By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support local journalism.
Power outages accompany winter storm
snow2.jpg
A Caney Fork Electric lineman works to restore power in neighboring DeKalb County on Monday.

Less than 200 Caney Fork Electric customers in Warren County were without power Tuesday afternoon, a small sampling compared to surrounding counties which were hammered by ice and suffered significant outages.


“We have about 75% of our customers in DeKalb County without power right now,” Caney Fork general manager Bill Rogers said Monday afternoon. Earlier in the day, Van Buren County had been hit especially hard, but Rogers said all power had been restored to Van Buren County residents by Monday evening.


“We have had scattered outages all over the since about 6:30 a.m.” said Rogers referring to the issues on Monday. “Van Buren County had been the worst area. For Warren County so far, we have had five outages affecting about 100 members. We have had some lines down and trees into lines from the weather.”


Power outages in Warren County increased slightly as the day progress Monday and winter weather continued to accumulate.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Rogers said there were approximately 1,700 Caney Fork customers without electricity system- wide. He said that included less than 200 in Warren County.


McMinnville Electric System reported no power outages due to snow and ice.


Several U.S. cities saw record lows. In Minnesota, the Hibbing/Chisholm weather station registered minus 38 degrees, while Sioux Falls, South Dakota, dropped to minus 26.


Power outages are a common companion to winter weather, particularly when ice and freezing rain are involved. John Chisam of Caney Fork Electric advises homeowners to prepare for outages during inclement weather.


“The ice freezes to the lines and the heavier it gets, the higher likelihood the line can break which causes the power to go out,” Chisam explained.


Last week, a burned wire is being blamed for the power outage affecting approximately 4,000 McMinnville Electric System customers Thursday afternoon.


“We found a high-voltage wire burned in two at the East McMinnville substation,” said MES general manager and CEO Rodney Boyd, “The wire was in a junction cabinet and we still do not know what caused it to burn in two.”


A loose connection is thought to be responsible for the lapse in power but the definitive cause is still under investigation. MES had electricity returned to customers in about 10 minutes.


When it comes to losing power, Chisam offers valuable advice for how to manage and prepare for electrical outages.


Things you can do to prepare for an outage:


• Prepare flashlights with fresh batteries.

• Use a battery-operated radio to hear weather alerts in your area.

• Keep your phone charged by using a car charger.

• Don’t open the refrigerator during an outage to preserve temperature longer.

• Add layers of clothing to preserve body heat during extended outages.


A previously common item kept around for power outages by many and one that didn’t make his list is a candle.


“We don’t suggest candles as you can fall asleep with it still burning,” said Chisam.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
local news.png

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