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New highway named after Cooper
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A measure to name the new four-lane to Woodbury after former state Sen. Jerry Cooper has passed the full Warren County Commission.
The resolution passed 17-7. Voting against naming the highway for Cooper were commissioners Carl D. Bouldin, Teddy Boyd, Ron Lee, Kenny Roberts, Scott Rubley, Michael Shane Wilcher and Blaine Wilcher.
Michael Wilcher says his constitutes wanted the highway named after a veteran or veterans -- not after a politician.
“Several residents in District 3 have made it known to me they do not want the highway named after any politician,” said Wilcher. “In fact, the vast majority would rather it be named in honor of a military service person or military people as a whole. As such, I will vote in accordance with those District 3 residents who have made their wishes known to me.”
County Executive Herschell Wells reminded the court the state has the final say in naming the highway. However, the state almost always abides by the wishes of the local government.
Cooper served in the Tennessee Senate for 23 years until his retirement in 2007. He was a tireless proponent for the new four-lane and his effort was instrumental in getting the road complete.
Voting in favor of naming the highway after Cooper were commissioners Terry Bell, Morris Bond, Carl E. Bouldin, Carlene Brown, Wayne Copeland, Randy England, Billy Earl Jones, Gary Martin, Ken Martin, Michael Martin, Carolyn Miller, Charles Morgan, Gary Prater, David Rhea, Tommy Savage, Diane Starkey and Melissa Yancy.
The resolution will be sent to the Tennessee General Assembly for its consideration. No time has been set for the legislature to vote on the county’s recommendation.

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