AT WORK, Eddie Medley wears many hats: job coach, record keeper, counselor, facilitator, job developer, etc. But he said it all comes down to three important tasks: advocate, facilitate, and...

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AT WORK, Eddie Medley wears many hats: job coach, record keeper, counselor, facilitator, job developer, etc. But he said it all comes down to three important tasks: advocate, facilitate, and...
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...
YOU KNOW police officers, firefighters, judges, administrators, and more are working every day to support the City of Tullahoma. But do you know what that work actually looks like? Most residents...
ABOUT 15 years ago, a bookkeeper and administrative assistant at First Christian Church, Pam Bussell, had grown tired of seeing community resources wasted. “We were running out of resources and...
A LOVING MAN. A SERVANT. A LEADER There are no better words to describe Kris Roberts, director of youth and evangelism at First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of Tullahoma. Roberts is energetic and...
TO FIND a couple involved in Tullahoma, look no further than Ralph and Rosie Graham. Known for their work, service, and 52-year marriage, the Grahams are one of the most well-known couples in the...
THIRTY YEARS of friendship is no mean feat, but best friends Cherie Olive and Gigi Robison continue to make it look easy. The two women met in 1993, soon after Olive and her husband moved to...
EVERY CITY needs an active community to thrive, and no one embodies that Tullahoma-community spirit more than longtime resident Coleen Saunders. Saunders did not grow up in Tullahoma, but that did...
TULLAHOMA WELCOMED another running event in December at the 66th Annual Tullahoma Christmas Parade: the Mistletoe Mile Fun Run. In true festive fashion, participants raced in costume down Jackson...
I AM IN the middle of my third decade of life, and within the last two years, I’ve discovered something I always ignored: music from the midcentury. Life does not seem to be slowing down. Our...
OUR COMMUNITY has a rich history. Businesses, people, and locations have created the foundation of who we are today. Each decade is a building block to our identity, creating a beautiful masterpiece...
FOR OVER 30 years, children’s television host Mister Rogers came into the homes of millions via our television sets and told each of us one of the most important things a person could say to us. “I...
THIS NOVEMBER, the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce hosted Tullahoma's 40 Under 40 for the second time in history. The idea behind recognizing local professionals was honor. Chamber Executive...
LONGTIME RESIDENT Lynn Brumfield has spent much of her professional career at Cubic Transportation Systems in Tullahoma. However, after around 20 years of service at Cubic, Brumfield was approached...
I THINK IF we are being honest, many of us tend to shrink back from even the slightest attempt to change the world. Making a difference seems daunting, doesn't it? We think, "how could anything I...
LEGAL SERVICES Corporation, a nonprofit organization established by the United States Congress, published in 2022 that “low-income Americans do not get any or enough legal help for 92% of their...
THE YEAR was 1977, and the decision had been made that the best option for Tullahoma’s first school, South Jackson School, was to destroy it. In their defense, it was falling apart, and although it...
“YOUR NOSE, your ears, and your feet never stop growing. That’s a fact,” said Florence Clayton Ratcliffe Hull, a fifth-generation owner of the shoe business in downtown Tullahoma, now known as...
ON JANUARY 31, 1865, the United States Congress passed an amendment to the Constitution. It would be the 13th change or addition to the Constitution up to that point in history, and its goal was to...
HOW DO you and your loved ones bring in the new year? Do you take time to reflect, journal, and perhaps write new goals? Do you pray and worship? How about throwing a party? Do you and your family...
TWO WORDS strike fear and dread in our hearts. Cancer is number two. While number one is associated with it, it is no longer exclusive to it. Any number of conditions can lead to a call for it; the...
ALL I want for Christmas iiiiiiis…yoooooOOooooOOoouuuUUUuuu.” Can you hear it already? It’s that time of year once again. A time of year when a heated blanket feels like a hug. Every inch of the...
As you put on your next new pair of shoes, hold that empty box a few minutes longer. Look inside at what it holds. What do you see? Packing paper? Cardboard? Look again. That empty box has the...
YOU BETTER watch out, you better not cry, you better not shout, I'm telling you why—new stores are coming to town! New commerce has hit Tullahoma just in time for Christmas shopping. And let's be...
STRING LIGHTS lined the recreation hall, transforming the simple room into a warm and welcoming place for all to come. The sweet smell of fresh baked cookies drifted through the air each time the...
BY THE time most Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed and placed in an oven, Jason and Kelly Farris have already logged countless hours pulling out their stockpile of Christmas decorations. For the last...
Having a baby is one of those things that you can prepare for all you want, but you truly won’t begin to know what you are doing until you simply start doing it. Yes, it is wise to consult...
THERE ARE these chicken nuggets that come in a red bag at Aldi, the grocery store. I am not precisely sure what ingredients these nuggets are contrived of, but my son thinks they are pure gold. He...
IF YOU want a visual of radical generosity, take an afternoon stroll down Rotary Drive in Winchester. Every single home on the street was built by Highland Rim Habitat for Humanity and then given to...
On July 29, around 5:40 p.m., West Middle School (WMS) teacher Belinda Stuart received a text from one of her fellow teachers. The text informed Stuart that the fire alarm was going off at West...
THOUSANDS OF people will cheer as Tullahoma's Santa Claus, James Fuller, rides on his sleigh down Jackson Street on Friday, December 2, at the 66th Annual Tullahoma Christmas Parade sponsored by...
TAKE A deep breath and smell the aroma of lunch cooking in the kitchen. It was a very important meal. Jesus and the 12 stopped in to visit the home of Martha and Mary, in Bethany. Through the...
WE DUST off the artificial pumpkin decorations and pull orange and purple wreaths from storage. We pull out rakes and sweaters as the weather drops like the leaves do. The weather feels therapeutic...
"WE HAVE an extensive waiting list. Before we’re able to help, ladies will overdose and die. They are no longer here to reap the benefits of Blue Monarch,” said Shakia Craig, the officer of...
IN 1995, Susan Binkley was running a high-profile horse hotel and selling her artwork at a gallery in Nashville. Becoming the founder and president of Blue Monarch, a nonprofit for women seeking to...
IF THERE is anything former Tullahoma Wildcat football player Brandon Painter has shown and proven to be a worthwhile objective it is this: “keep moving forward.” Painter played middle linebacker on...
“ I CAME FROM a bigger city, so I didn’t have access to knowledge like that at all,” he said. “I was passionate about the resources here.” When he began in February, all he had to work with was a...
HAVE YOU ever looked at a cookie or cake with such an elaborate design that you thought, "There's no way those can taste as good as they look."? We're talking pastel flower icing petals that look...
A STEADY BREEZE graced across the lake and gently rocked the old tattered hammock hanging over the water's edge. The newly married couple swayed together hand in hand dreaming of all that the future...
THE BEECHCRAFT Heritage Museum – a local aviation museum – has held one of the country’s most notable and historic fly-in conventions since 1973. World-renowned pilots, speakers, historians,...
IN 2012, when she joined the family business full-time, Paige Prescott Moore had a vision for their next venture. Her great-grandfather had started Prescott Bottling in Tullahoma in 1930. "We've...
WHEN THE SMELL of warm caramel coffee lingers in the air of your vehicle on the way to work, you don’t have to think about watching your back. While not every driver on the road is aware of their...
GIVING TULLAHOMA High School and Tullahoma Virtual Academy art students a unique opportunity to showcase their artistic talents is the Tullahoma Fine Arts Center (TFAC). The arts center will...
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...
AS HE sits back in the chair to smile for a picture, he laughs. “It’s not often I’m sitting still,” he said, smiling. Just as soon as it is taken, the Tullahoma City Schools (TCS) maintenance...
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...
SINCE 1959, the Tullahoma Swim Club has been making a splash in the community. Over the years they have added a team at Tullahoma High School and most recently a middle school team for both East and...
AROUND 9:30 a.m., the stiff silence of the Coffee County Lannom Memorial Library slowly begins to break. Lots of little feet trample through the glass double doors, then race over to the play area...
THE CITY of Tullahoma's Recreation Department will soon host a free concert on Rock Creek Greenway at Frazier McEwen Park. The show is scheduled for September 10, 2022, from 7 until 9 p.m. The night...
BEING THE FIRST line of defense and the initial person to respond to any urgent situation is a weighty responsibility to bear. Willie Young, Tullahoma High School’s school resource officer (SRO)...
THICK BLACK SMOKE pours out of an old home that sits back off of a long winding road. Though the scene looks relatively calm to the naked eye, appearances can be deceiving. Inside, red, orange, and...
WHETHER GOOD, or bad, some of the most memorable moments of a person’s life have been inside the walls of a sterile hospital. For some people, those days are incredibly painful to reflect on or...
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...
TENNESSEE backroads are notorious for their beauty and knack for hospitality. Pick any old country road, and you’ll find good times hiding around each and every bend. Locally, if you were to take a...
APARTICULAR LOCAL legend made his way back to Wilkins Stadium in 2016 to play in an alumni football game. Having left a gold star reputation on the field his senior year, it only felt right for this...
THE CITY of Tullahoma is growing. Responsible for making sure that growth takes place in the correct space is Mary Samaniego. Samaniego is the planning director for the City of Tullahoma Planning...
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...
YOU CAN hear them before you see them. Instruments, performing in perfect unison, send an infectious sound out into the air that alerts all who hear it that the evening’s events are about to begin....
WHILE IT may not be the first thing someone thinks of when they think ‘Coffee County,’ the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) has been a part of the community for nearly six decades. In...
WITH FALL sports set to get underway, Tullahoma High School (THS) recently served up a bit of news when it announced that Ashley Abraham would be taking over as the school’s new tennis coach. Prior...
AFTER 29 years and a state championship title, John Olive retired as head football coach of Tullahoma High School. In his last season coaching, Tullahoma went 15-0, beating Elizabethton 21-14 in...
IN HER freshman year of high school, Macy Olive decided to try out for the cheerleading squad. Olive came from what she considers a “football family” and was in love with the game. She shared, “My...
PROVERBS 24:26 reads, “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” But what kind of kiss are we talking about? Because not every kiss is enjoyable, and not every honest word is easily received....
IN A SMALL TOWN, many components culminate to make Friday night football games the memorable experiences they are. The most notable element, of course, is the people. Individuals playing different...
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...
TIMS FORD State Park (TFSP) has more to offer than what meets the eye. The park has a hidden secret not tied to any of its well-worn hiking trails, though they are an adventure of their own. The...
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...
BROADENING THE public’s accessibility to local beef and produce is Farmington Local Market. The market opened to the public in April. The store is a part of Farmington Angus, a farm based 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,...
FOR TEACHER Sharron Woodard, her approach to the classroom is all about making the most of every single day. The Tullahoma High School (THS) marketing teacher has worked tirelessly over the last two...
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....
CHANCES ARE, if you’ve played basketball, softball, ran track, or been on the bowling team for West Middle School (WMS) or Tullahoma High School (THS) in the last 37 years, you’ve come across the...
A PIPER STANDS atop a grassy mound moving his bagpipe to and fro, playing songs of his kinsman that have been passed down for centuries. The sights of weavers and craftsmen honing their ancestral...
NESTLED ALONGSIDE the Rock Creek Greenway in Tullahoma is a storybook trail that encourages families to read together and spend some time in the great outdoors. The trail opened to the public in...
IMAGINE BEING Neil Armstrong for a moment. As the very first man on the moon, he undoubtedly must have felt a tremendous sense of pride and an even greater sense of delight. But could he have felt...
IT’S ONE thing to find an incredibly passionate and motivated teacher to teach students a particular subject. It’s another thing to find a teacher devoted to developing within students, the skill to...
MATH, IN general, may not have been your favorite subject. Calculus, in particular, may have been your nemesis, but Frank Vanzant‘s students may have a better appreciation for it thanks to their...
THIS TOWN can seem a bit off when the Tullahoma Wildcats aren’t taking the field at Wilkins Stadium on any given Friday night. It’s quiet and feels too still. We’ve all felt it, heard it, and...
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...