By DUANE SHERRILL The man who wounded an illegal immigrant in a drive-by shooting just three days before Christmas had the book thrown at him this past week as the court sentenced him to 35 years in the state penitentiary. The defendant, Deonray Fisk, 27, was handed near-maximum terms by Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley…

By LISA HOBBS Warren County High School students will be supporting the undefeated Pioneer football team when school spirit week begins Monday. The 4-0 Pioneers are coming off a 35-0 throttling of White County in Sparta on Friday. The week’s spirit-filled activities and homecoming parade, which is scheduled to begin Friday at 12:15 p.m., are…

By now, most Warren County residents have probably figured out the garbage man won’t accept those leftover pool chemicals, which they have been forced to store until who knows when. Well, it turns out ‘when’ is coming up pretty soon. Warren County is holding its annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection event on Saturday, Sept. 29…

By JAMES CLARK Jamie Yancy guided her Doberman pinscher named Briseis to Best of Show honors for obedience yesterday at the fair dog show. Warren County resident Jeff Cantrell says showing mules isn’t exactly rocket science. In fact, he says it’s fairly simple. ‘I just feed them good, and give them a haircut,’ said Cantrell,…

By DUANE SHERRILL For the second time in two weeks, a local businessman has been charged with patronizing prostitution by offering a price break in return for sexual favors. The suspect, Leon Woodlee, 69, is charged with patronizing prostitution for alleged actions he committed toward a female customer at his auto repair shop on Monday.…

McMinnville resident and Thrope, W.Va., native Ralph Franklin Woodlee Sr., 76, died unexpectedly Sept. 15 at River Park Hospital. A retired senior representative with Seamons Corporation and a member of Westwood Church of Christ, he served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. The son of the late Franklin Christopher and Myrtle…

Smithville resident and Muncie, Ind., native James David Little, 48, was born April 12, 1959 and died in his sleep Sept. 10 at River Park Hospital following a sudden illness. A law enforcement officer who last served in Sacramento, Calif., and a U.S. Army veteran, he was the son of Linville Eugene Little of Muncie,…

McMinnville resident and Murray County, Okla., native Hilda Hampton Newman, 101, died Sept. 15. A retired teacher serving 45 years with the Warren County School System, holding a bachelor of science degree from Peabody College, she was a member of Liberty Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The daughter of Emmett Lee and Sallie Smartt Newman, she is…

Morrison resident and Gunter native Harley Reed Smith, 75, was born Oct. 15, 1931 and died Sept. 12 at his residence following an extended illness. A retired steam plant operator at AEDC, a United States Air Force veteran of Korea and a member of Morrison Masonic Lodge No. 381, he attended Morrison United Methodist Church.…

By Chuck Shepherd Brian Blair, now a county commissioner in Tampa, Fla., asserted in a 2002 lawsuit that he had been forced into retirement from his previous career as a professional wrestler after he tripped over a tray of dishes and hurt himself at a Carrabba’s restaurant. Blair announced in August 2007 that a settlement…