By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard McMinnville water and sewer customers may notice an increase on their bills soon after aldermen approved a minimum fee increase on second reading Monday.While other increases have been for water and sewer use, aldermen have instead increased the minimum billing fee by $1.Minimum fees for…

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard (McMinnville, Tenn.) I.D. Byars gives his granddaughter, Dawn Carter, a few pointers on how to operate radio station WSOJ 102.5 FM. The station went on the air for the first time last Tuesday. (James Clark photo) I.D. Byars has been starting radio stations for 50 years.…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard A local woman was killed Monday when her car hydroplaned on Yager Road and crossed into the path of an oncoming vehicle during a heavy rain storm.The victim, Debra B. Scott, 36, was pronounced dead-on-arrival at River Park Hospital from injuries she sustained in the…

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard BELL The Warren County Commission soundly defeated a budget that included an 11-cent property tax increase Monday night.The commission then passed both an alternative budget that kept the tax rate unchanged and an amendment to that budget that included cuts to the sheriff’s department,…

Deborah Charlene Barks Scott, 36McMinnville resident Deborah Charlene Barks Scott, 36, died unexpectedly July 21 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.An Oster employee, she was the daughter of Charlie R. and Linda Faye Matthews Barks of McMinnville. She is also survived by son, David Scott of McMinnville; aunts and uncles, James and Barbara Rice,…

By Mike Vinson / Columnist Early July 2003, this most disturbing allegation was revealed by the collective Tennessee media: The school system in Overton County, on the Upper Cumberland Plateau, violated students’ rights by putting hidden cameras in Livingston Middle School’s boys and girls locker rooms. The cameras reportedly captured students, ages 10-14, in various…

By Jim Glenn / Columnist Most folks tend to associate Social Security with older people. To be sure, most older Americans are very interested in Social Security. And we always have plenty of information they find useful and helpful. But we also have messages for the millions of people who wouldn’t know the difference between…

By Beth Furbush / Better Business Bureau News The Better Business Bureau and other consumer organizations are working together to educate consumers and businesses on the practical steps they can take to wisely manage their personal and sensitive information and minimize its misuse.Every time you purchase merchandise on the Internet, do your banking online, check…

By James Clark / Columnist Similar to the gadget that translates a dog’s bark, the Meowlingual is due in Japanese stores in November. If you’ve ever looked at your dog and wondered, “Just what could ol’ Leroy be thinking?” you are not alone. Apparently, this is an overwhelming question in Japan.So much so, those tricky…

Lyle C. Hatch, 75McMinnville resident and native Lyle C. Hatch, 75, died July 17 at Tennessee State Veterans Home in Murfreesboro.Retired from the U.S. Army after 21 years of service, he operated several businesses including a restaurant after his military career and was a member of the Methodist Church, VFW Post 5064, the Rakassans and…