Certain moments stand as monumental milestones, marking the evolution of societies and the ideals they uphold. The passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is undeniably one such moment. The journey to its ratification was marked by tenacity, courage, and political maneuvering. At the heart of this journey lies the state of Tennessee and the pivotal role played by a young legislator named Harry Burn. The significance of Tennessee’s unexpected yet decisive role in passing the 19th Amendment cannot be overstated. more

People have been so kind to me about these little stories over the years. And I certainly appreciate that. I have said from the beginning that I am not a writer. You think about Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, Will Rogers, Jon Meacham...those guys could turn a blank page into a moving picture show... more

William Shakespeare’s line from King Henry IV, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” sums up the first five months as co-owner of Tri-County Publishing. Now, I’m not calling myself the king or stating we have an empire, that is far from the truth. But when you own a business, you have to beware of a constant barrage of possible threats and shortfalls. more

What is below the pits? This can’t get much worse. I feel like I’m living on Elm Street. I’m so far down I can’t even see the underside of the bottom of the barrel! And there is not an end in sight. Not one ray of sunlight…. more

My basketball career began in that large space where our living room ran into the dining room. I “shaped” a coat hanger into a goal and hung it on the facing above the opening between the two rooms. I bounced a tennis ball off the floor, feinted left, deftly moved around Wilt Chamberlain and banked a right-handed hook shot off the “backboard” and through the coat hanger for the winning basket. more

I took a road trip. Which is pretty rare for me these days. For lots of reasons: I enjoy being home. I don’t travel “as good” as I once did. The price of gas makes going less fun. It’s hard to get a good pimento cheese sandwich at most any roadside eatery. And our cat doesn’t like it when we leave. more

During Dale’s senior year of college, he began officiating junior high basketball games with Don Durden. This segued into high school games through the Northwest Tennessee High School Basketball Officiating Association. more

. . says the Lord. With so much anger and hate boiling over in the Middle East, please allow me to share the following two passages of scripture with you, my neighbors: for the day of vengeance and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip? Because the day of their calamity is at hand; their doom comes swiftly. more

I did not have the honor of being a part of the Greatest Generation. But I did have the privilege of knowing many of them “up close and personal.” I grew up in a small town surrounded by these icons. more

After serving two terms as President from 1829 to 1837, Andrew Jackson retired to his beloved plantation, The Hermitage, just outside of Nashville. His retirement, however, did not mark the end of his political influence but rather the beginning of a new phase in his career as a statesman. more

I came across another story of interest this weekend about the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The story centered around Fisk University in Nashville and how the Jubilee Singers saved the school. Founded in 1866, Fisk University, a private historically black liberal arts college, is the oldest institution for higher education in Nashville. The school is named for Clinton B. Fisk, a Union general and assistant commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau of Tennessee. Fisk secured a site to house the school in a former military barracks near Union Station and provided $30,000 for its endowment. more

Billy Cunningham was the first to call. Billy and I played baseball together in college an eon and a half ago. He was a switch hitting catcher. And a good one. “Kes, I think you have been hacked!” more

The roots of bluegrass music run deep in the heritage of America. The traditional sound we have become accustomed to was developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region. Much of the style has been accredited to Bill Monroe who is known as the “Father of Bluegrass.” Part of Monroe’s sound came from a member of his band the Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt. more

This week, I wanted to look at the 1961 Banner archives just to see what was going on in our town compared to the excitement taking place on a global scale.  more

I didn’t see it by accident. It was right in the front window. On the top shelf! I did a quadruple take and eased up on my tiptoes to get a better look. And stuck my nose to the glass…. more

Few holiday traditions can boast the enduring legacy impact of Tennessee’s Santa Train. Originating in 1943 as a goodwill gesture by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, this annual event has become a beacon of festive cheer, winding its way through the landscapes of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia for over seven decades. more

So this may come as a surprise to some or maybe no one at all but Brenda Lee, age 79, has been at the #1 spot on Billboard’s chart for the second week in a row. “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” was originally cut in 1958, when she was 13 years old. more

I lay awake at night trying to think of something good about getting older. Before I can drift off to sleep my left shoulder will start throbbing from a football tumble I took in 1965. My right heel will remind me that planter fasciitis lingers longer than an out of work brother-in-law. I can’t remember if I turned off the light in the kitchen… more

Football season is in full swing. Life is filled with “fourth and one” situations, tailgate parties, blitzes, Dr. Pepper commercials, Lee Corso’s headgear predictions, and last second heroics. We hear terms like “closing speed,” “on-side kick,” “run-pass option,” “trips right,” “flanker reverse,” and “targeting” which apply to no other sport. more

I was teaching as hard as I could about Teddy Roosevelt’s involvement with the Panama Canal when Ruth Pettis asked, “If you could go back to a particular time and place in history, where would it be?” more