Jenry V. Hillis, 79Morrison resident and Van Buren County native Jenry V. Hillis, 79, died Dec. 30 at Alvin C. York VA Medical Center after a three-month illness.A retired brick and stone mason and a member of the U.S. Army who served in World War II, he was the son of Ernest and Rachel Farless…

By William Rusher / Columnist So the curtain goes up on 2004 and, being human, we long to know what will happen in the new year.The only dependable prediction is that it will surprise us. From the standpoint of the present, the future always looks like a featureless projection of the past — the one…

By Cokie & Steven Roberts / Columnist A recent visit to this university town, where we spent much of our senior year together 40 years ago, reminded us to warn you, the class of 2004, of something important. All of your college years, but particularly the last one, will leave an indelible imprint.It may be…

By Ed Wood / Columnist Mad cow disease. Even the name conjures up visions of cattle romping glassy-eyed, frothing at the mouth, attacking everyone in sight. Well, it just ain’t so.Certainly our Department of Agriculture and other government regulatory agencies should do everything possible to control any outbreak of disease among animals, wild or domesticated.…

Our Viewpoint With the start of 2004, there’s a new law in Tennessee which is long overdue. That new law now makes it harder for a private citizen to have someone thrown in jail after the state has tightened restrictions when it comes to citizens obtaining warrants.Under the previous method, any citizen could apply for…

By DAVID BOCLAIR / Mid-South Sports Network NASHVILLE — Coaches and players like to talk about the NFL’s regular season as a marathon, not a sprint.Not so for the playoffs. In an elimination format such as the postseason it makes sense to go full speed all the time.Perhaps that explains why Tennessee Titans’ quarterback Steve…

By Rob Nunley / Columnist As you can see within these pages, 2003 was an eventful year in the world of sports.Coaching changes, record-setting performances, coaching changes, state tourney trips, coaching changes, top rankings and coaching changes dominated the local sports headlines throughout the year.Oh. Did I mention coaching changes?But as we look back, at…

SPECIAL REPORT / By the Southern Standard sports department The Warren County Middle School football team celebrates its win over Blackman this fall. The Pioneers’ successful 2003 run, which included an eight-game winning streak, was chosen as this year’s top local sports story. In a year filled with local sports news, one team, for one…

The city of McMinnville is working to recycle your old Christmas trees again this year.The city’s public works department and urban forestry department will set up the collection sites and students in Boyd Christian School’s honor society will gather up the trees for the third time.Last year, the trees were ground at the urban forestry…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard A record number of cases was heard during 2003, some settled by plea prior to trial and others decided by a jury of 12.With the exception of two juvenile court cases, the consensus top 10 court cases of 2003 were all heard in circuit court.…