LEBANON (AP) — A new kind of housing boom is remaking the Tennessee countryside and spreading unexpected population growth into outlying rural lands once thought unsuitable for high-density residential development. The growth in areas not served by a public sewer is made possible by a new wastewater treatment method known as decentralized or “onsite” sewer…

By CHRIS JONES / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE — State traffic fatalities fell by 101 this year, and officials from the Governor’s Highway Safety office say a new seat belt law is part of the reason. So far, there have been 1,090 road deaths in the state, compared with 1,191 reported in 2003. “This is…

By MATT GOURAS / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE — With the new year comes new requirements for young boaters, reform for workers’ compensation laws, constraints on the use of credit information by insurers — and a new tax targeting drug dealers. A slew of laws passed by state lawmakers earlier this year go into place…

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Public Safety Unit officers Bob Molloy and Ed Yager canvass the Barren Fork Greenway, which is a place visited frequently by the unit. Over the last year, PSU officers have visited the greenway more than 250 times. (Amy Satterwhite photo) Whether it’s giving directions, providing…

A soldier from the 278th gives a farewell embrace to his children before heading out for eventual deployment to Iraq. When Carrier announced in early February this year the local plant would be closing its doors in 2005 everyone saw it as a crippling blow to Warren County’s economy. Not only did the move eliminate…

By James Clark Beans Creek Winery is now open in Manchester and you can say it certainly has a Warren County flavor. That’s because local residents Jimmy and Colene Passons grew some of the grapes that have gone into making the wine sold there.The winery is located on this side of Manchester before you get…

Silver Point resident and DeKalb County native Zelda Jones, 82, died Dec. 27 at her home.A retired teacher’s assistant at Silver Point and Baxter Elementary schools with 23 years of service, she was a member of Silver Point Presbyterian Church, the Putnam County and DeKalb County demonstration clubs and Cookeville VFW Auxiliary.The daughter of the…

McMinnville resident and Cannon County native Wiley Frank Cope, 64, died Dec. 26 at his home after an extended illness.A shear operator at Carrier, he was the son of the late Henry and Estel Lee Patterson Cope.He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Sue Jacobs Cope; sons and daughters-in-law, Aaron Kim and Rhonda…

McMinnville resident and Warren County native Sadie Louise Roberts, 78, died Dec. 16 at Hospice of Metro Denver City Park in Denver, Colo., after an extended illness.A retired supervisor of housekeeping at Stouffer Inn in Denver, she was the daughter of Scipio and Pauline Stone Roberts Sr. and was preceded in death by brothers, Roy,…

Tracy City resident Roy E. Partin, 78, died Dec. 25 in Winchester.A retired county executive for Grundy County, he is survived by his children and their spouses, Roy Edwin and Linda Partin of Morrison, William Earl and Rosalyn Martin of McMinnville, David Eugene and Barbara Partin of Estill Springs, Daryl Ernest and Joyce Ann Partin…