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

Indictments were handed down by the Warren County grand jury during its regular July session: Included in grand jury indictments:
• Marion Castorena and Charleston Ortega were indicted on charges of delivery of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Bobby R. Graves was indicted on charges of promoting the manufacture of meth, evading arrest, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Corker Deloach was indicted on the charge of sale of meth.
• Christopher Shields was indicted on the charge of possession of drugs.
• Carrie Green was indicted on the charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Darrell L. Roberts was indicted on charges of resisting arrest, aggravated assault, DUI, and leaving the scene of an accident with injury.
• Timothy Rogers was indicted on charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Lisa Porterfield was indicted on charges of felony theft and misdemeanor theft.
• Johnny Ramos was indicted on the charge of theft.
• James McCall was indicted on the charge of felony theft.
• Angie Boehm and Kim Campbell were indicted on the charge of identity theft.
• Justin Bouldin and Jerrod Herrin were indicted on charges of burglary and felony theft.
• Brian J. Cooke was indicted on the charge of theft.
• Matthew Broadrick was indicted on charges of forgery and theft.
• Reva Campbell was indicted on the charge of theft and forgery.
• William C. Dickens was indicted on the charge of theft.
• Comer Vance was indicted on the charge of felony theft.
• Robert F. Bryant was indicted on the charge of violating an order of protection.
• Adrian Johnson was indicted on the charge of second-offense DUI and driving on a revoked license.
• Johanna Linder was indicted on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and driving on a revoked license.
• Melisha Martin was indicted on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and driving on a revoked license.
• Bethany Roberts was indicted on the charge of second-offense driving on a suspended license.
• Kyle Turner was indicted on the charge of second-offense DUI.
• Terry Barnes was indicted on the charge of second-offense driving without a license.
• Chad Conner was indicted on the charge of driving on a suspended license and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Brandi Delong was indicted on the charge of second-offense driving on a suspended license.
• Lafredrick Eddings was indicted on the charge of third-offense driving on a suspended license.

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