By Hope Hines / Columnist The urge to be adventurous was as overpowering as the first time I drove a car (and that experience altered my personality for years). Would this be as traumatic?But, I needed somebody to share the escapade with. I had the perfect companion in mind. I would invite my pal, Ryan,…

By Duane Sherrill / Columnist The Fourth of July just wouldn’t be the same without the sound of fireworks piercing the night’s silence and without the smell of burnt powder in the air, a fireworks fog hanging just off the ground.For many of you, I know it’s a blessing to have the Fourth over and…

Our Viewpoint With fireworks shooting from every direction, and Fourth of July cookouts taking place throughout Warren County, we can be thankful the holiday weekend has come and gone without a tragedy.There were a few minor rumblings — the most notable of which was a drive-by shooting that took place at Skyline Apartments. While the…

Our Viewpoint Downtown McMinnville has been making steady progress in its bid to return to favorable health. The Main Street business community, once virtually bedridden by financial struggles and store closings, is slowly beginning to walk on its own.Now that businesses are returning, and the Main Street revitalization project is just around the corner in…

By Dale Stubblefield / Columnist Golf has always been thought of as a game of etiquette and professional integrity.Every player on the professional tour holds the utmost respect of the unwritten rules of etiquette towards their playing partner. But when you mix amateurs with professionals, sometimes the rules of etiquette will be pushed to the…

By DALE STUBBLEFIELD / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard WCHS coach Ann Eades addresses players during Monday’s session of her annual basketball camp. (Dale Stubblefield photo) Coach Ann Eades and members of the WCHS basketball team began their third year of the Lady Pioneer Basketball Camp on Monday. The camp will run from July…

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard (McMinnville, Tenn.) The Warren County Astros downed both the Avoca All-stars and the Nashville Heat Monday night. Mark Harvey, center, is congratulated after driving in the game-winning run in extra innings against Avoca. (Dale Stubblefield photo) The Warren County Astros came away with a pair…

Five members of McMinnville Fire Department have completed recruit/firefighting training at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy in Bedford County.Colby Henson, Joey Sweat, Davey Ferrell, Mike Cleland and Alan Farrar completed a rigorous eight-week training course, designed to train them on various life-and-death fire training scenarios. Students participated in a variety of exercises,…

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard WOMACK Students at Boyd Christian School recently showed their smarts on the newly instituted Gateway exams, posting a combined 97 percent pass rate on all three tests. The 2003 exams were taken by students statewide in May.On one test, the biology Gateway exam, 100 percent…

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard MARKS Magness Library’s summer reading program continues this week with visiting author Jeffrey Marks from Silver Dagger publishing. Marks will be holding a book signing and reading this Friday at 6:30 p.m.Marks was born in Georgetown, Ohio, the boyhood home of Ulysses S. Grant.…