By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support local journalism.
General Sessions
Placeholder Image

A 31-person docket was heard Tuesday afternoon by Judge Bill Locke, which included a man who was given a year in jail for possession of meth.
Included in General Sessions Trial Court action:
• James Haston was given an 11-month, 29-day sentence to serve and must pay $750 plus costs for possession of meth.
• Tara Barks was given an 11-29 probationary sentence and must undergo a drug and alcohol assessment and pay $250 plus costs for simple possession of drugs. She must serve 90 days for violating her judicial diversion.
• Phillip Taylor was bound to the grand jury on charges of vandalism, interfering with a 911 call, and domestic assault.
• Elliot James was handed a six-month probationary sentence and must pay $250 plus costs for simple possession of drugs.
• Richard Cripps was bound to the grand jury on charges of grand theft and aggravated burglary.
• Maranda Coates was given a six-month probationary sentence and must pay $150 plus costs for possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Nicholas Mayberry was ordered to serve 15 days of an 11-29 sentence, perform 48 hours public service work, and make $262 restitution for passing a worthless check.
• John Nunley was issued an 11-29 probationary sentence and must make restitution on three worthless checks for passing worthless checks.
• Jesse Merriman was given an 11-29 probationary sentence and must make $872 restitution for theft.
• Lori Presley was released on time served for violation of probation.
• Joni Brown had probation extended by six months for violation of probation.
• Elizabeth Chalfant was instructed to serve 120 days for violation of probation.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
local news.png

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