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Main Street collision causes minor injuries
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Pictured is the blue Altima which slammed into the side of the maroon Intrepid at the intersection of E. Main and N. Spring St. Neither party was found responsible by the police report due to conflicting claims of those involved, and there is no evidence of either driver running a red light. - photo by Taylor Moore
Taylor Moore
Published: Sep 28, 2022, 2:38 AM

A collision in downtown McMinnville Monday resulted in minor injuries.

McMinnville resident Betty Burch, 87, was driving a blue 2012 Nissan Altima heading down N. Spring St. approaching the intersection at E. Main St. At the same time, a maroon 2002 Dodge Intrepid, driven by Jonathan Townsend, 30, was heading outbound on E. Main Street.

In the car with Townsend was wife Kayla Townsend, sitting in the front passenger seat, and their 2-year-old daughter, seated in the back of the vehicle in a restrained child’s seat. As Townsend was midway through the intersection of N. Spring and E. Main, Burch collided head-on into the driver’s side of the Intrepid. 

Patrolman Bo Hutchins said, “She (Burch) is not hurt and didn’t need medical assistance on the scene.” He mentioned the child was also uninjured. However, both Jonathan and Kayla were transported to Ascension Saint Thomas River Park Hospital for minor injuries.

Two witnesses claim the Intrepid ran the red light. Another witness said they were driving behind the maroon car and was stopping for the red light; however, the witness does not know the color of the light at the time of the wreck but saw the collision happen.

Neither driver has been ruled responsible by the report as Hutchins said, “Both drivers are stating they had the green light.” He added, “We looked for a video.” None of the security cameras at the nearby businesses were facing the intersection or the street. No citations were issued.

The collision occurred at approximately 12:45 p.m. 
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