by Teresa James | May 14, 2026 | Feature, Lebanon
WHAT HAPPENS when a Mississippi girl and a Pennsylvania man meet in Oklahoma? They find their way to Tennessee, take over a hometown karate studio, and treat their students as friends — and their friends as family. Janene and Seth Bennett own and manage the Lebanon...
by Krys Midgett | May 14, 2026 | Feature, Lebanon
PASSION FOR ballet is something that Abigail Moss, owner of Ballet Adora, has had all of her life. At the age of 4, she saw “The Nutcracker” at the Atlanta Ballet and thought it was the most beautiful thing that she’d ever seen. She began taking ballet at age 5. “I...
by Becca Roberts | Apr 9, 2026 | Feature, Lebanon
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, Lebanon
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, Lebanon
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, Lebanon
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...
