by Tina Neeley | Jul 10, 2025 | Stories
ON A June Saturday morning, the Stone Bridge Park ducks are a sideshow, not the main attraction. Children crowd the banks, poles in hand — some steady, some wobbling — as adults crouch nearby to help bait hooks and untangle lines. The young anglers watch their lines...
by Tina Neeley | Jul 10, 2025 | Stories
SUNDAY NIGHTS used to be quiet. Now, they’re alive with voices — sometimes joking, sometimes heavy, always present. Veterans from the 278th G Troop of the Tennessee Army National Guard gather on Zoom for Sit-Rep Sunday. What began as a simple check-in became a...
by Tina Neeley | Jul 10, 2025 | Cover
THE PHONE rang, but Deb Schroeder barely glanced up. Another call. Another message to take. She sat behind the reception desk at the University of Michigan, watching the clock and wondering if this was all life had to offer. “Lord,” she thought, “this can’t be it.”...
by Tina Neeley | Jul 10, 2025 | Feature
DEPUTY SAM Smiley stood at the front of the fifth-grade classroom, feeling the weight of expectant eyes. As he asked the students to name responsibilities at home or school, some answered eagerly, others fidgeted with pencils or shifted in their seats, glancing...
by Tina Neeley | Jul 10, 2025 | Feature
ANITA ASHWORTH pulled open the door to the Warrior Exhibit. Outside, traffic circled the square, everyday life in motion — its freedom preserved by those remembered within these walls. Time slowed as she passed the faces and memorabilia honoring Lincoln County...
