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Stamps going up
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Customers at McMinnville Post Office downtown will soon see an increase in prices.
Philip Fairbanks
Published: Jul 2, 2023, 4:49 AM

As announced earlier this year, the U.S. Postal Service will be raising the cost of a Forever Stamp on July 9 by 3 cents from 63 to 66 cents. The USPS explained this was meant to “offset the rise in inflation.” The cost of sending a domestic postcard will increase from 48 cents to 51 cents, and a 1-ounce letter mailed outside of the US will be $1.50, up from $1.45 earlier this year. The price for a single-piece letter and flat additional ounce will remain at 24 cents, however.  

 This is actually the second increase in the cost of Forever Stamps this year. In January, the price increased from 60 to 63 cents, as announced in October of 2022. Operating expenses, inflation and increasing transit costs have been major factors. In 2021, the USPS announced its “Delivering for America” 10-year plan which it hopes will make the Postal Service “self-sustaining and high performing,” in addition to remediating a projected $160 billion in losses that could be faced over the next decade otherwise. 

Earlier this year, officials from the Postal Regulatory Commission announced that they expect price increases at least twice a year through 2024. The Postal Service cited the fact that they generally do not receive tax funding, instead relying on the sale of stamps, packaging and other products and services to remain operational. 

Unlike domestic courier services like FedEx and UPS or international couriers like DHL, the Post Office offers free pickup. Also, unlike corporate parcel delivery services, USPS offers Saturday delivery free of charge. Pitney Bowes’ PitneyShip software also offers the best market discounts through USPS compared to FedEx or UPS. Of the three, USPS is also the only one to offer free return pickup as well as holding pickup at no charge.
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