Local

Press photo/Jake Browning - Ingles project manager Preston Kendall shows the Franklin Town Council a schematic of the store’s proposed new location at Holly Springs Plaza.

Press photo/Jake Browning - Ingles project manager Preston Kendall shows the Franklin Town Council a schematic of the store’s proposed new location at Holly Springs Plaza.

Town council green-lights new Ingles

Jake Browning
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Franklin’s Town Council approved development of a new Ingles at the former site of the Holly Springs Plaza Walmart. Representatives from Ingles presented plans to the town council at its Sept.
Press photo/Will Woolever - The Gazebo is a popular place to gather.

Press photo/Will Woolever - The Gazebo is a popular place to gather.

Town halts gazebo events

Jake Browning
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
The Town Gazebo will not be available for any public events until further notice. During the latest meeting of Franklin’s Town Council, town staff brought up concerns about public safety related to large public events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo submitted - Local musicians (from left) Ron Van Beuning, Chuck Dorling, Jay Baird, Dave Stewart play a concert under the Big Bear shelter at the Little Tennessee River Greenway recently. For the past few months Macon Music has hosted weekly music gatherings at the greenway.

Photo submitted - Local musicians (from left) Ron Van Beuning, Chuck Dorling, Jay Baird, Dave Stewart play a concert under the Big Bear shelter at the Little Tennessee River Greenway recently. For the past few months Macon Music has hosted weekly music gatherings at the greenway.

New group aims to rev up local music scene

Will Woolever
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
A new organization is turning up the volume on local music in Franklin. For the last 50 years, Frank Smith has been writing, recording and performing songs in different acts across the country.
Press photo/Jake Browning - Patty and Steve Raby founded Kaylee’s Closet to provide essential items to foster families and children in need.

Press photo/Jake Browning - Patty and Steve Raby founded Kaylee’s Closet to provide essential items to foster families and children in need.

Kaylee’s Closet overflows with love and donations

Jake Browning
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Kaylee’s Closet isn’t at risk of being emptied out any time soon, which is good news for families coping with financial difficulties in the era of COVID-19. Patty and Steve Raby founded Kaylee’s Closet in honor of their foster daughter Kaylee, who came to live with them 13 years ago.
Photo submitted - Vecinos uses a mobile clinic to reach out to Latino communities.

Photo submitted - Vecinos uses a mobile clinic to reach out to Latino communities.

Helping Latino neighbors 

Lee Buchanan
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Macon County’s Latino community has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but their neighbors have stepped up to help reduce their risk and slow the spread of the virus.
How salaries stack up

How salaries stack up

Local LE struggling to fill positions

Jake Browning
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
 Local law enforcement agencies are finding it more and more difficult to fill positions with qualified officers, and officials say that the areas they serve are suffering as a result.
Press photos/Barbara McRae - Rita St. Clair, secretary of the FROG board, examines hops found growing on the Greenway. They were probably cultivated by Timoxena Siler Sloan, who farmed this land in the 19th Century.

Press photos/Barbara McRae - Rita St. Clair, secretary of the FROG board, examines hops found growing on the Greenway. They were probably cultivated by Timoxena Siler Sloan, who farmed this land in the 19th Century.

Hops on the Greenway

(not verified)
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Barbara McRae bmcrae60@gmail.com.  The Greenway section known as the Old Airport Trail evokes memories of aviation’s early, adventure-filled days, but its history goes back much, much farther.
Covid

Covid

Macon suffers three COVID-related deaths

Lee Buchanan
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Macon County Public Health reported three more coronavirus-related deaths on Aug. 31, bringing the number of total fatalities to seven since the pandemic began. All of the deaths have occurred with people over the age of 65.
Press photo/Jake Browning - Rowan Morgan is now a full-time homeschool student, a decision his mother made due to frustrations with virtual learning.

Press photo/Jake Browning - Rowan Morgan is now a full-time homeschool student, a decision his mother made due to frustrations with virtual learning.

Remote learning gets mixed reviews

Jake Browning
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
With four Macon County schools shutting down in-person instruction because of COVID cases and quarantines, remote learning is becoming more important to local education than ever, but parents and teachers have very different ideas about how the practice has worked so far this school year.
Press photo/Linda Mathias - Andrew Latorre shares a laugh with Tom Tyre as he works on the mechanical Democracy Machine at their home in Otto.

Press photo/Linda Mathias - Andrew Latorre shares a laugh with Tom Tyre as he works on the mechanical Democracy Machine at their home in Otto.

Finding art in unexpected places

Jake Browning
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Most people wouldn’t look at a printer someone ditched on the side of the road and see a piece of a sculpture, but most people don’t work for Cinnamon Hill Art. Andrew Latorre and Tom Tyre have been in their house in Otto for the past 19 years.