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Driver Center funding OK'd
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McMinnville officials voted Tuesday to pay $4,000 a month to reopen the state’s Driver Testing Center until June 30, 2017.
Warren County commissioners will decide this Monday if they want to pay half that cost.
McMinnville Mayor Jimmy Haley, Vice Mayor Ben Newman and Aldermen Mike Neal, Jimmy Bonner, Ryle Chastain, Everett Brock and Steve Harvey unanimously approved an ordinance to pay $4,000 a month in rent for the building located at 594 Vervilla Road until the end of the fiscal year in order to give the state time to consider restoring funding for the facility in its 2017-18 fiscal year budget.
On first read, Neal voted against the measure and said he would change his vote if the county would be the city’s “dancing partner” in the endeavor.
The county Budget and Finance Committee met last week and unanimously approved paying half the cost. That recommendation will be under consideration by the full Warren County Commission on Monday night.
Haley was pleased with the board’s decision and is encouraging commissioners to follow suite.
“Now all eyes are on the county commissioners as they vote to partner with the city in this endeavor,” said Haley. “I implore them to vote in favor of this agreement – just as the city board did.”
Under the agreement with the state, the city is indebted for the entire rental cost until June 30. If the county agrees to pay half, that will be a financial reimbursement agreement between city officials and county commissioners.
Officials are hoping the temporary fix will lead to a permanent one. While there is no agreement with the state for it to place funding for the Driver Testing Center back in the budget, verbal assurances have been made to city officials that funding will be restored.
The full Warren County Commission meets at 6:30 p.m. Because the agenda has already been set, a motion must be made to add the item to the agenda in order for it to be considered. Amendments require a majority vote.

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