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Evil clown rumor spreads
ViolaclownsWEB
Law enforcement officials are advising people not to dress as clowns after there have been reports of clowns causing trouble. No local reports of clown mischief have been substantiated. Pictured are clowns having fun during Viola Valley Homecoming.
Lacy Garrison
Updated: Sep 24, 2016, 8:07 PM
Published: Sep 24, 2016, 8:23 PM

The evil clown rumor has reached epidemic proportions, spreading from coast to coast, and even leading to a teen claiming he was cut by a knife-wielding clown in neighboring Coffee County.
“The rumor got started, it hit social media and snowballed, and now it’s taken a life of its own,” said McMinnville Police Chief Bryan Denton, saying city police answered three clown-sighting calls over the past week but found nothing. “We haven’t found any mischief or anything illegal having to do with clowns.”
Sheriff Jackie Matheny said the county has also fielded a few clown-sighting calls but was not able to substantiate any of them.
“If clowns were there, they were gone by the time our officers got there,” the sheriff said. “It’s become rampant all over the county.”
Sheriff’s Capt. Bo Ramsey suggested the sightings began around the country when it was announced a new movie of Stephen King’s “It” is under production. The movie is based on a King novel about a homicidal clown. That, combined with the coming of Halloween, the lawman believes, has caused the sudden clown scare.
Ramsey noted that while it is not illegal to wear a clown suit, it could be a crime if a person tries to scare someone while dressed as a clown.
“If you put a person in fear for their safety, it could be considered assault,” Ramsey noted. “And, if you are armed, you could be charged with felony assault.”
Sheriff Matheny said he is worried the clown scare could get out of hand.
“I’m afraid someone might get hurt or even shot,” Matheny said. “People are scared.”
The local scare was spurred by a report from a teen in Summitville who claimed someone in a red hoodie and clown mask accosted him. The teen claimed he was cut when he took a swing at the clown, noting the clown was allegedly clutching a knife. Deputies responded to the call but could find no proof to substantiate what the teen claimed.
While there has been no reports of clowns committing crimes or hurting anyone, lawmen say they will still respond to reported sightings. Parents are urged to remind their children not to talk or go anywhere with a stranger, even if they aren’t dressed as a clown.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

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