McMinnville resident and Van Buren County native Wilma Ray Shockley Luna, 80, died Aug. 23 at NHC Healthcare in McMinnville after an extended illness. A homemaker and a member of Indian Mound the Baptist Church in DeKalb County, she was the daughter of David Ray and Edna Mae Mills Shockley and was preceded in death…

Thurman Ray ‘Jack’ Jones, 76, of McMinnville died Friday, Aug. 24 at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. Born on Aug. 16, 1931 in DeKalb County, he was one of the original owners of McMinnville Funeral Home and was still serving the public at the time of his death. Previous chief of the Warren County Rescue Squad…

McMinnville resident and Grundy County native Osbon Franklin Savage, 86, died Aug. 25 at River Park Hospital after an extended illness. A nurseryman and a member of the Baptist Church, he served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II. The son of Ambrose and Mary Savage, he is survived by his wife,…

McMinnville resident and Clay County native Ona Pauline Harvey Watson, 81, died Friday at Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro. Retired from Oster and a member of Bybee Branch Church of Christ, she is survived by her husband of 67 years, Loy Watson; sister, Liza Sue Johnson of Dayton, Ohio; daughters, Brenda and Joe Gourley…

Laura Elizabeth Christian, 6 months and 10 days, passed away Sunday, Aug. 19 at Southern Tennessee Medical Center in Winchester. She was born Feb. 9, 2007 to Danny and Kendra Christian. She attended Paynes Baptist Church. Laura is survived by her parents, Danny Dewayne Christian and Kendra Michelle Wilkerson Christian; brother, Brice Kirby Christian; grandparents,…

Quebeck resident Carl D. Logan, 70, died Aug. 23 at White County Community Hospital after a short illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Lizzie West Logan; two sons, Mike and Tim Logan; granddaughter Amanda Logan; brothers Herbert L., Rubin, Lewis and Houston Wyatt Logan. He is survived by son, Damion…

By Chuck Shepherd East Dublin, Ga. (in July), and Athens, Texas (in August), sponsored their own versions of Redneck Games, with events such as mud-pit belly-flopping, seed-spitting and making armpit music (Georgia), as well as (in Texas) “red-neck horseshoes” (played with toilet seats), a Spam-and-jalapeno-eating contest, a mattress chuck, and men bobbing for raw animal…

CHATTANOOGA (AP) ‘ Ten candidates are seeking the state senate seat vacated by Ward Crutchfield after he pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges. Attorneys Andy Berke and John Wolfe, realtor Ken Jordan, Lee C. Whitaker and Walt ‘Combat’ Ward will face off in the Democratic primary for the 10th District. Businessman Oscar Brock ‘ son…

By Morton Kondracke Every time a vending machine won’t take your dollar bill, you ought to plunk in a dollar coin. But, more likely than not, you don’t have one. And, more likely than not, you didn’t even know they existed — even though the government last week issued 170 million new gold-colored Thomas Jefferson…