McMinnville resident and Warren County native Rosena Lusk, 94, was born Feb. 11, 1914 and died May 7 at River Park Hospital following an extended illness. An employee of Dr. Wallace Bigbee and Dr. T.L. Pedigo and member of the Church of Christ, she was the daughter of the late Andrew and Icie Bonner Starkey.…

Mary Evelyn Miller Snipes, 88, of the Mt. Zion Community died Thursday, May 8 at River Park Hospital. She was born on Oct. 10, 1919 in DeKalb County, and was a homemaker and member of White Hall Bible Church. Mrs. Snipes was preceded in death by her husband, Clifford Taylor Snipes, parents Rev. W.E. Miller…

McMinnville resident and Warren County native Lila Mai Moore, 97, was born Nov. 24, 1910 and died May 2 at NHC Healthcare McMinnville following an extended illness. A homemaker and member of Northside Baptist Church, she was the daughter of the late Charlie Z. and Laura Eliza Keathley Greer. She was married to H.E. ‘Jack’…

Leesburg, Fla., resident, formerly of McMinnville, Gary Daniel ‘Danny’ Hobbs, 47, died May 1. A Baptist, he is survived by his mother, Francis Marie Hobbs of Sparta; son, Cory Hobbs; daughter-in-law, Jasmine Hobbs; granddaughter, Harley Hobbs; grandson, Cory Hobbs Jr., several aunts and uncles. He was preceded in death by father, J.B. Hobbs and brother,…

Morrison resident and Warren County native Wanda Sue Elam, 58, died unexpectedly May 8 at her home. A X-ray technician and a member of Shady Grove Baptist Church, she was the daughter of Pete and Lennie Miller Lockridge. She is survived by her husband, David Elam; daughter and son-in-law, Stacie and Stephen Potter of Christiana;…

Editorial Our Viewpoint When state revenue plummets, as it’s doing right now, there are always cries for our state government to implement a different form of taxation. The sales tax is subject to broad fluctuations, which is great during robust economic times but a nightmare when spending comes to a halt. Thus, there are calls…

By JAMES CLARK It’s difficult to figure the state of Tennessee. It was just last year when the state, drunk with economic prosperity, decided it had so much money it could afford to give lawmakers millions of dollars to sprinkle around. Volunteer fire departments, non-profit organizations, and education scholarships benefited from king-sized donations, thanks to…

By Gene Lyons Every time I witness something like the breakdown of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby, I tell myself I’ve watched my last horse race. Particularly after the filly’s gallant stretch run. For a long moment it appeared she might actually catch Big Brown before the wire. The sight of veterinary vans encircling…

By Cokie & Steve Roberts When Cokie interviewed President Bush a few weeks ago, the talk turned to the issue of immigration. The president has a long history of reaching out to Hispanics and advocating a path to citizenship for illegal aliens, and he’s deeply frustrated that his proposals have died on Capitol Hill. Too…

If you like to see irises ‘ and would like to see in the neighborhood of 300 varieties ‘ WCHS teacher Russell Watson is having a show this Sunday at his home in Smithville. ‘They are absolutely gorgeous,’ said Watson of his iris collection. ‘I told my students this morning I hated to leave home…