By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support local journalism.
Woman sentenced for deaths of sons
Placeholder Image
Updated: Nov 27, 2013, 9:32 PM
Published: Nov 27, 2013, 9:33 PM

CLEVELAND (AP) — A Bradley County judge has sentenced a woman to two life terms in the deaths of her two young sons.
Tasha Bates was convicted in August of murder and child neglect in the deaths of 3-year-old River and 5-year-old Leland, who were left in a car last June when the temperature hit 101 degrees.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports Bates’ attorney, Richard Hughes, asked that the sentences be allowed to run concurrently, meaning she would serve just one life sentence.
“Justice can be accomplished with one life sentence,” Hughes said. “That in no way diminishes the life of these children.”
The prosecution didn’t object, but the judge refused.
“These are two people that were murdered. Two people. Two murders,” Bradley County Criminal Court Judge Amy Reedy said, adding the boys were “introduced into a horrible place and around horrible goings-on, and around horrible activity.”
During the trial, prosecutors introduced evidence of meth making at the family’s home. The judge ruled Bates will have to serve the sentences consecutively, or one after the other.
In Tennessee, life sentences call for at least 51 years behind bars.
Hughes said the judge’s ruling means Bates will likely remain in prison for the rest of her life.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
local news.png
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