Here?s a step up for Christmas. McMinnville Police Chief Charlie Sewell shows off his ?Christmas Ladder.? After recently moving to the McMinnville area and having most of his belongings still in storage, including his Christmas decorations, Sewell improvised by using what he had. In this case, it?s a five-foot ladder.

By DUANE SHERRILL A woman who claimed hickeys on her neck were actually marks left when her husband choked her will serve five days in jail. The defendant, Ashley Ross, 19, was directed to serve five days of an 11-month, 29-day sentence on the charge of perjury. Her husband, who she admitted to making up…

By DUANE SHERRILL Sobriety checkpoints will be held around the city during the holidays as lawmen crack down on drunk drivers over the yuletide season. ?This is a continued effort to help protect the citizens of McMinnville and Warren County,? said McMinnville Police Chief Charlie Sewell of two planned sobriety check points over the next…

The McMinnville Cruisers took part in the annual Toy Ride that left McMinnville Ford and meandered through Morrison and Centertown before ending at the fairgrounds. Pictured presenting a check to rescue squad director Fred Hillis are, from left, Bobby Ashford, Len Murrey, Hillis, Cliff Knudson, Mary Harmon, James Kirby and Michael Ashford.

By DUANE SHERRILL A man has been arrested for spanking his wife after she allegedly intervened to stop him from spanking their daughter. The defendant, William Anderson, is charged with domestic assault on his wife, Denise Anderson, after the incident at their home over the weekend. According to police reports, Mrs. Anderson stopped her husband…

By DUANE SHERRILL A man who fell asleep in a stranger?s car will serve 48 hours in jail for leaving behind a bad odor. The defendant, Jackie Hood of Morrison, was found guilty following a trial before General Sessions Judge Larry Ross Tuesday on the charge of vandalism, a trial in which he represented himself.…

By DUANE SHERRILL A local man was critically injured in a pre-dawn crash Wednesday morning when he turned in front of an oncoming van on the four-lane near Rock Island. The victim, Gerald Rowland, 60, was airlifted from the scene by LifeForce helicopter and remains under treatment at Erlanger Medical Center with leg and internal…

By JAMES CLARK Rescue squad members have added a new twist to playing Santa Claus this year. Instead of traveling around the county and delivering toys to hundreds of homes, rescue squad members have asked families to come to them. ?I think it?s going to work perfectly,? said rescue squad director Fred Hillis. ?I haven?t…

By LISA HOBBS When it comes to the phase II of the downtown economic revitalization project, engineer James C. Hailey stood his ground at Tuesday night?s McMinnville Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting. Using Hailey?s services from the beginning, instead of EG&G, would save the city $412,386 based on estimates submitted by both. During the…

By DUANE SHERRILL It remains the only unsolved murder in modern-day McMinnville history, a brutal slaying perpetrated in a normally quiet neighborhood just before Christmas 10 years ago. The killer has left behind no clues and no motive for the grisly crime, which investigators say has become a cold case. Ten years ago today, the…