May 17– The Southern Poverty Law Center is threatening to take the Hardin County Board of Education to federal court over what it contends is a discriminatory dress code preventing students from expressing support for homosexual, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

In a letter to the board today, the nonprofit civil rights organization based in Montgomery, Ala., charges that an assistant principal at Hardin County High School recently prohibited students from "peacefully expressing their views about one of the most pressing societal issues of our time, specifically the societal acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people."

Said Sam Wolfe, a staff attorney for the SPLC, "Students’ constitutional rights to freedom of expression do not stop at the school house gate. Public schools are not totalitarian enclaves where school officials may ban speech they dislike."

The current student dress code for Hardin County Schools for students in grades 6-12 bans clothing that "advertises/promotes alcohol, controlled substances, wrestling, sex, suicide, satanic worship, the occult, gang activities, skulls or groups that promote such."

The Southern Poverty Law Center is representing HCHS student Isabella Nuzzo, who is not gay, but wants to express her viewpoint that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people "should be treated equally and with respect," the organization said in the letter to the board.

In a news release from the SPLC, Nuzzo, who will be a senior next year, said she and other students were "really upset with the school for shutting down free speech about a topic I feel strongly about. I love my gay friends and believe life is hard enough without being judged for who you are or for believing in equality."

According to the SPLC, a lesbian HCHS student on April 20 wore to school a tee shirt that said, "Lesbian and Proud" as part of the National Day of Silence, an event intended to bring awareness to harassment and bullying against LGBT youth.

The assistant principal cited the dress code and warned the student she would be suspended if she did not turn her shirt inside out to conceal the words, so she complied.

May 16– A 69-year-old motorcyclist from Counce was killed Tuesday afternoon in a two-vehicle collision near the Counce Post Office, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said.

Ronald J. Cliff was operating a 1969 Honda CB750 motorcycle westbound on Tenn. 57 near the intersection of Hinton Road in a 55 mph zone. Tennessee resident Rhonda L. Houston, 62, was driving east on Tenn. 57, turned left into a driveway in front of Cliff and both vehicles collided, reported Trooper Gerald Hardin.

May 15– The Courier earned seven awards in the 2012 Tennessee Press Ideas Contest, including three for first place.

In all, 705 advertising entries from 32 newspapers were submitted in the 2012 Ideas Contest, which has 27 categories, each divided into five circulation divisions.

Courier Publisher Joe Hurd said, "I thank our advertising staff and production staff. We’re honored to win such an award for our advertisers."

Competing in the division for nondaily newspapers with a paid circulation of 5,000 or above, The Courier took first place awards for a Veterans Day section, Foodland advertisement and an ad for Casabella Furniture.

Second place awards were received for Burt’s Furniture and a newspaper self-promotion ad for the Hardin County High School graduation tab.

The Courier took third place honors for ads for real estate firm List 4Less and Burt’s Furniture.

The Courier’s advertising representatives are Tena Turner and Candy Cline.

May 14– The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security today announced that the Hardin County Driver Service Center located at 60 Brazelton St., Unit 10, in Savannah is temporarily closed due to a building maintenance issue.

The facility will be closed until further notice.

During the closure, citizens may visit neighboring driver service centers in Hardeman or Lawrence counties.

Additionally, the Chester County and Henderson County Clerk’s offices can produce duplicates and renewals for non-commercial driver licenses. Licenses may also be renewed online at www.tn.gov.

The nearest driver service options are: