IMAGINE LIFE is a car, and our goal is to make it from one side of the country to the other. The only way to do that is by having a full tank of gas. What is the gas in our lives, as humans, that...

ROSES ARE red, violets are blue, treat your loved one to a treat that is made by you! Whether you’re celebrating the beginnings of a new relationship, or spending the day with your longtime...

I DON’T KNOW a stranger. Call it a hazard of my job as a writer, but I genuinely enjoy meeting people, and it is even better if I can turn them into friends. There’s a great quote by Maya Angelou...

EVERY COMMUNITY member deserves a safe and affordable place to live and raise a family. Your house becomes a home at the Manchester Housing Authority (MHA). It is an equal housing opportunity...

WE MAY have made it to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is still a real epidemic today: drug overdose. McCall fell into drug dealing and usage at 11 years old. At 25 years old,...

READING TAKES us places. We journey to new worlds, gain new ideas, and learn as we read. Without solid reading skills, we stay in one place or go backward. We can become uncomfortable and unsure of...

STARTING THE new year off right, folks strapped on their walking boots and braved the cold for the annual First Day Hike at Old Stone Archeological Park. The hike was part of a series of First Day...

THANKS TO cell phones, video games, and social media, there have never been more distractions for our youth. Although we are technically more connected than ever before, we can sometimes feel more...

TRANSFORMATION IS defined as a dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character. Human transformation is an internal shift that brings one in alignment with their highest potential. Helping...

EACH YEAR, hundreds of locals make their way down to the historic downtown square in Manchester for a day of traveling back in time, before cell phones and the internet existed. Games and activities...

PARKS CAN be magical places. They offer a sense of wonder and produce curiosity of a time long ago. Back to a time long before the internet, cars, indoor plumbing, or air conditioning—to a time when...

MAYBE IT’S superstitious. Perhaps it’s tradition. Or it’s possible that it’s because the food is just so darn good. Whatever the reason, Southerners cannot seem to get enough traditional New Year’s...

THE FOURTH annual Manchester Veterans Day parade was held on November 19. People lined the city streets in honor of those who have served. This year’s parade theme was “A Salute to Military Service...

COFFEE COUNTY is home to many incredible people who work every day to make their home a better place. One such person is Dr. Jill Johnson, Animal Health Veterinary Medical Officer and long-time...

SINCE 1857, the Coffee County Fair has been a staple of Middle Tennessee life. Now in its 165th year, there are tractor pulls, carnival rides, beauty pageants, and competitions in everything from...

MANCHESTER AND Coffee County are robust and thriving communities with a population that has been steadily growing for years. That population increase is reflected in the school system. Recently,...

FOR MANY years, sports fans of Coffee County have looked forward to the annual Coffee Pot game as Manchester and Tullahoma battle for bragging rights and the Coffee Pot trophy. It has been a...

WHEN THE University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) is brought up, most people think of aerospace engineers and complicated experiments. The reality, however, is that one of the largest and most...

AT HOME on his day off he’s making pancakes for his children, calming his crying child after a tumble, and picking up around the house while his wife, a teacher, is at work. With quiet patience,...

MENTION “EMERGENCY,” and a child of the ‘70s may have a totally different mental image than a generation or two removed. Gage, DeSoto, and the crew at Station 51 of the Los Angeles County Fire...

WHEN TRAGEDY and hardship strike, we want to help. We demonstrate our love and care in various ways, but feeding those hit hard meets a basic need and fuels them to manage their situations. Few...

THE CALENDAR may seem to be winding down, but the Millennium Repertory Company isn’t. The footlights barely cool off before the switches are flipped for the next production. In August, the Teen...

MANY PEOPLE think that when veterans leave the military, they are done serving. In Manchester, they couldn’t be more wrong. This past year, VFW Post 10904 earned its fourth consecutive All-American...

THE SCHOOLS of Manchester have thriving athletic programs in many sports, but they are not the only organization that promotes physical welfare in the community. The Manchester Parks and Recreation...

FOR YEARS, the Manchester City School District has been looking for a service dog to work in their school system… and that wish has finally been granted in the form of the Bernedoodle puppy, Daisy....

WHILE IT may not be the first thing someone thinks when they think of ‘Coffee County,’ the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) has been a part of the community for nearly six decades. In...

THE COFFEE County Children’s Advocacy Center (CCCAC) recently unveiled a new recognition for those who work tirelessly advocating for children in Coffee County. According to the CCCAC director,...

WHEN WE tell the story of our lives, it is not solely about us. When we tell the story of our successes, our triumphs, and even our failures, it involves more than just ourselves. There are a whole...

IT’S QUIET. Which is very uncommon for a Friday night football game. The score is close, and one right or wrong play could decide the whole game. It’s almost as if the whole crowd knows this, and...

It’s finally here! Although the outside temperature argues for summer, your school spirit knows it’s fall. Tonight you’ve chosen shorts and flip-flops, but soon it will be flannel shirts, pants, and...

THE ELECTRIFYING atmosphere under Friday night lights is majorly fueled by loyal fans scattered across stadium seats. Young children with painted faces, parents with cushioned seats, and...

IT’S HOT. The humidity is as thick as honey on a fluffy buttermilk biscuit that has just come out of the oven. People sit in their camp chairs and fan themselves with whatever is in arm’s reach as...

THE CLASSROOM is like railroad tracks. Hard workers spent years, decades—centuries even—laying the groundwork for the trains to run smoothly from coast to coast. They’re strong. And they last for...

DEFINING THE meaning of teacher requires more than Merriam-Webster; it takes a deeper look and a second glance. More than a job with a summer-long vacation, teachers are motivated by their love for...

IT MIGHT be one of the most exciting yet stressful times of the year, rivaling that of Christmas. It requires preparation, planning, logistics, time, and money. I’m almost sure there are military...

SURROUNDED BY a sea of classmates, a student filled with potential may feel invisible or wish he could disappear. Another student’s highest aim might be to coast through school until graduation. One...

WITH THE first cup of steaming coffee in my hand and the stiffness still in my joints, I gently ease into my spot on the couch. A fresh, new day offers a blank page, although the to-do list in my...

SAFETY HAS always been a goal for the Manchester Public Works department. This is especially true now, as the department continues work on multiple sidewalks across Manchester. The project has been...

IN COFFEE County’s backyard sits one of the largest and most complex flight simulation facilities in the world – the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). Within the complex are 58...

THE WORDS “back to school” can stir up many different emotions. Some young parents hear “school” and are instantly filled with dread and anxiety. Leaving their wide eyed babes for the first time can...

IN JANUARY of 2021, Tennessee began providing funds for public school districts to give summer learning opportunities to rising first through eighth grade students. Westwood Middle School has taken...

THE BEGINNING of the year marked a large change in the industrial community of Coffee County, as Cookeville native Stephen Crook was hired as the Coffee County Industrial Board executive director....

ALTHOUGH THE softball and baseball seasons are over, the Coffee County High School fields are not complete. In the off season, both sets of bleachers are being replaced by new aluminum seating that...

DON’T LET the image of a roadside lemonade stand staffed with a child dreaming of a pony fool you. Lemonade Day is the real deal. Instead of a pony, the stands’ operators are dreaming of owning and...