Post office conducts food drive
By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard The National Association of Letter Carriers is currently sponsoring a volunteer food drive here in McMinnville that will run through Saturday, according to Postmaster Bobby Miller. The drive will allow those who wish to participate to donate food to McMinnville’s local food bank.Carriers who…
Read MoreSentences leveled for traffic violations
By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard A 65-person docket was heard Thursday by Judge Larry Ross in General Sessions Traffic Court.Included in traffic court action:• Martin Gonzales was ordered to serve 70 days of an 11-month, 29-day sentence, pay $650 plus costs and forfeit his driver’s license for three years for…
Read MoreHalf of tax increase goes toward salaries: Wages for city workers now close to other towns
By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard LLEWELLYN A preliminary look at the way last year’s 27-cent city property tax increase was implemented shows about half of it will go for new personnel and salaries, according to City Administrator Herb Llewellyn.Asked how much of the tax increase was needed for the new…
Read MoreSiren reserved for tornados
By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard JONES It used to go off all the time in cases of any severe weather warnings, but now, the city’s lone weather warning siren is only going off for tornado warnings.A concerned citizen brought up the issue and wondered why the siren did not go…
Read MoreSlatton grabs slim win over Bryant
By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard SLATTON The race for trustee turned out to be a nail-biter as incumbent Joy Slatton was neck-and-neck with Darlene Bryant most of the night before edging her rival by 122 votes.The trustee race, however, ended up being the only closely contested race of the night…
Read MoreRiding across America: Coast-to-coast trek raises money for new firetruck
By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Len O’Donnell, 69, stands in front of a McMinnville fire truck during his stop here Sunday night. (James Clark photo) Len O’Donnell is a little bit like the character Forrest Gump. He awoke one morning and decided it was time to ride across America.With…
Read MoreCycling classic builds speed in 11th year:Two-day event takes place this weekend
By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard ROGERS McMinnville and Warren County will be sprouting wheels this weekend as they host the 11th annual Highland Rim Cycling Classic. Races will take place throughout this Saturday and Sunday.Last year’s races drew a record 429 riders with entrants from virtually every state and…
Read MoreLand swap approved for theater
By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard PALLAS City leaders gave the formal nod to restoring the old Park Theater for entertainment uses Monday after approving a trade of city-owned property and $40,000 in return for the theater.The transfer of the cash and property, which was recently estimated at about $160,000, comes…
Read MoreCity pool bid exceeds $2 million
By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard MINTON The lowest bid for McMinnville’s new outdoor pool project is more than $400,000 what city officials anticipated, they said Monday in a meeting of the Parks and Recreation Committee.Committee members expressed disappointment about the bids since it was previously reported pool architect Michael Manous…
Read MoreNew blood injected into County Commission: Ken Martin voted in; three incumbents ousted in primary
By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard MARTIN Three incumbent county commissioners went down to defeat Tuesday as voters in the Democratic Primary opted for new blood on the county court.The incumbents, Frank Rice in the 3rd District, Brad Cantrell in the 4th District and M.A. Bouldin in the 7th District, were…
Read More