Pelham resident Mary Hill Bates, 75, died March 11 at Harton Medical Center in Tullahoma. A retired Carrier employee, she was preceded in death by husbands, Jimmy Hill and Jay Bates; brothers, John, Bud and Beryl Gilliam; sisters, Lula Mae Cox, Elemerey Layne and Irene Meeks. She is survived by children and their spouses, Curtis…

Smithville resident Jean Sain Barry, 87, died March 12 at DeKalb Community Hospital. Retired from LBJ&C Headstart and a member of Smithville First United Methodist Church, she was the daughter of the late Bernard and Sarah Tramel Summers; and was preceded in death by husbands, Brown Sain and Wilson Barry; and brothers, P.E. and Dean…

Chester Ray Dillon, 83, of McMinnville passed from this life Thursday, March 13 at River Park Hospital after an extended illness. He was a member of the Mormon Church and was a brick mason. He is survived by two sisters, Patty Womack of McMinnville, Mary and husband, Joe Mancheno of Titusville, Fla.; brothers, Bernard and…

Allene Dunn, 86, of McMinnville passed from this life, Tuesday, March 11 at NHC Healthcare of Smithville after an extended illness. Mrs. Dunn was a member of the Baptist Church and was a homemaker. She is survived by two daughters, Juanita and husband, Cilfton Hendrixson of McMinnville, Brenda F. Grissom of Newport News, Va.; two…

LaFollette resident Agnes P. Dunham, 92, died March 11 at St. Mary’s Medical Center. She is survived by brothers, James M. Durham of Nashville, Royce Dunham and wife, Betty of LaFollette; nieces, Geraldine Blankenship of Smithville, Candy Dunham and Beth Nelson of Nashville, and Susan Tucker of Knoxville; nephew, Grady Ray of Smithville; several great-nieces…

By JAMES CLARK If given the chance, I think people would argue about when to recognize Christmas. Surely there would be someone out there who would spout all the reasons why our biggest holiday shouldn’t be so close to the end of the year. Someone else would likely point out it would be better to…

By JAMES CLARK I can tell by Susan’s tone, she’s a little cranky about arguing this issue of wine in grocery stores. Truth be told, it’s only an issue because the Tennessee General Assembly seems to have focused its attention this legislative session on the top 10 things most Tennesseans don’t care about. I’d prefer…

By SUSAN NEWBY This week’s topic, I’ve been advised, is wine in grocery stores. My stance: I’m against it. I firmly believe grocery stores should be for groceries. Not wine, and, truthfully, not even beer. As a former drinker, I’m not advocating a Carrie Nation teetotaler mentality. We know from prohibition, that doesn’t work. If…

By Gene Lyons People who tire of sports metaphors have my understanding, if not always my sympathy. Even so, watching overwrought Democrats carry on about the extended presidential primary season, it was my wife, a baseball and basketball coach’s daughter, who wondered, “Haven’t any of these people ever seen a seven-game series?” See, here’s the…

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) ‘ Record-high grain prices are fueling a rural economic boom in farm states such as Kansas. Farm equipment dealers have a backlog of several months in orders for new machinery. Cropland rents are rising, along with agricultural land prices. And with spring planting just weeks away, farmers are watching the volatile commodities…