Six sheriff’s department vehicles are parked on the shoulder of the bypass yesterday morning behind a pickup towing a camper with Virginia tags. A deputy smelled marijuana during a traffic stop and both the pickup and the camper were thoroughly searched

By DUANE SHERRILL A security guard was bound to the grand jury Tuesday after his longtime girlfriend said he assaulted her inside the guard shack at the old Carrier building.However, the defense for accused security man, John Bell, maintains he was being harassed by the woman who had come by his place of employment moments…

NASHVILLE (AP) ‘ Tennessee still ranks among the bottom 10 states for children’s health and well-being, but its high school dropout rate has improved dramatically, a national report shows.The annual Kids Count report measures each state’s progress in 10 areas, including infant mortality, poverty rates, single-parent families, teen death rates and low birth weight babies.…

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ‘ The wild chase of a stolen pickup truck in northeast Tennessee resulted in the capture of the suspect, but also damaged four of Rogersville’s six city police cars.Police pursued 19-year-old David Lee Foster of Sneedville because a woman and her two young daughters were also in the speeding truck.They were not…

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) ‘ A Mt. Pleasant City Commission member resigned after being charged with assault for a fist fight in the commission chamber.Mayor Richard Hendrix said Commissioner Bob Shackelford submitted his resignation Wednesday afternoon.The Daily Herald in Columbia reported Thursday the 72-year-old Shackelford declined immediate comment, saying he would make a statement in a…

By JAMES CLARK

By Lisa Hobbs McMinnville Finance Committee members will soon get their first look at the proposed 2008-09 city budget. Committee meetings held Tuesday night finished what was left of departmental budgets.Mirroring previous discussions, budgets for McMinnville’s Parks and Recreation Department, Urban Forestry Department, Fire Department and Police Department were all approved.There will be fee increases…

By DUANE SHERRILL A cleaning woman who was cleaning out her employer avoided jail time this week although she was at a loss to explain to the court why she stole over $3,000 while serving as a maid for the company.The defendant, Dogma M. Walker, entered guilty pleas to charges of theft arising from her…

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON T.R. Raymond, left, and son Danny have framed a number of articles about Molly and Dolly. They’re young, beautiful, and they have really big ears, but that hasn’t stopped Dolly and Molly, at not quite 2 years old, from becoming international sensations, featured on Channel 5 News in Nashville, the CBS…

By Lisa Hobbs It’s been slightly more than two months since a fire destroyed two historic buildings in downtown McMinnville. Although clean-up has been slowly progressing, speed may pick up.Streets and Sanitation Committee members have approved an agreement that will allow the city to remove debris and clean up 207 and 209 E. Main Street,…