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Circuit court
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Judge Bart Stanley ruled on the following cases in Circuit Court.

Scottie Nathan Coppinger was ordered to serve 10 days of an 11-month, 29-day sentence for driving on a revoked license second offense.

Stephen Douglas was ordered to serve 120 days of an 11-29 sentence for domestic assault.

Ashley Hernandez was ordered to serve 28 days of a three-year sentence and pay a $2,000 fine for possession of meth with intent to deliver. She was granted a judicial diversion, meaning the charge can be erased from her record if she gets in no further trouble.

Brian Scott Hickey was ordered to serve 90 days of a one-year sentence for violating residential and work restrictions.

Gary L. Johnson was ordered to serve the balance of his sentence for violation of probation.

Michael Todd Jones was ordered to serve 180 days of a five-year sentence, perform 100 hours public service work and pay a $3,000 fine for driving on a revoked license, possession of meth with intent to deliver, possession of diazepam, possession of alprazolam, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kenneth Edward King was ordered to serve 60 days for violation of probation.

Jamie Clinton Lynn was ordered to serve balance of sentence for violation of probation, aggravated assault, and driving on a suspended license.

Dillion Mullican was ordered to serve 10 days for driving while license revoked second offense.

Jason Dwayne Smith was ordered to serve 180 days of a six-year sentence and pay a $2,000 for aggravated burglary.

Shelby Yates was ordered to serve 60 days of an 11-29 sentence for theft of property between $1,000 and $2,500.

Andrew Blake Young was ordered to serve 364 days for violation of probation.

Brandon Dean Steakley was released on 67 days time served and given a judicial diversion for evading arrest and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, that being a motor vehicle.

Wendy M. Bias Stepp was ordered to serve 364 days 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