By WILL STEWART SUNDQUIST Four months following the deadly day care van crash in Memphis which left four children and the driver dead, Gov. Don Sundquist announced reforms to improve the safety of day care transportation in Tennessee. ?The tragedy that occurred in Memphis on the morning of April 4th should never be repeated in…

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard BROCK In light of the threat of West Nile virus, McMinnville officials are stressing their commitment to spraying for mosquitos around the city.While national officials point out the virus appears to be here to stay in the United States, city officials said they have had…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard This convertible was driven by an unlicensed 15-year-old who went for a joyride with three of his young friends. The vehicle ran off a gravel road in Jacksboro Friday. (Duane Sherrill photo) Four youths were injured, one critically, Friday afternoon when their car slammed into…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard JONES City voters could have a large field to choose from Nov. 5 given the apparent interest in the aldermanic races where 10 possible candidates have picked up qualifying papers.However, conspicuously absent from the group are two of the three incumbent aldermen, with the third…

By Ed Kimbrell / Columnist Here are a few jottings from the old observer’s notebook for this boiling August as we prepare for the long political battles ahead.Firstly, a sad goodbye to the media commentary column by Henry Walker in the Nashville Scene. The Tennessean complained about his “problems” with accuracy and Walker was gracious…

By Amy Satterwhite / Columnist Not Wanted: A Few Bad Aldermen. That’s a no brainer.I was going to open this column with the exact opposite – that a few good aldermen were needed – because earlier this week, there seemed to be little interest and only a few candidates interested in the November election, setting…

Our Viewpoint Fresh off an election where Warren County voters flocked to the polls with vigor, another election looms on the not-so-distant horizon.The upcoming November election will determine Tennessee’s next governor and also several of our state and national representatives. But the election will also give voters the first-hand chore of deciding several crucial issues…

Victoria Ellen Foust has been selected to participate in the Miss Pre-Teen division of the Nationals’ 2002 Miss Pre-Teen Nashville pageant competition scheduled Aug. 25. Foust learned of her acceptance into this year’s competition as contestants were announced recently. She submitted an application and took part in an interview session conducted by Patty Neidert, Nashville…

The Sijilmasa Exhibit coordinated by Ron Messier, MTSU history professor, will be featured Aug. 14 through Sept. 30 in the Marly Berger Gallery at the Arts Center of Cannon County.The exhibit is an international journey of information and paintings from the ongoing excavations of the medieval city of Sijilmasa in southeastern Morocco. The medieval city…

By Janice M. Howard / Style Editor for the Southern Standard Venture Crew 631, consisting of 22 McMinnvillians, set sail this summer for a trip from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. aboard two 51-foot sailboats bound for the tropical islands around Bimini in the Bahamas.The group arrived in Florida after pounding the pavement for 13 hours on…