Marshall County's unemployment rate is 16 percent, according to the most recent figures from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. That makes Marshall the county with the third highest rate in the state, topped only by Scott and Pickett counties with 23.2 and 18.4 percent unemployment respectively... more

As a person with Irish ancestors, I feel compelled to tip my hat to Saint Patrick's Day. As a person with Irish ancestors, I also feel duty-bound to mix in a wee bit of blarney. Saint Patrick is famous for (a) bringing Christianity to pagan Ireland and (b) chasing the snakes out of Ireland. ... more

State Sen. Bill Ketron is drafting legislation to address implementation of Shariah law, part of the Muslim faith, that's perceived by some as a handmaiden to terrorist cells in America. "We're still working on the bill," the Murfreesboro Republican said Wednesday, explaining legal issues are being vetted "to make sure it's constitutional" before it's sent to House and Senate Judiciary committees... more

PETERSBURG -- A Lewisburg man drowned in Cane Creek on Saturday and his body was recovered Monday morning, after the rain-swollen creek water came down four to five feet. The victim, Ricky Allen Smith, was in a flat-bottom, aluminum boat with Nathan Williams of Petersburg on Saturday when, "according to our information, the boat hit a log and capsized," Lincoln County Sheriff Murray Blackwelder said Wednesday... more

Twenty-one people have applied to be Lewisburg's next director of stormwater and codes, a position recognized by city councilmen as important because of state orders that threatened civil penalties for non-compliance with environmental laws. Three "minor issues" have been resolved in an order from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, according to Greg Lowe who was promoted from the codes and stormwater job to be the city's economic development director... more

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded Lewisburg's Fire Department a grant of more than $53,000 for the purchase of equipment for firefighters. "We had asked for $62,000," Fire Chief Larry Williams said Wednesday afternoon at the fire hall on Water Street. "They reduced it to $53,055 and we accepted it... more

The Forrest Players will end their 2010-2011 season with A.A. Milne's children's play, "The House at Pooh Corner," adapted by Bettye Knapp. Make plans to bring the whole family to meet Winnie the Pooh and all his friends at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 12, in the Forrest Theatre... more

I know the Bleacher Report Web site calls March Madness "four 15-minute quarters of stop 'n' go action or 67 games of heart-wrenching, plot-twisting, good ol' fashioned euphoria." I've seen the cartoons of office productivity grinding to a standstill as co-workers scrutinize brackets and make wagers on the games that lead to the naming of a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Division I Basketball Champion... more

Parvo, a highly contagious virus that's almost always fatal to dogs when untreated, is a problem at the animal shelter on Woodside Drive, according to animal advocates, and Lewisburg councilmen are willing to help an animal adoption group solve it. Councilman Robin Minor brought the issue to the council on Tuesday when it was explained by Tisha Poling of Lewisburg Animal Shelter Adoptions (LASA), a group that sent its charter to Tennessee's Secretary of State on Wednesday... more

Lewisburg increased golf cart and fairway prices last year to help balance the recreation budget, but golfers went elsewhere so the price was cut Tuesday in hopes of increasing revenue. City councilmen on Tuesday accepted a recommendation from the Recreation Board, as presented by recreation Director Guy Chambers. However, two councilmen qualified their vote, insisting that the price cut be re-examined when next year's budget is assembled... more

Not all stories about premature babies have unhappy endings. Marshall County's March for Babies ambassador for this year, Eryn Layne Ketchum, is a great example of the way a premature baby can survive and thrive, thanks in part to research funded by the March of Dimes... more

A Hunter Safety Course will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 14, 15, 17 and 18, at Cornersville First Baptist Church. The test will be Saturday morning, March 19. For more information, call Doug Lowery at 659-6786. Children must be turning 10 this year to attend. Anyone born in 1969 or later needs to pass a hunter safety course in order to hunt anywhere in the state except on their own land... more

NASHVILLE -- Public debate took to the streets Saturday when topics included work contracts negotiated by teachers for teachers, their tenure and, among other things, their representation on the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System Board of Directors... more

Thirty jobs are to be created in connection with Hawk Converting, a business grown from Lewisburg Printing through the pending purchase of a large paper-cutting machine. After obtaining a recommendation for a property tax break agreement from Lewisburg's Industrial Development Board on Monday, businessman Hale Hawkins of Lewisburg Printing explained his plan... more

Marshall County bought voting machines a few years ago, but since then a state law says different machines are required and now the county wants state lawmakers to change that. One estimate of the cost -- $75,000 -- is over 50 percent more than the $48,000 generated by each penny on the county's property tax rate, thereby indicating, without spending cuts, the tax bill on a $100,000 house would go up $3.75... more

Lewisburg councilmen continue to show interest in having solar panels in the city's business park on the north side of Mooresville Highway, but there's a difference of opinion on aesthetics. "I know we want to have people think of us as progressive, but I don't think that's so progressive," Councilman Ronald McRady said during a non-voting workshop discussion in City Hall late last month... more

Pre-Kindergarten registration for the 2011-2012 school year in the Marshall County School System will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at the Marshall County Board of Education, 700 Jones Circle, Lewisburg. Parents should bring the following information to registration:... more

A Hunter Safety Course will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 14, 15, 17 and 18, at Cornersville First Baptist Church. The test will be Saturday morning, March 19. For more information, call Doug Lowery at 659-6786. Children must be turning 10 this year to attend. Anyone born in 1969 or later needs to pass a hunter safety course in order to hunt anywhere in the state except on their own land... more

Kindergarten registration for the 2011-2012 school year will be held on Thursday, March 24. Parents who plan to enroll their child in the Lewisburg area (Oak Grove, Westhills, Marshall Elementary) will register at the Lewisburg Gas Department (back conference room) from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m... more

Tennessee is funding more training for police dispatchers handling calls about missing or exploited children, according to the state Department of Commerce and Insurance. "This," Lewisburg Police Chief Chuck Forbis said, "cannot be said about most other state and federal mandates which are usually left up to local governments to figure out how to fund them."... more