McMinnville resident and Grundy County native Mary Juanita Cordell Dykes, 89, died Jan. 24 at NHC Healthcare after an extended illness.A homemaker and a member of Irving College Baptist Church, she was the daughter of T.L. and Phoebe Hennessee Cordell and was preceded in death by her husband, William Oscar Dykes in 1969.She is survived…

McMinnville resident and Warren County native Margie Beatrice Argo Hudson, 66, died unexpectedly Jan. 24 at River Park Hospital.A seamstress with the sewing center at Wal-Mart and a member of the Church of Christ, she was the daughter of Jesse and Gladys Bouldin Argo; and was preceded in death by brothers, J.T. and Wayne Argo.She…

Morrison resident and Indianapolis, Ind., native Kathleen T. Miller, 46, died Jan. 25 at her home.A registered nurse with River Park Hospital and a member of Covenant Fellowship Church, she was a graduate of Indiana University and previously worked for St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis for 15 years before moving to Tennessee.The daughter of the…

McMinnville resident and Grundy County native John Casey Killian, 85, died Jan. 23 at National Healthcare Center after an extended illness.A retired civil engineer with the Tennessee Valley Authority and a member of New Hope Baptist Church in White County, he was the son of Burl Franklin and Hallie Frances Killian of Grundy County.He is…

By Joseph Perkins My cousin spent more than two decades working for the CIA. I cannot recall even one occasion when he disclosed anything having to do with his work for the spy agency. That’s because he took his secrecy oath seriously.Nowadays, the culture is quite different at Langley. If inquiring minds want to find…

By Donald Lambro We heard a lot of frightening talk about our national debt during the presidential campaign and in a recent House and Senate debate over raising the debt limit by hundreds of billions of dollars.The numbers may sound scary, but many wild claims are being made about our total federal debt that exaggerate…

By Duane Sherrill No sooner have we sworn one in than there’s already talk of who’s going to run for the White House in 2008.The GOP is tossing around Dr. Bill Frist, Jeb Bush, Rudy Giuliani and perhaps even Arnold Schwarzenegger if they can get that American born clause removed from the law. Meanwhile, the…

Our Viewpoint The announcement Sudafed will begin to hit U.S. store shelves next month without the ingredient used to make meth is long-overdue news. Rural Tennessee’s runaway meth problem is in dire need of a few speeds bumps, and this is an appropriate place to start.Pfizer, which produces Sudafed, says it will release a new…

BABY BOYKarl and Melissa Morin are the parents of a son, Gabriel Pierce Morin, born Nov. 8 at River Park Hospital. He weighed 8 pounds, 6-1/2 ounces.The baby has two sisters, Machiah, 7, and Cora, 19 months; and a brother, Jakob, 5.Grandparents are Gary and LaVonne Levenhagen of Rock Island, Ronald and Marie Morin of…

By Janice M. Howard / Style Editor for the Southern Standard The 38rd annual Little Miss Valentine Pageant, sponsored by Morrison Ruritan, will take place Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at Morrison Elementary School with the rehearsals scheduled Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. at the same site. Deadline for entry has been set for Feb.…