Construction season arrived with spring and while there are signs of growth, figures from construction permit sales show how hard the recession hit homes here. New home construction permit sales at the Marshall County Courthouse Annex are down dramatically, but with several months left in the fiscal year, the number of construction permits for additions and remodeling has already equaled the number sold last year... more

Cornersville Junior Beta Club is teaming up with Soles4Souls to collect gently worn or new shoes that will be sent to earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile. Any size shoes are accepted, children or adults. Shoes may be dropped off at Cornersville Elementary School through the month of March. Shoes need to be tied or rubber banded in pairs. All donations are appreciated... more

CHAPEL HILL -- Counseling was conducted Monday at the elementary school here because of a second grader who died with leukemia early Sunday at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. more

The grand jury handed down various indictments last week. Indictment does not mean a person is guilty. That's determined by a trial or by a guilty plea. According to public records, Morales allegedly stalked his victim for a week, broke into her apartment and tried to rape her at knifepoint in May 2009. ... more

After more than a year of public discussion on what to do if the landfill west of Lewisburg must close, Marshall County's municipalities are in a position to hire a trash company that owns the landfill north of Murfreesboro. And that's OK, according to Marshal County Solid Waste Director Morgan Thomas, because the short-term plan developed by county commissioners on the solid waste committee would probably last about as long as the cities' contract with Allied Waste... more

Guess what? Spring is here. Some days it looks and feels like spring, and then other days you'd think we're in the middle of winter. Yes, I'm more behind than ever - what can I say? I want to congratulate a Lady Rocket, Beth Hawn, on winning the 2009-2010 Class A Miss Basketball award. She received this honor at the conclusion of the Class A State Title game two weeks ago. This is the state's most prestigious individual award... more

Five prospective businesses were described to Lewisburg's City Council and its Industrial Development Board this week by the board's attorney and the city's industrial developer. Jobs for 25 to 500 people would come to Lewisburg, depending on which business lands here, according to information from IDB Attorney Robert Binkley and Industrial Developer Terry Wallace... more

The Webb School, Bell Buckle, is pleased to announce that 6th grader Ashlyn Avent of Lewisburg made the A Honor Roll and Sarah Steely, a Webb senior, also of Lewisburg, made the B Honor Roll. The Webb School is an independent college preparatory day/boarding school for grades 6-12, the oldest continuously operating school of its kind in the South. The school is currently celebrating its 140th year and is known for its emphasis on academic excellence and character development... more

New airplane hangars, valued at about $1 million, are under construction at Lewisburg's Ellington Field where the city's cost is $100,000, the airport manager said on a recent Friday afternoon when clouds cleared after a morning of rain. "And they don't have to pay back the $900,000," said Clay Derryberry who's just been renamed the airport's Fixed Base Operator, a title that means he's the manager of the airport and can conduct other businesses there. ... more

A March to the Mailbox Parade is recommended by the U.S. Census Bureau, according to a brochure left at the Marshall County Courthouse Annex on Tuesday. Gertrude "Trudy" Parham, a partnership specialist with the Bureau's office in Charlotte, N.C., was there to meet with nine local leaders who were described as the county's Complete Count Committee... more

A convicted sex offender living near Lewisburg's public square was back in Marshall County's Jail on Wednesday, charged with burglary and theft at a business where the owner tried to help him. David M. Gordon, 35, who'd been living at a Second Avenue apartment, is accused of crawling through the front window of the Corner Cafe shortly after midnight when he cut the electrical cord to the cash register and carried it out of the building, according to Michael Farrar, owner of the cafe... more

March 20 was my birthday and I turned 40. I still feel young, but I remember when I thought 40 was very old. Oh yeah, that was last year when I was 39. With the milder days and cold nights, it does seem that spring has sprung. With the snows this winter and all the rain, the weather pattern has finally changed after all the drought we have seen in recent years. ... more

Spring has arrived, but winter just doesn't seem to want to go away. The weather report says it is suppose to warm up. The annual Robert B. Jones High School Alumni Meeting will be held on Saturday, June 5 at 11:00 a.m. in the Lynnville Municipal Building. A potluck lunch will be served at noon with a program to follow. Make plans to attend the meeting of this dear old school that once stood on the eastern borders of Lynnville... more

When I was in grade school, my concept of eternity was shaped by sermons. Eternity was the time between our then-minister's saying "And in conclusion..." and his actually, well, you know, concluding. As I matured, I developed a longer attention span, but apparently concentration is still a problem for many adults. According to the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald, the Vatican is recommending that Catholic clergy keep their sermons to under eight minutes... more

CHERRY CHEESECAKE PIE 1 graham cracker pie crust 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup sour cream 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 container (8 oz.) Cool Whip 1 cup cherry pie filling Beat cheese until smooth, gradually beat in sugar. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Fold in Cool Whip, blend well. Spoon into crust. Chill until set, at least 4 hours. Spoon cherry pie filling over top of pie... more

CATALPA NEWS By Juanita Pack Hello again. My news will be a little different this week. I am slowly recovering from suffering a stroke last Tuesday, and my daughter is doing my typing. Luckily, the only major problem is I now have limited eyesight and some numbness on my left side. There is every hope that my eyesight will slowly return. Please keep me in your prayers... more

Federal grants totaling $650,000 are sought by the Marshall County Board of Public Utilities to pay for the extension of water service to several homes southeast of Henry Horton State Park where drinking water wells are polluted. Marshall County Commissioner Rocky Bowden, chairman of the MCBPU, announced to his fellow commissioners on Monday night that the utility is filing the applications with the help of Lisa Cross, a community development specialist with the South Central Tennessee Community Development District.. ... more

The prospect of Marshall County's Board of Education transforming itself into a panel over a special school district with taxing authority was unanimously opposed by county commissioners at their monthly meeting Monday night. While there's no publicized desire by local school board members to have authority to set a separate property tax to fund education, there are companion bills in the state House and Senate that would allow any "local education agency" to convert to a "special school district.". ... more

There's a new man working to develop the local economy and while he was in Chicago last week meeting with consultants specializing in new locations, he's aware of the basics like taking care of the businesses you have already. "Eighty percent of new jobs are from existing businesses, but when new business comes in, they want to talk with the local business people to know how they're treated," says Nathan A. ... more

* Brenndon J. Collins, 21, and a 17-year-old juvenile will be served with summons for criminal trespassing, after being caught skateboarding in Old Connelly School by Lewisburg Police officers on … more