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Success stories
Adult Recovery Court program celebrates graduating class
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Members of the Adult Recovery Court team gathering following the graduation ceremony Tuesday night include, from left, Vickie Rowland, Brad Price, Karla Yates, Bart Stanley, John Partin and Chris Stanford. - photo by Seth Wright
Seth Wright
Published: Feb 16, 2024, 1:56 AM

It was a night of celebration Tuesday evening at the Park Theater as 35 participants in the 31st Judicial District Adult Recovery Court (ARC) program graduated. As their friends and families filled the main floor of the historic theater to lend their support, the graduates made their way across the stage to receive a plaque, with many sharing words of what the program has meant to them. 

The Adult Recovery Court Program began in July 2004 with the goal of helping individuals become productive, law-abiding citizens free from substance abuse. The 18-month intensive supervision and drug treatment program holds participants to a high degree of accountability. 

Since its inception, 759 people have been admitted into the program with 453 graduating. Of those, 339, or 75 percent of graduates, have not re-offended. Many of the graduates credited the program with saving their lives, saying without it they'd either be back in jail or dead. 

Before the graduates were recognized, ARC Director Brad Price was surprised with a plaque honoring his 20 years with the program. Price said of the recognition, "It's just been a blessing to be able to work with these people for 20 years." Apart from the life-changing work of the ARC program, Price presented a brief slideshow outlining some of the financial benefits of the program, stating it has saved taxpayers $1,484,820 by having participants in the program versus what it would cost to house them in jail. 

Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley, the presiding judge over the ARC, started the program over 20 years ago when he was elected. "It's a privilege to be a part of this program and it's one of the happiest things I get to do as part of my job. A lot of people put a lot of work in. The staff does and the participants, too.  It's a wonderful thing to see them graduate and have happy families and happy kids and jobs. It puts a smile on your face every graduation," Stanley said.

The 31st Judicial District Adult Recovery Court team consists of Judge Stanley, District Attorney Chris Stanford, Public Defender John Partin, Police Chief Nichole Mosley, Holden Baker of the Warren County Sheriff's Department, Vickie Rowland, volunteer behavioral health therapist Desiree Brickles, therapist Karla Yates, treatment facilitator Mike Droese and ARC Program Director Price. 

For more information on the Adult Recovery Court program, Brad Price can be reached at (931) 474-1071. 
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