a deal with Amazon to waive the requirement for the online retailer to collect the taxes on distribution centers being built in the state.

Amazon has said it expects to create 1,200 full-time jobs in Bradley and Hamilton counties, and the company has since announced it will build another facility in Lebanon.

A University of Tennessee study has estimated that the state will lose a total of $411 million in sales taxes from online sales in the current budget year.

Amazon lobbyist have said they are willing to collect the taxes once national standards are established, but threatened to abandon projects in Tennessee and elsewhere if states unilaterally required them to collect the tax.

Gov. Bill Haslam has said he wants to take a lead crafting a national standard, and has expressed optimism about such an arrangement coming into force soon. But Corker said he had not yet spoken with his fellow Republican about those aims.

"He has not mentioned that he may be taking the leadership, but we both have had a lot going on," Corker said.

The senator and governor were scheduled to dine together later Tuesday, and Corker said he "wouldn't be surprised" if the matter came up.

Haslam's office didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.

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