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Legislative candidates make case
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Candidates for both national and state legislatures find themselves in contested races next month, but had the stage to themselves Monday night.

Victoria Broderick, the Democratic nominee for Scott DesJarlais’ District 4 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Scott Bean, an Independent challenger for Janice Bowling’s District 16 State Senate seat, both traveled to McMinnville to attend the political forum presented by the Southern Standard and WCPI-91.3 FM.

Broderick, who described the key planks in her platform as reproductive freedom, responsible gun ownership and an emphasis on public education, said she decided voters in her district needed a choice when it came to picking their representative.

“I decided to run in February of this year, when I found out Scott DesJarlais was going to run unopposed, and I said ‘over my dead body,’” she said. “I believe Tennessee’s 4th District deserved a choice, even if that choice was just moving the needle.

“My campaign has changed a little bit with our presidential change with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Now that needle feels like we’ve got a sure shot at this. That’s just going to require Tennesseans in the 4th District to show up. We can make a change; there are enough people who are tired of not being represented in this district, and we deserve proper representation and a Congressional member who is willing to come back and sit at a table with me. However, he’s not here. I would love to have a debate with him, but he does not show up. And that is not what a representative is supposed to do.”

Bean, a Coffee County native and Fayetteville resident, opened his remarks by explaining his decision to run as an Independent candidate.

“It was probably meant to happen; my mother is a Republican, and my dad is a Democrat,” he said. “It makes for interesting conversations around the holidays. I’m glad to be non-partisan, because I’m glad to be non-judgmental. And that’s somewhere we all need to be.”

Bean acknowledged the need for all legislators to work together in bipartisan efforts to aid their constituents, and noted winning with no party affiliation will be a challenge.

“There are some things I agree with the Republican Party on, and some things I don’t. There are things I agree with the Democratic Party on, and things I don’t. I get asked all the time, am I willing to reach across the aisle. I am the aisle. I want to work with them both. I want to work for Tennessee.”

Bean challenges Democratic nominee Wayne Steele and Bowling on Nov. 5, while Broderick faces not only DesJarlais, but also Independent challengers Earnest Ensley and Keith Nolan.


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