The Rev. Ernest Erbie Cashdollar, 91, a retired United Methodist minister of 45 years, died peacefully at his home in Cookeville on April 4, 2008. He was born Sept. 30, 1916, to the late John Clay (J.C.) and Louisa Martin Cashdollar of the Shady Grove Community in White County. He was a World War II…

Manchester resident and Warren County native Marshall Ray Solomon, 60, died April 7 at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville after a three-year illness. An auto salesman with Thomas Ford & Mercury of Tullahoma, a member of Locust Street Church of God and a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, he was the son of Ruth…

Rock Island resident Jonah R. Bullard, 68, died April 7 at his daughter’s residence after an extended illness. A self-employed painter and a member of Covenant Baptist Church in Smithville, he was preceded in death by his adoptive parents, Willy Columbus and Hassie Lee George Bullard; birth parents, Riley S. and Emmie Elizabeth George Fish;…

McMinnville resident Janie Evelyn Young Harding, 61, died April 8 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville. A retired cafe owner and a member of the Pentecostal Church, she was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Harding; parents, Hershel Walter and Bessie Jaco Young; son, Randy Jones; brothers, John Thomas and Samuel Young; and sister,…

By SUSAN NEWBY Gov. Phil Bredesen is right when he says education is this state’s number one responsibility. With $400 million in the state’s lottery reserves, we can change lives for the better by providing scholarships for a more diverse base of students. A major problem has been the grade-point average HOPE scholars must maintain…

By JAMES CLARK Forget about academic excellence. When it comes to school work, Tennessee has proven time and time again we’re committed to mediocrity. State figures are circulating that show some 80 percent of college students will lose their lottery scholarships during their college career. But wait, some state lawmakers ‘ and Gov. Phil Bredesen…

By Duane Sherrill I told my son not long ago that when he is old enough to drive he will look fondly back on the days when you could buy a gallon of gas for $3. Shoot, I already am. After all, getting gas for $2 a gallon is a distant memory, so far removed…

By Jim Mullen I love watching the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, the Science Channel and the Travel Channel. Twenty-four hours a day, you can watch adventurers boating, crawling, backpacking, motorcycling, biking and hiking to the most exotic and off-the-beaten-track places in the world: the Amazon, Central American jungles, African jungles, South East Asian jungles,…

By William Rusher Charlton Heston, who died April 5 at 84, had converted from Hollywood liberalism to staunch conservatism in his middle years. Apparently having seen or heard some statement of mine that he agreed with, he asked his friend Bill Buckley to introduce us, and Bill readily agreed. Thus began my own friendship with…

Donna Kitts, TACD Poster Chairperson, presents Jalen Smith of Irving College the K-1st grade First Place of the State TACD Poster Contest award. Warren County received several honors at the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts annual convention held in Jackson. George Smartt claimed the TACD Conservation Farmer Award for Tennessee. Smartt’s farming operation is very…