The Court Square fountain is no longer on Court Square. According to city officials, the fountain was removed Monday and sent away for routine repairs. The fountain is expected to be up and running again in the spring.

By LISA HOBBS First National Bank has long helped local families buy the home of their dreams. Now thanks to a $40,017 grant, the bank is helping Habitat for Humanity reach its goal of building two homes a year. The grant was given to Habitat for Humanity on Monday by bank senior vice president Dewayne…

By LISA HOBBS Tickets for Father/Daughter Date Night have sold out again. The 11th annual event has been a red-hot ticket for the past several years. This year?s tickets went on sale Jan. 2 and sold out in about three hours. That?s no small feat given there were 400 tickets available. ?We have people who…

By JAMES CLARK BRYANT When Beersheba Towers resident Laura Bryant makes the short trip to the Dollar General store on Main Street, she takes orders. And there is never any shortage of requests. ?I always say, ?Can I bring ya?ll back something?? and I always end up with a lap full of bags,? said Bryant,…

By DUANE SHERRILL Eight local businesses sold beer to an underage operative during a recent undercover beer-buying sting conducted by the Warren County Sheriff?s Department. ?The agent was a male, 19-year-old who had his own identification with him which said UNDER 21 on it,? said Sheriff Jackie Matheny, noting the youth provided the license upon…

By DUANE SHERRILL A Martin Street woman was reportedly raped by intruders after they forced their way into her home Saturday, the crime leading to the arrests of four suspects on felony charges. The four suspects, Cole West, 20, Heath Crisp, 19, Tosha Hill, 24, and Dustin Couch, 18, are each charged with aggravated burglary…

KNOXVILLE (AP) ? A federal lawsuit accuses Claiborne County Sheriff David Ray of raping a 17-year-old girl while on a deer hunt. Ray, who is also the subject of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe, is also accused of threatening the girl with his service weapon, holding her against her will in his truck and…

The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) There’s no question that Tennessee’s experimental driving certificate program was being abused. Since it was created in 2004, 51,000 certificates have been issued, and some level of abuse probably was inevitable. The state Department of Safety had good reason to suspend the program last February. News reports had revealed the issuance…

By Gene Lyons Some people have art, others theater. Along with millions of similarly uncultivated louts, I have ballgames. To fans, sports offer a temporary refuge from the complicated muddle of everyday life. Lately, though, it’s become harder to tell the sports page from the rest of the newspaper. Mostly, it’s merely annoying to see…

By Thomas Vaughn Barely a week into 2007, New Year?s resolutions made with the best intentions are coming face to face with the harsh reality of old habits that are hard to break. Friends of mine have variously vowed to: quit smoking, stop drinking, lose ?weight, spend more time with my family, cut up credit…