By CHARLES W. JOHNSON McMinnville has a new physician in town, Ob-Gyn Dr. Earnest Mak. Dr. Mak is on staff at River Park Hospital and his office is in Suite 101 at the facility, located at 1589 Sparta Street. This Thursday, Feb. 8, Dr. Mak is holding an open house from 1 to 3 p.m.,…

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON Kym Jones loves opera. She loves it so much, in fact, she has devoted a great deal of her time over the last nine years to producing and hosting WCPI Public Radio?s local program ?Opera Showcase,? which is broadcast from 4-7 p.m. each Saturday, with an encore presentation from 4-7 a.m.…

McMinnville resident and Warren County native Tamara Leigh Campbell White, 25, died suddenly Feb. 2 at River Park Hospital. A secretary with Southland Brick and Block Co., and a veteran of the U.S. Navy, she was the daughter of Tena Watts Popplewell and Ernie Campbell, both of McMinnville. She is also survived by son James…

McMinnville resident and Warren County native Samuel David Elrod, 92, died Feb. 2 at his home. A retired Genesco employee and a member of the Church of Christ, he served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was the son of the late Charley and Bertha Elrod; and was also preceded…

Rubye ?Granny? Kathryn Foster Bost, 91, of Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., passed away Thursday, Feb. 1. She was born in McMinnville in 1915 and married her husband, Calvin, in 1945 when they moved to the North Georgia area where they raised their family. She was previously employed with Repro Corporation as a machine operator for more…

Homer D. Wilson, Sr., 79, of McMinnville died Thursday, Feb. 1 at River Park Hospital. He was born on April 18, 1927 in DeKalb County, and was preceded in death by parents Houston Gray and Bryna Ann Jones Wilson; wife Louise Lentz Wilson; and brother Ewin Gray Wilson. Mr. Wilson was a veteran of the…

McMinnville resident and Binghamton, N.Y., native Dwight Thomas Steinruck, Sr., 60, was born Oct. 24, 1946 and died Feb. 1 at NHC Healthcare in McMinnville following a brief illness. A self-employed carpenter, he was the son of Florence Ellen Greiner Steinruck of McMinnville and the late Samuel Ned Steinruck Sr. In addition to his father,…

McMinnville resident and Warren County native Betty Jane (Taylor) Smith, 68, died Feb. 3 at Raintree Manor. A teacher assistant with Warren County Schools, she was the daughter of John and Cassandra Johnson Taylor. She is survived by her son, Trey Smith of McMinnville; daughter, Debby Johnson of McMinnville; grandchildren, Eli Smith, Jarred, Cassandra, Alexandria…

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Army would get a sizable increase under President Bush’s 2008 budget that would help ease the strain from the demands of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and meet equipment needs. The proposal to give the service $130 billion would represent a 16 percent increase over this year, according to documents obtained…

By Chuck Shepherd Inexplicable: Sudan Provost, 40, walked into the River City Bank in Sacramento, Calif., on Dec. 29 and, reported the Sacramento Bee, quietly announced to employees that he had come to “rob” it, but then handed a teller his driver’s license and a money order to be cashed. The teller asked if he…