Covenant Academy recently held its third annual Spelling Bee. Winners are, from left, Caroline Scott, fourth grade; Madison Butler, second grade; Carlton Gant, first grade; Chloe Hillis, second grade; and David Nuthalapaty, third grade.

By Chuck Shepherd The Fates of Three Class of ’08 Students in Durham, N.C.: Two men did not graduate from Duke University in May because they were two of the three lacrosse players accused of rape in March 2006 and were forced to suspend their academic pursuits in order to defend themselves against the charges…

By Lisa Hobbs Officers at the McMinnville Police Department will receive 31 weapons for just over $5,000. New Glocks will replace the 12-year-old ones. Although the weapons are in working order, the tritium sights are due to be replaced. According to McMinnville Police Chief Charlie Sewell, they are so dull it makes it hard to…

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON Hebe after restoration The statue of Hebe on court square stands in silent tribute to the members of Heritage Alliance, Main Street McMinnville and the Leadership McMinnville Class of 1999 who worked so diligently to raise money to save her. Even local children joined in, creating and selling art to help…

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON Justin King helps daughter Annie create a finger-painted shirt at Magness Library’s first Family Place Library Parent Child Workshop yesterday. A number of parents and children gathered at the library to read and participate in several creative activities.

BY Thomas Vaughn Lately, I’ve taken a self-imposed respite from the dreary doings of the 2008 presidential race-and I’m glad I did. Far from the sound and fury of partisan politics, I found ordinary people doing extraordinary things. First, I attended the Bobby Ray Memorial Elementary School’s Kindergarten 2008 Graduation service. The program began with…

By Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Dear Annie: “Libby,” a very dear friend of mine, works part time, lives on a limited income in subsidized housing and receives food stamps. Every month, she gives large amounts of money or food stamps to her grown children, who live in very nice homes, drive nice cars and…

Boyd Spry met his future wife, Patricia, when they were students at Cannon County High School in neighboring Woodbury. When they married a couple of years after graduation, they could not have imagined the challenges that awaited their marital union. At age 35, Patricia was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that ravages the body’s…

Left: Nectarine Neufchatel Cheesecake – Right: Tarragon Turkey Salad Lettuce Cups with Plums and Toasted Almonds Family Features Warm weather is here, and so is the season’s delicious bounty of fresh summer stone fruit. Everyone knows that fruit is good for you, but did you know that peaches, plums and nectarines are good sources of…