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General Sessions
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A 33-person docket was heard Tuesday afternoon by Judge Bill Locke in General Sessions Court Trial Court. Included in the afternoon session:
Brian Ballew and Teri Coppinger were bound to the grand jury on the charge of robbery. They are charged with beating a man at his home and taking his money. The court ordered them not to have contact with the victim while they are waiting to go before the grand jury.
Randy Evans was ordered to serve 90 days of an 11-month, 29-day sentence for evading arrest and violation of probation.
William Miller was directed to serve 30 days of an 11-29 sentence, pay $750 plus costs and undergo a drug and alcohol assessment for possession of cocaine.
Ryan Gaines was handed an 11-29 probationary sentence and must perform 24 hours public service work, pay $750 plus costs and lose his driver license for one year for possession of drugs.
William S. Cornett was ordered to serve 30 days of an 11-29 sentence and must make $200 restitution and undergo a drug and alcohol assessment for theft.
Jeffery Smartt was bound to the grand jury on charges of possession of drugs with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Dustin Mayo was directed to serve 48 hours of an 11-29 sentence and pay $200 plus costs for possession of legend drugs and public intoxication.
Allen Sims was instructed to serve 30 days of an 11-29 sentence, perform 25 hours public service work and must stay out of Walmart for shoplifting.
Gabriel Isaac was bound to the grand jury on charges of grand theft, aggravated burglary and criminal trespass.
Tracy Rice was bound to the grand jury on charges of grand theft, aggravated burglary and criminal trespass.
John R. King was bound to the grand jury on charges of grand theft and burglary.
Nikita Clark was given an 11-29 sentence and ordered to perform 25 hours public service work for theft and violation probation.
Rickey Christian was given an 11-29 sentence but released on time served for domestic assault.
Mitchell Morton was bound to the grand jury for domestic assault.
Eric Comfort was bound to the grand jury on charges of possession of drugs, possession of meth with intent to sell, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jennifer Keith must pay $50 plus costs for disorderly conduct.
Dameon Abair must serve 48 hours for violation of probation.
Brian Dedmon must serve two days for violation of probation.
John Lillard Jr., must serve 90 days for violation of probation.
Lori Presley must serve 60 days and have her probation extended by a year for violation of probation.
Billy Danny Orr was released into adult behavior court for violation of probation.

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