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Residents picket Main Street
Group wants tougher punishment for those convicted of animal abuse
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Local animal abuse cases are not being handled properly by Warren County law enforcement officials. That was the message delivered Friday afternoon by a group of about 15 local residents who picketed outside the district attorney’s office on Main Street.
“Tennessee has very good, very strict laws against animal abuse,” said Ruta Ivy, who spearheaded the protest. “All we want is fairness and for the DA and the sheriff’s department to enforce the laws we have. The law is the law so enforce it.”
District Attorney Lisa Zavogiannis called the protest “absolutely wrong,” saying her office has always taken animal abuse cases very seriously. She points to the fact there are 12 animal abuse cases which have just been completed or are pending in Circuit Court. She said that doesn’t include cases in General Sessions Court.
“Anyone who abuses animals, and we have the evidence to prove it, we prosecute to the fullest extent,” said Zavogiannis. “That’s the way we have always operated since the first day I got in office. I don’t know what else I can do but put them on the docket.”
Marlena Lawson was among the group of protesters upset at what she perceives to be lax punishment in some recent cases.
“If we keep letting people off who do horrible things to dogs, this behavior is only going to continue,” said Lawson.
Protesters said they plan to be in court this Tuesday for the preliminary hearing for Brandon and Judith Kester. The two were charged last month for allowing a dog to starve to death while it was chained outside their home.
Ivy said she doesn’t feel other animal cases have been handled appropriately by law enforcement officials in recent years. She said a case surrounding Corona, a dog that was reportedly shot down its throat, was treated as an afterthought.
Ivy said a woman accused of running a puppy mill with 125 dogs in the Centertown area was given a slap on the wrist with no jail time for what she considers a serious crime.
Zavogiannis said protesters have unfounded complaints. She said she would like everyone to work together because they share a common goal.
“If they want to help animals, they should work with us, not fight against us,” said Zavogiannis. “I am doing my job the way the law says to do it.”

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