By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard A man who robbed Cumberland Bank last year could be looking at double time as local prosecutors say they will try him even though he is already serving time for the robbery in federal prison.The suspect, Russell Pease, 36, is presently serving a seven-year sentence…

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard Lynette Hall Hampton displays a copy of her new book “Jilted By Death,” her first mystery novel. She spoke at Magness Library for the Lunch at the Library program Thursday. (Charles W. Johnson photo) Lynette Hall Hampton’s writing has a decidedly Southern flair, which…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard An 87-person docket was heard Thursday by Judge Larry Ross in General Sessions Traffic Court.Included in court action:• Jedidiah D. Shoemaker was bound over to the grand jury on charges of third-offense driving on a revoked license and possession of a weapon.• Ralph Pease was…

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Lawmen plucked 872 marijuana plants from a ravine at Hills Creek Thursday, discovering an elaborate irrigation system amidst the neatly kept patch.“This is one of the most elaborate patches we’ve come across in some time,” said Sheriff Jackie Matheny. “They had a real nice irrigation…

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard After being activated over a week and a half ago, I Troop, McMinnville’s National Guard unit, has settled into the heat and humidity of Camp Shelby, Miss.I Troop is joined at the southern Mississippi base by more than 3,000 other soldiers of the Tennessee-based 278th…

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard After five years of talk, city board members propelled the Main Street McMinnville downtown revitalization project a major step forward and approved the low base bid Thursday.Construction for improvements to downtown’s infrastructure and the addition of many decorative elements was estimated at around $3.5 million,…

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Poor sound quality, long a problem at Nunley Stadium, looks to be a thing of the past as the school board approved nearly $40,000 for a state-of-the-art stadium sound system Thursday night.The purchase came in the form of a change-order to the renovation project currently…

By Will Stewart Everything is connected. Everything. And this is particularly true with regards to education.Education affects us all — not just those who have children. As such, we should all be concerned about it. We say we are, but our actions betray us. We speak of a need to have the highest caliber schools,…

Against officers using tasers by James Clark Ask just about any police officer about using a taser gun and you will be told it’s a means of non-deadly force. That would be great if it were actually the case.But take a few minutes and type in “taser guns” on the Internet and you will find…

For officers using tasers by Duane Sherrill A policeman is hired to uphold the law, not to be a punching bag for every roughneck who doesn’t want to go peacefully.Face it, some folks won’t go in without a fight. This means officers of the law sometimes have to use force to take people into custody.…