Warren County farmers, landowners, and operators located in the county Local Administrative Area No. 2 have begun receiving election ballots for this year’s County Committee election. Ballots must be returned to the Farm Service Agency county office or postmarked by Dec. 1 to be counted in this year’s election.Gary Martin, outgoing County Committee Chairman, says…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard SPANGLER A former narcotics investigator was freed on time served Wednesday after entering a guilty plea to charges he operated a methamphetamine lab out of his Martin Street home.The defendant, Robert Spangler, 40, entered guilty pleas Wednesday before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley to charges…

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard In a further effort to ensure “no child is left behind,” local educational institutions such as Warren County Schools, Tennessee Technology Center at McMinnville and Motlow College have joined forces with other area institutions to form the Upper Cumberland Regional P-16 Council.P-16 is the shortened…

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee already spends a “piddling” amount of money on anti-smoking programs but could see the funds drop even further next year, state officials say. Tennessee spends about $1.3 million in federal funds for anti-smoking programs, well short of the $32 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in…

By DUNCAN MANSFIELD / Associated Press Writer KNOXVILLE (AP) — It may be looking a lot like Christmas in the shopping malls, but a warming trend over the past half-century points to fewer real snowflakes from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. An Oak Ridge National Laboratory analysis of weather data from 1948 to 2001 for the…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Home security is a prime concern for law enforcement officials over the holidays as the Christmas season generally means more residential break-ins as burglars take advantage of the yuletide season.“Criminals love the holidays as much as everyone else, mainly because it’s a perfect opportunity to…

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard Georgia and James McCorkle display some of the apples stored in the refrigerated apple house at Pa’s Apple Orchard. The McCorkles grow and sell a wide variety of apples and produce cider on a homemade mill. (Charles W. Johnson photo) Ever heard someone say…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard COLLINS With a former secretary at Eastside Elementary facing theft charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the school, the Tennessee Department of Treasury has released a report alleging over $17,000 was misappropriated.The secretary, Rebecca Collins, who left her position prior to her indictment…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Taking a page out of a CSI script, investigators arrested a Centertown man this week after DNA analysis linked him to the scene of a burglary in which he cut his hand while breaking a window.The suspect, Darrell Clay Green, 36, is charged with two…

By Bill Zechman / Guest Editorial In the latest school system report cards, recently released by the Tennessee Department of Education, shows Warren County basically holding its own academically in comparison with the 155 other districts in the state. Except for some of the statistical sub-groups, our students, for the most part, “met federal benchmark”…