Garrett Patterson: Finding your love
ROLLING GREEN fields, beautiful skies, rustling trees, and the crack of club on ball are the staples of the golf course. For Franklin County High School senior Garrett Patterson, those are sights...
Dawson Sowers: Tackling for the team
DAWSON SOWERS knew something was wrong when he heard the “pop.” The 6-foot-tall teen had his opponent within sight, running toward him to make a tackle. Unfortunately, he tore his shoulder in the...
Ashtyn Danley: Mettle on the mound
ORANGE DUST scatters as the opposing softball player slides toward home base, a moment too late. Florida State University (FSU) pitcher Ashtyn Danley has already fired the ball into the catcher’s...
Letter From the Editor
IF YOU’VE ever seen a fighter jet cut across the sky, you know what powerful looks like. You know what freedom sounds like. That roar overhead reminds us that we live in a country where people put...
Hannah Bradley: New dreams and real conversations
THE BIBLE felt heavier than it should have as she held it for the first time. Its wide, empty margins waited for her to fill them. Somewhere between the shelves at Barnes & Noble and her...
Scot Bradford: Love set in stone, memories that endure
GRIEF OFTEN hollows out the world we once knew. When someone we love dies, we’re left holding memories that feel too weightless for the weight of our sorrow. Without something lasting to anchor...
Dwight Sholey Jr.: A life well-anchored
In the early 1950s, the Pacific Ocean swelled beneath the might of the USS Midway, the largest ship in the world at the time. With over 5,000 crew members on board, the ship felt like a small city....
Colton Henley: Built to endure
MARINE CORPS veteran Colton Henley stepped onto the plane to boot camp with nothing but hope, bravery, and the dream of changing the world. Leaving behind the familiarity of Franklin County, he...
Steve Kirby: Leadership, loyalty, and a life well lived
WHEN STEVE Kirby joined the Navy in 1975, he never imagined how many miles — and milestones — it would carry him through. Over the course of 17 years in uniform, he served across the country, from...
Letter From the Editor
A FAMILY LOADS up their navy blue Jeep in Tennessee and takes a cross-country road trip. It’ll take several days to get to the Sequoia National Park in California. There may be hours when the Jeep...
Tommy Myers: A false retirement from service
FIRST, THE fire alarm sounded, then the phone rang off the hook. That’s when Tommy Myers went into action. Pulling on boots, headwear, and courage, he rode with other firefighters to save lives....
Donald Gregory: Persevering in faith
ROWESVILLE BAPTIST Church is off the beaten path, tucked in the woods where a creek runs under the bridge that leads to the parking lot. The white walls of the building shine in the sunlight, and a...
Pastor Lee Brannon III: A heritage with heart
STUDENTS AT East Middle School in Tullahoma grin when they see Pastor Lee Brannon III in the halls. Brannon is East Middle School’s beloved school counselor. He is the pastor of Burning Bush...
Kathy Pack: Honoring ancestral footsteps
WALKERS OF all ages stand in the chilled breeze of an October morning in Franklin County as raindrops drizzle from the gray clouds above. The crowd waits in reverence at the Old Cowan Road Park...
Ben Lynch: Passing the gavel
BEN LYNCH’S office is inundated with portraits of his relatives — all notable lawyers. The Lynch family has owned their law firm, Lynch, Lynch, and Lynch Attorneys at Law, for generations. Their...
‘Smokin’ Good Times’
CORNHOLE TOURNAMENTS, carnival rides, live music, loads of craft vendors and a world-famous barbecue competition — this was the annual High on the Hog Festival where there’s always “smokin’ good...
Letter From the Editor
WHEN YOU choose a locally owned business over a national chain, you’re not just spending your money, you’re planting it. And the roots of that investment reach deep. Every dollar counts, and it...
Blake Skeets and Tyler Rens: Brewing a dream into reality
AS THE founders of Back Bone BrewWorks, Blake Skeets and Tyler Rens are working toward opening Franklin County’s first brewery, a dream that has been years in the making. “We live in Winchester,...
Malia Young: M. Sweets takes the cake
WHEN CUSTOMERS bite into one of Malia Young’s thumbprint cookies at M. Sweets bakery, their eyes often widen in recognition as they exclaim that the cookies are “just like the thumbprints I used to...
Jeff Teters: Beneath the brim
JEFF TETERS, general manager of the Winchester Hat Corporation for 25 years, said the city of Winchester has always been well known for making hats. Although this hat company was established by the...
Reliable Rental: Big-city opportunities, small-town feel
JOYFUL, CLASSY events and sweaty outdoor work may not seem to have much in common, but in Franklin County, they have found a common denominator in Reliable Rental. Since 2020, the business has been...
Kim Foster: Building futures with kindness
KIM FOSTER still smiles when she thinks back to the day she earned that sticker in Ms. Dean’s class. That one small gesture made her feel seen, unique, and capable of achieving anything she set her...
Paula Watts: A legacy in harmony
THE FIRST time Paula Watts picked up her instrument in North Middle School’s band room, the world suddenly made a little more sense. Students tuned their instruments, chair legs scraped against the...
Cherie Williams: Inspired to teach, driven to care
CHERIE WILLIAMS never set out to be a teacher. In fact, she was certain she wouldn’t be. Growing up, she was inspired by Mary Tyler Moore’s iconic television persona and dreamed endlessly of city...
Letter From the Editor
A STUDENT IN our community today will walk the halls of Congress with a pinned American flag on their chest. A student in our community today will pray their knees still hold when their nerves get...
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