Vickie & Toby Vaughn: Signs of lasting legacy
WITT SIGN Company Inc. has created quality signage since 1922. Vickie and Toby Vaughn, the current owners, purchased the historical company in 2022. They chose to keep the Witt family name on the...
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...
Jenna Jones: Made to dance
JOY AND laughter fill the hallways of Belamour Ballet Dance Academy, bright colors swirling gracefully as dancers of all ages practice their craft. The academy is a beloved location for many...
Dale Buford: A teacher who goes the extra mile
WHEN DALE Buford walks into a classroom at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) in Lebanon, it’s clear that this isn’t just another day at work. For Buford, teaching isn’t simply about...
Joshua Brown: Making legacies possible
LIFE THREW a wrench into Joshua Brown’s plans — ideas of numbers, data, and creation all woven into the career of an electrical engineer fell apart. Instead, the Florida native turned into what he...
Katrina Smith: Teaching with heart through adversity
THE BELL rings, and suddenly, the classroom is filled with youthful, excited voices as students shuffle into their desks, backpacks thumping against the floor, and pencil cases opening as the school...
Judy Cummings: A lifetime of teaching, a legacy of love
FOR 57 years, Judy Cummings has done more than teach — she has shaped generations of young minds with passion, creativity, and commitment to her students. Now, she’s a second grade teacher at Coles...
Jennifer Elliot: The game changer
SPECIAL EDUCATION is vital in schools, and the best special education teachers offer children patience and advocacy in the classroom. They see the best in each child and value students for their...
John Grant: Leading a compassionate mission
JOHN GRANT was one of the founders of Compassionate Hands, a homeless ministry that began in 2013. While no longer executive director, he is still a vital force behind this outreach. Since the...
Fred Burton: A lifetime of service to Lebanon
FOR 40 YEARS, Fred Burton has been the steady voice on Lebanon’s airwaves, spinning records and shaping the soundtrack of Saturday nights. But his contributions to the community extend far beyond...
Susan Shaw: Above and beyond
SUSAN SHAW is the project administrator for Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto. “My skills,” she said, “are project management and bringing people together.” This is an apt — and modest — summation...
Laura Dileonardi: Bring your mess
LAURA DILEONARDI’S life felt like a cluttered room of chaos with no doors. In 2012, she became pregnant for the first time. With the new reality came anxiety, exhaustion, and loneliness. She...
Accelerate Expo: Reviving business connections in Wilson County
AFTER YEARS without a major business expo, the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce is bringing a fresh and exciting event to the local community: the Accelerate Expo. Spearheaded by James...
Matthew Black: Crafting spaces, creating change
CONSTRUCTION CAN be a sweaty, dirty job, and shed manufacturing is no different. But Matthew Black of Blacks Buildings isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty for his business or for the community. As a...
Francis Garcia: Building hope for Lebanon’s youth
MENTAL HEALTH is an issue for people all across the United States, especially for children — but Lebanon has a champion fighting back. Francis Garcia has lived in Middle Tennessee for over 21 years...
Letter From the Editor
THE SOUNDS of the self-checkout registers beep through the entire store. The short lines of people with baskets and carts move across the reflective tile like a conveyor belt and out the door. Uh,...
Nickye Hamlet & Nicole Davis: Lighting up Lebanon
“Bryson is being turned down because of his special needs again? I don’t understand why he can’t attend preschool and learn alongside everyone else.” The young mother squeezed her husband’s hand,...
Matthew and Alexandra Walworth: Memories, masterpieces, and melodies
Matthew and Alexandra Walworth’s journey into opening their own piano store began with a single, battered instrument that needed tons of work. Today, their passion for music has transformed into...
Mary and Harry Harris: A legacy of love
Sitting side by side on a comfy couch in the cozy living room of their Lebanon home, Mary and Harry Harris were surrounded by a lifetime of memories — old magazine articles, newspaper clippings,...
Tim & Suanne Leeper: Turning tragedy into a better world
Tim Leeper’s son, Kylan, was a funny, mischievous child who led a typical kid’s life — school, church, Little League. When he started exhibiting behavioral issues, his parents obtained counseling...
TJ and Linda Brownlee: A weekly night of service
Some families have a weekly game night, a weekly movie night, or a weekly date night. Lebanon knows the Brownlees, however, for their weekly night of service. Every Tuesday, Linda and TJ Brownlee...
Lacie and Ricky Aldret: A mechanic’s ministry of love
Life forced Lacie to become an independent woman. The disappearance of a mother left Lacie to help her stepdad care for three sisters at a young age. With a biological father out of the picture...
Letter From the Editor
A nurse walked down the hallway his mother walked decades before he did. Beep … beep … he could hear the sounds from patients’ rooms. He kept a small keepsake pinned to his scrubs, a pin his mother...
Lauren Smith: Compassion in Action
Imagine this: You wake up feeling a sharp pain in your chest, a gnawing worry growing with every breath. You know something is wrong, but the thought of seeking medical care fills you with dread —...
Sara Cooper: Fighting Pet Overpopulation, One Surgery at a Time
As a young girl living in the country near the local dump, Sara Cooper encountered many abandoned pets. Her family took many of them in, and Cooper quickly bonded with those animals. She loved...
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