by Becca Roberts | Apr 9, 2026 | Feature
WHEN DR. MARK Cheathem arrived at Cumberland University in 1992 as an undergraduate student, he was an English major planning to become a high school English teacher. When he realized high school education was not his calling, he double-majored in English and history....
by Becca Roberts | Apr 9, 2026 | Feature
DUST FLIES in the air as the Southside School’s Lady Saints’ softball team rounds the bases during practice. Coach Jessica Roper shouts instructions and encouragement as they work on speed, tight turns, and proper running techniques for the next big game. As a former...
by Mandy Nachampassack-Maloney | Mar 12, 2026 | Feature
STACEY MAXWELL still measures time in before and after. Before August 2019, when her best friend, Gina Putman, died unexpectedly. And after, when grief slowly reshaped itself into purpose. Stacey and Gina met in sixth grade and grew up together in Wilson County as...
by Mandy Nachampassack-Maloney | Mar 12, 2026 | Feature
KERRY WILSON doesn’t do winter or holiday prep the way most people do. At the end of 2025, Wilson was doing what she does every year: counting carefully and preparing for more people than most households plan for. She and her husband, who first had this dream, Pastor...
by Kali Bradford | Feb 12, 2026 | Feature
THIS PAST July, people gathered behind the First Baptist Church on East Market Street in Lebanon, after years of attending the Salvation Army Church-Mary Chaffin Chapel in Upton Heights. They come not for worship, but for something just as sacred: the chance for their...
by Kali Bradford | Feb 12, 2026 | Feature
IN THE world of country music, stories often unfold in ballads of tales of heartbreak, redemption, and enduring love. For Ken and Kristy Mellons, however, their song is a living testimony of perseverance and faith. MUSIC WAS THE BEGINNINGKristy grew up in...
