Scribe November 2022

The party of a century!

Photos by Rebekah Beeler

Mary Ann Officer turns 100 years fine as Monterey Cultural Administrator Rafferty Cleary chauffeurs her in a convertible to her surprise 100th birthday party at the Monterey Senior Center on Oct. 17. Senior Center Director

Brigitte Delk coordinated the special event, complete with posh black and gold 1920s flapper and feather décor and black and white photographs of her adorning every table. Senior Center members, friends and family all joined in for the birthday party of a century. She was also presented with a proclamation from Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter that Oct. 17, 2022, be forever known as Mary Ann Officer Day in Putnam County.

Our Town

The votes are in!

By Rebekah Beeler Scribe publisher

The Nov. 8 by-election re sults are in.

Tennessee voters elect ed incumbent candidate Bill Lee (R) for governor with 65.3% of the votes.

For the position of U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent District 6 can didate John Rose (R) was re-elected to the seat with 66.34% of the votes.

In the state legislature, for State Senate District 15, incumbent Paul Bailey (R) ran unopposed and was re-elected. State House of Representatives District 25, serving Cumberland and Van Buren counties and Monterey, Speaker of the House Cameron Sex ton (R) was also re-elected with 82.78%. State House of Representatives District

42 candidate Ryan Wil liams (R) ran unopposed. Incumbent Paul Sherrell was re-elected to State House of Representatives District 43, serving White and Warren counties. House of Representatives District 41, which serves Overton, Morgan, Roane and parts of Fentress and Anderson counties, had incumbent John Mark Windle had long since held the seat for State as a democrat since 1991, but lost the seat to Ed Butler (R) with 52.55% of the vote.

Putnam County voters also voted John Sanders (R) as Register of Deeds with 53.87% of the vote.

The liquor referendum on the Putnam County Gen eral Election ballot for the sale of wine at retail food stores was also adopted with 70.28% of the vote.

Each of the four amend ments to the Tennessee State Constitution on the ballot was adopted: Amendment 1 added lan guage to article XI to make it illegal for any person, corporation, association, or the State of Tennessee or its political subdivisions to deny or attempt to deny employment to any person because of the person’s membership in, affiliation with, resignation from, or refusal to join or affiliate with any labor union or employee organization.

State voters voted yes by 69.79% to Amendment 1. Amendment 2 added to the process of article III, section 12 for the tempo rary exercise of the pow ers and duties of the gov

• See ELECTION • Continued on 8

Builtwell expands executive team

Builtwell Bank’s Chief Ex ecutive Officer, Patti Steele, is pleased to announce Mitch Sanford’s appointment as President. “This expansion of our executive team demon strates our commitment to the long-term future of Builtwell Bank as we prepare for the exciting years ahead,” says Steele. Sanford will collabo rate closely with Jeff Bridg man, Executive Vice Presi dent and head of Commercial Banking, and Jeremy Dean, Executive Vice President and head of Retail & Business Banking, to expand customer relationships in the Tennessee and Georgia markets served by Builtwell Bank. This ex perienced team will develop and implement future market expansion strategies.

Sanford, who most recently served as President and CEO of Builtwell’s ninth bank ac quisition, First Bank of Dalton

and Calhoun, brings exten sive banking and leadership experience to the role. “The success and history of the two legacy banks that came together to form Builtwell is tremendous, and to be a part of continuing that success is

exciting and humbling”, says Sanford. “I am privileged to get to work with a talented team of bankers that make the customers and commu nities we serve top priority. It doesn’t get any better than that!” he concluded.

Mayoral vacancy raises concerns

The late Mayor Nathan Walker’s untimely pass ing just after the county primary election on Aug. 4, left Monterey’s mayoral seat vacant. In public comments during the Nov. 7 board meet ing, Monterey residents and voters addressed the board asking the board to adhere to the state law regarding the vacancy and to hold a special election to al low Monterey voters to decide.

The Aug. 4 election named Alderman Jim Whitaker as vice-may or but, with a motion passed by the board at the September board meeting, he passed that title back to Alderman Mark Farley who had given it up when Mayor JJ Reels resigned earlier this year.

Monterey city meetings are on the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Monterey Municipal Building.

Sandwich Board

Thursdays

VFW Post 6277 meeting time has changed. Post meet ing will remain on the first Thursday of every month but will now begin at 7 p.m. VFW Post 6277 is located at 101 South Poplar St., Monterey, TN, and is open to all veterans who have served in a war or conflict.

Hanging Limb Community Center group established Hanging Limb Community Center has organized and es tablished its board of officers to maintain and plan events for the community, bring the community together and of fer assistance to its residents. They would like to thank ev eryone for the support they have already received and hope to continue to be a ser vice to the community. The group meets on the first Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at Mountain Volunteer Fire and Rescue, 204 Floyd Padgett Ln. in Crawford. For more information or to learn how to volunteer, contact President Jesse Bowman at 931-319-1227.

FCE Club meets fourth Monday

The Monterey Family and Consumer Education Club

meets on the fourth Thursday of the month at the Monterey Senior Center at 6:30 p.m.

Civitan Club meets third Tuesdays

The Monterey Civitan holds monthly meetings on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Monterey Meth odist Church fellowship hall. Anyone interested in joining the Monterey Civitan Club is welcomed and encouraged to come to the meetings.

Check out Monterey Branch Library

A monthly quilting class is held on the third Tuesday of the month at 2 p.m. Bring your quilting project, learn from experienced quilters and enjoy the company. Download the Libby app and use your library card number to download ebooks, audiobooks and magazines to use at home. Using per sonal computer? Go to https://reads.overdrive.com/.

Friends of the Monterey Li brary Book Sale is set for the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Used book donations are accepted during normal library hours. Please come and support the library and join Friends of the Monterey Library The

library is located at 401 E. Commercial Ave, Monterey. 839-2103.

Suicide prevention resources available

The National Suicide Pre vention Lifeline (1-800273-8255) is one such free resource that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for anyone who is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

UCDD Offers Relative Caregiver, Housing Assis tance

Are you raising a relative child or need housing assis tance? For more information on assistance and support, please contact Melissa Al lison at the Upper Cumber land Development District toll-free at 1-877-275-8233.

A support group meeting will be held for relatives that are caring for relative children during this month. Please contact Melissa Allison at 931-476-4127, if you are interested in attending this meeting.

For housing assistance, while caring for a minor child, con tact Myra Walker at 931432-4111.

Photo by Rebekah Beeler

Former Alderwoman Rebecca Iaquinta asks the Monterey city board to hold a special election for mayor.

It has been a while since I reviewed a new show that airs on traditional network television. There just hasn’t really been anything that has piqued my interest in quite some time. As well, it seems that any show I get interested in gets cancelled pretty quickly. Not surpris ingly, it’s difficult for new shows to get high ratings these days. People often watch shows on DVR af ter they air, or they stream them through apps like Hulu at a later date. So, ratings don’t always ac count for a show’s quality or popularity, but I digress. My point is that I have be come reluctant to invest time in shows that have very little chance of mak ing it past season 1.

Last month ABC pre miered a show called “Alaska Daily” starring Academy Award winner Hillary Swank. I couldn’t resist checking it out. Air ing immediately after “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Alaska Daily” probably has a bet ter chance than most shows do at getting those high rat ing scores that will allow it to stick around for a while. So far, it is an interesting and intriguing drama, so I hope it has staying power. The show is about a toughas-nails reporter (Swank) who is essentially driven away from her job as a big -league reporter in New York because she sacrificed journalistic integrity in her fight to print the truth. As a

Get your truth in ‘Daily’

By Paula Tudor, Scribe columnist

result, she ends up working as a reporter for the Daily Alaskan, a small newspa per located in a strip mall in Anchorage.

On the surface “Alaska Daily” might seem like any other show about a successful big city woman who moves to a small town and makes a difference, realizing she is where she was meant to be all along. While there may be notes of that, “Alaska Daily” is actually much deeper than that. A large portion of the show covers the fact that in parts of the United States, like Alaska, indigenous women are murdered at astonishingly high rates compared to other ethnici ties. The show brings at tention to this epidemic, but only some of its sto rylines are dedicated to it. A lot of the show focuses on the reporters of the Dai ly Alaskan, covering local stories, highlighting the importance and impact of local news and local news sources.

“Alaska Daily” is a unique show in that we don’t often see hour-long dramas that take place in newsrooms. This is a shame because newsroom-based shows lend themselves to endless storyline possibilities. My hope is that “Alaska Dai ly” can explore all of those possibilities without losing focus on its original prem ise, something that I think happens to a lot of promis ing shows. This show has a

lot of strengths which will help in its success. Hav ing Swank in the lead role is certainly an asset, but what I really love about this show is that there are many unknown actors in the cast. I like that it isn’t relying solely on star pow er for its success. I would much rather watch a show that includes mostly un known actors portraying interesting storylines than one filled with high pro file actors and lackluster content. With five episodes under its belt, there is cer tainly nothing lackluster about “Alaska Daily.” I look forward to seeing how the show develops over the season and what interest ing stories the reporters of the Daily Alaskan cover in pursuit of the truth.

The fall finale of “Alaska Daily” airs Nov. 17, on ABC at 10|9c. Previous episodes can be found on various streaming plat forms, including online at abc.com.

• • •

Paula Tudor graduated cum laude from Tennes see Technological Uni versity with a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary stud ies, emphasizing English and communication. She is a freelance writer and a distinguished blogger/ online correspondent, with more than 3,000 followers on Twitter. The bulk of her work can be found on her website at paulatudor.com.

Dave Says

Don’t Buy Until the First One Sells Dear Dave, My wife and I are looking to move from Washington, D.C., to Greenville, South Carolina, in a couple of months, and then sell our current home in February or March after she gets things wrapped up with her job. We are a little worried, though, because of all the things we’re hearing about the housing market crash ing. Could you speak to this, please?

Nick

Dear Nick, Your emotions and things you hear can creep up on you. I get that. But the fact is, there are still four buyers out there for every house that’s up for sale. Now, are the buyers and the market as active and frenzied as they were several months ago? No. But you have to remember, the last couple of years have been crazystrange times for the hous ing market.

I’ve been in the real estate business since 1978, and I’ve never seen anything like it. Usually, it takes about 90 days to sell a house. You’ll get some of fers, and none of them will be at full price, but every one will have time to think about things. That’s nor mal, and it’s probably a lot closer to how things will work themselves out for you now in Greenville.

But in any economy, my advice to you would be don’t buy another house until yours has sold. If you end up with two house pay ments and your old house is

Dave Ramsey

sitting empty while you’re having to pay for the mort gage, taxes, utilities and all the upkeep to make sure it’s ready to show, you’re going to become what’s known as a motivated seller. I don’t want you to just give it away, but you’ll need to be very careful to make sure the timing on this deal makes sense.

Personally, I wouldn’t buy another house until the first one sells.

— Dave

Remember, everyone makes mistakes Dear Dave, I am on Baby Step 2 of your plan, and I am about four months away from be ing debt-free. My younger brother is a good person, but he is very careless with his finances. He is always asking to borrow money from me. I don’t want to be mean or damage our relationship, but what is the best way to respond to a sibling who continually asks for money?

James

Dear James, Honesty is always a good thing. If I were in your shoes, I’d just tell him the

Christmas Is Not an Emergency

Christmas and money— now there’s a combination that can send anyone spiral ing.

When you’re trying to take control of your money, sav ing for an emergency fund is a crucial part of the pro cess. In fact, it’s so impor tant that at Ramsey Solu tions, the emergency fund makes up not one, but two of the seven Baby Steps. After you’ve saved $1,000 in a starter emergency fund (Baby Step 1), and you’ve paid off all debt except the house (Baby Step 2), we recommend saving three to six months of expenses in a fully funded emer gency fund (Baby Step 3). Then, once you have a fully funded emergency fund, it’s time to keep it safely tucked away . . . you guessed it: in case of an emergency. But what do you do after

you’ve reached this money milestone? Next, it’s im portant to make sure your emergency fund doesn’t become a crutch for nonemergencies. (Spoiler alert: Christmas is not an emer gency.)

I know, I know. The hustle of the holiday season can sometimes feel like an “un expected” money problem. From kids’ Christmas par ties at school to last-minute white elephant gifts, even if

you technically know that Christmas happens every year, unpredictable expenses can cause more panic than a little snow in the south.

But don’t worry, I’ve put together a list of tips to help you (and me) keep that emergency fund safe this holiday season.

1. Start saving now. Some of you have been saving for months, or maybe even all year. But if you haven’t, don’t freak out. You’ve still got a little time. Take a deep breath, and look at your monthly budget. Make small adjustments wherever you can to create a plan for your Christmas expenses.

2. Build a budget for sea sonal spending. Write down every person (and party) you’ll need to spend mon ey on, then assign a dollar amount for each item on your list. Don’t forget to

create wiggle room in other ways too. For example, if you need more money to spend on holiday travel, consider making an agree ment with your spouse that you won’t buy each other gifts this year.

3. Plan B is always an op tion. In this case, B stands for baking! If the holiday budget is getting tight, try gifting a homemade loaf of bread and a handwritten note to a few people on your list. If cookies mean a lot to Santa, a tasty treat made with love will feel like a warm hug to your family and friends.

4. Trim the excess. Tra ditions are great, but you don’t have to do something just because you’ve always done it that way. If you typi cally spend money on a fan cy Christmas card, maybe this is the year you decide to

share a fun Instagram post instead. Or if you host an annual holiday dinner, ask everyone to pitch in potluck style this time. The people who love you will also love to help you.

5. Think experiences over expenses. Like every classic Christmas movie teaches, the holiday season is really about community and con nection. Try a new activity or experience that doesn’t cost money, like volunteer ing at a food bank as a fam ily or hosting a game night for your neighborhood. There are tons of ways to spread holiday cheer with out using your emergency fund.

Now I don’t know about you, but that’s a list I’m ex cited to check twice!

You’ve been good all year saving money in your emer gency fund, and I don’t want

truth. Sit down with him, and have a friendly—but real—conversation where you let him know you’re working hard to get out of debt and don’t have any cash to spare. Explain that you’ve decided being in debt is dumb, you want a better life and that you don’t plan to borrow or loan money anymore.

You’ve got to look at the big picture in situa tions like this. You’re not helping someone if you participate in their misbe havior with them. Some times, especially when it comes to family, you have to love someone enough to tell them the truth. And in some cases, that can mean saying no and telling them to grow up and get their act together.

You’re not responsible for your brother’s reaction to all this, James, but you can control your words and use them in a caring man ner. Do this with a kind spirit, and remember we all make mistakes. He may take it well, or not so well.

But you’re not really help ing someone who’s imma ture or irresponsible with money when you give them cash. At that point, you’re an enabler. It’s like giving a drunk a drink.

God bless you, James! — Dave

Honesty is a necessity Dear Dave,

After hearing you talk about financial infidelity, I have to admit that I hide • See HONESTY•

you to undo your hard work with last-minute holiday expenses. Accidents and unexpected emergencies don’t stop for our favor ite seasons. So, keep your emergency fund wrapped in a big red bow—for when you really need it!

•

•

•

Rachel Cruze is a two-time #1 national best-selling au thor, financial expert and host of The Rachel Cruze Show. She has appeared on Good Morning America, TODAY Show and Live!

With Kelly & Ryan, among others. Since 2010, Rachel has served at Ramsey So lutions, where she teaches people to avoid debt, save money, budget and how to win with money at any stage in life. Follow Rachel on Twitter, Instagram, Face book and YouTube or online at rachelcruze.com.

Rachel Cruze

Town

•November Premature Awareness Month feature•

Azi beats the odds

We’re going to take care of you.’”

“The next thing I know, I was waking up in the hospital,” she said. “It was just that quick.”

Sarah said from the time she began hurting until she deliv ered as only about four hours.

She said, “I remember waking up and just immediately want ing to know, ‘Where’s he at? Did he make it? Is he okay?’”

Azariah Michael Chua was born at Cookeville Regional Medical Center on Feb. 7, weighing well under two pounds and only measuring 12 inches head-to-toe.

“They said, ‘Congratulations, you have a 1-pound, 10-ounce miracle boy,’” Sarah recalled.

She hadn’t gotten to see him yet. They informed her that they were prepping him for transfer to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where they had the experience, equipment and staff to be able to care for him.

“As a mom, you see all the pictures online of the deliveries when the mom and the dad are sitting in the hospital room and their holding that baby. Part of me was so heartbroken that we didn’t get that,” she said. “All I wanted to do is pick him up and squeeze him and tell him how much I loved him. We really didn’t get that opportunity. All I knew and all I could do was pray and leave him in God’s hands. That was probably one of the hardest things, as a mom, that you ever have to do.”

CRMC hospital staff arranged to bring him to her so she could see him before they transferred him, but he was in a raised isolette and, because of her C-section, she couldn’t raise herself to see him.

“I was just heartbroken,” her voice trembled at the memory of not being able to set eyes on her precious little boy.

Unable to go with her newborn son, she had to stay behind at CRMC for two additional nights so they could monitor her health and healing after the C-section. Armando stayed with her. Being away from their delicate baby boy seemed a foreign idea to the new mom and dad.

“That was so tough. It seemed like an eternity,” she said.

Finally, as soon as the hospital released Sarah, Armando drove them both straight to Vanderbilt Children’s NICU to be with their son. She said one of the things she will never forget was how kind their nurse, Emily, was to them.

“During that time, that was something we really needed,” she said, “because you’re already scared, you’re new parents, the trauma you’ve been through already and now you’re about to meet your child for the first time in the NICU.”

Sarah said Emily really understood the situation she and Armando were in and were facing. She was caring, compas sionate and empathetic for them, gentle in her manner, in struction, support and encouragement.

By Rebekah Beeler Scribe publisher

November is Prematurity Awareness Month, and Sar ah and Armando Chua, of Monterey, considered it an honor to share the story of their son’s premature birth to help encourage and give hope to others who may be going through the same.

The ideas, the plans, the imaginings, the hope and the happiness she’d envisioned for her pregnancy and the birth of her son were dashed. She’d just begun to show and the plans for a baby shower were still imminent, as she said, “I missed a whole tri mester.”

“With my experience, it was the most exciting and most terrifying time of my life,” said Sarah. She wasn’t due until Memorial Day, May 30, this year.

Just over halfway through her pregnancy, the first-time mom was only at 25 weeks gestation with their baby boy. It was a typical Sunday. They had gone to church that

morning. She’d stopped by her mother’s house and gave her mom a haircut. Later that afternoon, she didn’t feel well and decided not to go to evening service.

didn’t even realize I was in labor,” she said. “I didn’t re ally know what contractions

felt like. Of course, at 25 weeks, you’re not thinking

When it was clear there was something wrong, they called

rived at the hospital, she was fully dilated.

“There was no stopping it,” she said. “Everything hap

pened so fast.”

“I remember the sweetest sound that I heard was the heartbeat when it came up over the monitor, because I knew that he was still with us,” she said. “That was my biggest fear at that point was, ‘Is he already gone?’ And when I heard the heartbeat, there was an instant peace because I felt like everything was going to be okay.”

That peace was needed to prepare her as the doctor came in with Armando and her mother to explain their situation. They could do nothing to stop her labor and the baby was coming, but he was in a breech position and they were going to have to conduct an emergency Ce sarean.

“I remember them taking me back,” she said. “All I can remember is the excruciating pain and the fear that came over of what was going to happen next. I remember the nurse and the anesthesiolo gist both holding my hands and they just kept saying, ‘Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

“That meant so much to us,” she said. “She was able to keep us calm at a time when we couldn’t be calm by ourselves.”

Sarah finally got to meet her son.

“I remember looking in at this little, bitty, tiny baby,” she said. “He was so, so tiny, oh my goodness.

“There was this overwhelming of love and helplessness, be cause here’s this child that I love so much that I’ve carried with me and I’m looking at him behind this glass. All you want to do is just hold your child,” she said. “There’s nothing harder than not being able to hold your child.”

She said all you can do is stand and hope and pray that things work out.

“It’s definitely an experience that I wouldn’t wish on any body,” she said.

Parenthood often changes people, bringing with it the ex pected excitement, pride, fear, love, protection, responsibility and care of the new addition. The flood, or rather the torrent, of the emotional ups and downs of all of those feelings are heightened and exasperated when it comes to being a parent to a premature infant.

The Chuas left their life as it existed. Their new life as new parents revolved around the health and progress of their micro-preemie. Jobs were left behind, as was their home.

Friends and family, gatherings, vacations, meetings, holidays, and birthdays all took a hiatus. For Azi’s first four months, Sarah and Armando lived at a Ronald McDonald House near Children’s.

The growth and progress, maturity and development of a micro-preemie is not one without incidents, panic, progres sion and regression. Like many premature babies, Azi had

Photos submitted Azariah Chua has overcome so many obstacles in such a short time, but to look at him now, you would never guess he was a premature baby.

After spending his first four months in the NICU at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Armando and Sarah Chua are bringing their baby boy home.

SSHS presents 43rd annual Standing Stone Day

Photos by Rebekah Beeler

Clockwise from the top: Standing Stone Day Parade grand marshal Monterey Fire Chief Kevin Peters with his wife, Robin, get a lift down Commercial Ave. in Monterey’s first fire engine “Betsy,” driven by ____ Looper with Patti in shotgun.

The epitome of Standing Stone Day is pictured here as Piper Davis, dressed in Native American clothing, rides horseback in front of the Tennessee Central Rail road car. It was because of the railroad that the origi nal Standing Stone monolith on Native sacred ground was blasted for the right-of-way, setting in motion the events and organizations that would come together erect the Standing Stone Monument to protect and honor the only remaining piece of the monolith.

Standing Stone Day attendees join in the circle dance with the Native American presenters.

Jim Bowman sings a couple of his origi nal songs at the Standing Stone Monu ment written about the monolith.

Jack O’Lantern Jamboree a monster mash

Beeler

I’m holding up a baby bumblebee! Lou Lou goes trick or treating with his family at the Jack O’Lantern Jamboree.

Above, a gaggle of little ghouls and boys gather can dy along Commercial Av enue at the Jack O’Lantern Jamboree on Oct. 29.

There’s so much can dy and fun at Jack O’Lantern Jamboree that Bishop Stevens is as mad as a hatter.

At right, the Sanderson Sisters are running amuck, amuck, amuck at Jack O’Lantern Jamboree and cast a spell on little dragon Isaac Williams.

Let’s a-go! At left, Caleb and Dallas Jones are a Mario-ve lous duo.

Photos by Rebekah

Montgomery breaks MHS passing record

By Rebekah Beeler Scribe publisher

At Monterey High School, athletes love the sound of whistles, buzzers and the cheering crowd. But, they especially love the sound of records breaking.

One such athlete is MHS senior quarterback Matthew Montgomery who was rec ognized as Monterey’s alltime career passing leader. Currently, Montgomery has over 3,000 career passing yards.

“Matthew is a great young man, who is deserving of all the awards he gets,” said Scott Hughes, MHS Football Head Coach. “He has spent so much time working on his game that the success he has is truly something he has worked for. The time he puts in the weight room, his nutri tion, his recovery, and film study is second to none.”

Montgomery broke the school’s career passing re cord at the Wildcats’ game against Rockwood on Friday, Sept. 16, coming up with a Wildcat win 28-14.

From there, the Cats went on a winning streak, closing in on Tennessee Heat 28-13, Lakeway Christian Academy 30-21, Oneida 42-9, Bled soe County 36-28, Wartburg Central 35-2, and Happy Val ley 40-6.

For the win against On ieda, Montgomery led the

Wildcats by opening up the scoring early in the game to secure in an epic region win, bringing the team even closer to securing an at-home playoff game.

His leadership is a positive on and off the field.

“He has been a leader for our team not only on the field but in school as well,” Hughes added. “Matthew’s impact, hopefully, will be

something that younger ath letes recognize and try to fol low.”

The Cats stand at 9-2, los ing to Stone Memorial High School 7-18 and York Insti tute 20-34.

The Wildcats travel to play their final season game against Hampton High School Bulldogs at Hampton on Friday, Nov. 11. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

MHS angles for the win

Submitted

The Monterey Anglers competed in the Tennessee Bass Nation high school open tournament on Percy Priest Lake on Oct. 15. The team of J.W. Holloway and Jeffery Stewart placed first with a 5-fish limit to taling 14.20 pounds. The field consisted of 186 high school teams/boats from all over Tennessee. “This is no small feat,” said Monterey Anglers Coach Tony Waters, “as many fish ermen fish for years trying to win a tournament and are unsuccessful, even with a much smaller number of teams.”

This win qualifies the Monterey Anglers for a po sition in the state champi onship tournament and an unconfirmed seat in the na tional championship tourna ment. The Tennessee Bass Nation State Championship is set for June 2-3, 2023, on Douglas Lake in East Tennessee. The Bassmas ter High School National Championship location will be announced in December.

Fore!

MHS Golf gets region placement surprise

Submitted

Monterey High School Golf finished third in the District, played at Bear Trace in Crossville. They were one of four teams in serious contention, with Upperman as the favorite to win. Upperman, Clay County, York and Monterey played against each other for placement in the top three to play in region als. MHS secured the third spot over York. The region

tournament was played at Southern Hills and Upper man was favored again, with Clay County second. Despite Clay County beat ing MHS three times in the regular season, MHS played well, with sopho more Landon Raines fin ishing first in the tourna ment with a score of 79.

“It was a total surprise that we finished runnerup,” said MHS Golf Coach Charles “Pokey” Looper.

Raines went on to play in the state tournament at Sevierville Golf Club. The two-day play did not yield a win for Raines, but Loop er is confident in his game.

“He did not have a good two days in the tournament, but he is a sophomore and I’m sure he will be there again next year,” Looper said. “Our team should be picked number one in the District next year.”

• ELECTION •

Continued from 3

ernor by the Speaker of the Senate-or the Speaker of the House if there is no Speaker of the Senate in office-when the governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor. The ad ditional language allowed that while a Speaker is temporarily discharging the powers and duties of the governor, the Speaker would not be required to resign as Speaker or to resign as a member of the legislature. However, dur ing the interim, the Speak er would not be able to

preside as Speaker or vote as a member of the legis lature, would still be com pensated just the Speaker’s salary and would exempt a Speaker from provisions in the Constitution that would otherwise prohibit the Speaker from exercis ing the powers of the gov ernor and from simultane ously holding more than one state office.

State voters voted yes by 74.63% to Amendment 2.

Amendment 3 changed the current language in ar ticle I, section 33, which formerly stated that slav ery and involuntary servi tude, except as punishment for a person who has been

duly convicted of crime, are forever prohibited in this State. It was replaced with the language stating, “Slavery and involuntary servitude are forever pro hibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime.”

State voters voted yes by 79.54% to Amendment 3. Amendment 4 deleted ar ticle IX, section 1 prohibit ing ministers of the gospel and priests of any denomi nation from holding a seat in either House of the leg islature.

State voters voted yes by 63.24% to Amendment 4.

Photos submitted

Monterey Wildcat senior quarterback, Matthew Mont gomery, adds to Monterey High School history by breaking the all-time career passing record.

Photo submitted

Monterey High School Golf is pleasantly surprised by their regional placement. Pic tured are MHS Golf Coach Charles “Pokey” Looper, golfers J.W. Holloway and Landon Raines with MHS Athletic Director Chris “Mutt” Buckner.

Photo submitted

Monterey Angler team J.W. Holloway and Jeffrey Stew art place first in the Tennessee Bass Nation high school open tournament.

Highland Sports

Hanging Limb hosts Fall Horse Show

Kadence Bowman is the Youth Champion riding Ace.

The annual Hanging Limb Horse Show on Oct. 8 had over 60 horses entered to participate in the 24 classes that varied from gaited horses to trotters at the Hanging Limb arena. The event is held annually on the first weekend in October and benefits the Hanging Limb Community Center, 124 Convenience Center Rd., in Crawford.

Jessica Savage, riding Diesel, is the Youth Poles and Bat and Bucket winner.

Photos submitted Mason Likens is lined up waiting for the call.

The CB Guffey family presents the CB Guffey Memorial 50 and Over Class Champion Award to James Smith.

Woodcliff holds annual chili cookoff, hayride

Titus House wants to help

Need clothes? We can help! Titus House, 306 W. Craw ford Ave. in Monterey, provides free clothing to anyone in need. Titus House is open the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon, except for October when it will be open the third Saturday. Titus House accepts do nations of clean, dry clothing in bags or boxes. These may be dropped off at Titus House. Please put donations underneath the carport at the end of the Titus House driveway. Titus House appreciates your donations! Titus House is an outreach program of the Monterey Church of Christ. Questions regarding Titus House please call (931) 252-7676.

The Cottage Thrift Store open

Photos submitted

With a great turn out and loads of fun, Woodcliff Baptist Church holds its annual Chili Cookoff and Hay Ride on Oct. 11. Chester Combs is named Best Chili Winner, with runner-up Rick Walker. The Chili Cookoff was judged by Billie Murphy, Tony Coo per and Quentin Cooper.

The Cottage thrift store at the Monterey United Method ist Church offers new inventory and new pricing. They ask for everyone to exercise precautions, use gloves and masks and will have some available for their shoppers’ safety. Note: if there is a spike in local COVID-19 cases, The Cottage will remain closed.

Monterey Hilltop Chorale holds rehearsals

Monterey Hilltop Chorale, an all volunteer choir under the direction of Francis Eldridge meets at Monterey United Methodist Church at 6 p.m. on Mondays. New members are always welcome. The Chorale performs free concerts for the community and supports local causes with love of ferings collected at the door. They are also seeking spon sorships to help with the cost of sheet music, supplies and professional pianist. Sponsorships are yearly and sponsor logos will be featured on the concert programs. For more information about becoming a sponsor, contact Kathy at kradel1010@gmail.com or Joy at cedesigners@outlook. com.

Church Directory

Columbia Hill Baptist 1226 Columbia Hill Rd. 445-3066

Church of God in Christ 2704 Muddy Pond Rd. 445-7782

Familia Dios 119 W. Commercial Ave. 839-7011

Faith Bible Holiness 144 Dripping Springs Rd. 839-6268

Monterey Church of Christ 308 W. Crawford Ave. 839-2660

Monterey Community Church 301 E. Commercial Ave. 839-2119

Monterey First Assem bly of God 1050 N. Chestnut St. 839-8103

Pilgrim Christian Fellowship 3068 Muddy Pond Rd. 445-7160

Primera Iglesia Evangel Jesus Baptist Church 200 S Chestnut St. 839-3399

money from my husband. I have been setting aside money for emergencies without his knowledge. He is not terrible with money, but he always seems to find something to spend it on. Before I started doing this, we never managed to save much money at all. But now I feel like I have been doing something wrong. What should I do?

Lana

Dear Lana, I believe in saving up for emergencies. I mean, I’m the guy who tells people to have three to six months of expenses saved in an emer gency fund, right? But de ception is never a positive thing in a relationship— especially a marriage. You need to talk to your hus band about this.

I know it won’t be easy for you, so you have to make sure you tell him in the right way. Playing the blame game won’t help.

Basically, you’ve been deceiving him about this. Sure, it sounds like he has been immature when it comes to your household finances, but you made the decision to hide things. You chose to do this instead of talking to him about your concerns.

Let’s start here. Tell your husband you need to talk to him about something important, and sit down together with no distrac tions. Explain what’s been going on, and that you’re sorry for not being honest about things, but you also need to speak up and tell him why you were doing this secretly. If you were afraid to disagree with him, tell him that. Tell him why, too, and let him know you just want the two of you to have a successful finan cial future, and that you’re committed to never hiding things again.

Managing money in a mar riage isn’t a “his” or “hers” thing. It’s a “we” thing. You can fix this, but it’s go

ing to take some honesty, understanding and making an effort to work together toward the same goals— like saving or living on a written, monthly budget. You each have a vote, but it also means you have to stand up and vote no, Lana, if he wants to blow money on silly stuff when you guys don’t have your finances in order.

— Dave

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Dave Ramsey is an eighttime national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million lis teners each week. He has appeared on Good Morn ing America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people re gain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solu tions.

First Baptist Church of Monterey 106 N. Chestnut St. 839-2971

Full Gospel Assembly 9396 Monterey Hwy. 839-6411

Hanging Limb Baptist 1421 Hanging Limb Hwy. 445-3283

Hope in Christ Fellowship 315 E. Peter Ave. 833-315-4673

Mill Creek Baptist 5221 Mill Creek School Rd. 520-7801

Mineral Springs First Baptist Church 4038 Hanging Limb Hwy.839-3538

Monterey Apostolic Church 1109 Buckner Rd. 839-8416

Monterey Freewill Baptist 311 S. Elm St. 839-3433

Monterey First Church of the Nazarene 110 N. Poplar St. 839-2609

Monterey Wesleyan Church 300 E. New Ave. 584-0133

Monterey United Methodist Church 124 N. Holly St. 839-2597

Monterey Wesleyan Church Pastor Ted Stepp 9315840133 330 E New Ave

Monterey Worship Center 120 E. Commercial Ave. 839-2702

Muddy Pond Independent Baptist Church 3449 Muddy Pond Rd. 445-2140

Sand Springs Baptist 9388 Sand Springs Church Rd. 839-3131

Second Freewill Baptist Church of Monterey 855 E. Commercial Ave. 839-3752

Shady Grove Freewill Baptist 2175 Stamps-Shady Grove Rd.

Standing Stone Baptist Church 914 N. Chestnut St. 267-5072

Standing Stone Church of Christ 385 N. Elmore St.

Victory Christian Center 125 S. Oak St. 839-6068

Vine Ridge Baptist 602 Vine Ridge Rd. 445-3414

Woodcliff Baptist Church 13100 Woodcliff Rd. 839-8465

• HONESTY

complications. His lungs were underdeveloped, he suffered a brain bleed, had a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in which the open ing between the two major blood vessels in his heart did not close after birth, had high blood pressure, ocular blood vessel issues, and nearly lost his toes due to the IVs that were injected.

“There’s so much there that you have to face,” Sarah said. “Living every single day, not day by day, not hour by hour, not minute by minute, but second by second, won dering every time that those monitors go off, which is constantly, if your child’s im mediately going to start de clining or if that’s going to be its last breath. It’s something that doesn’t go away that eas ily.”

“There’s just so many differ ent things behind the scenes that people don’t realize,” she said. “Every day was a new day. Every day was full of new challenges.”

Every morning the doctors would go over the plan for the day, discuss the tests and new findings and obstacles they’d found and the new tests they

needed to run. Somehow those seconds became min utes, the minutes came to gether as hours and the hours were strung together to make days that eventually became weeks.

A GoFund Me page was set up for the new parents, and the community outpouring of love and generous support made it possible for them to be able to stay with their son during the entire duration of his stay at Children’s. She said she cannot thank ev eryone enough for allowing them that precious gift of be ing with their son at his most vulnerable and critical time.

“If it hadn’t been for all the prayer and support that we had, I don’t know what we would have done,” she said.

The doctors and the nurses became like family to the Chuas and they still keep in touch.

“I can honestly say that made such a difference,” she said. “They were such a won derful staff and I’m so grate ful and so thankful for all of them.”

They’re already asking for a Christmas card with pictures of baby Azi.

Sarah said that despite their wonderfully successful outcome, she and Armando

came home different people.

“Even though we’re home and things are better, it’s still hard,” she said. “I think you carry some of that with you. There are certain things that remind you of being there and certain circumstances that make you think about things. I think, in a way, it’s made me a little more protec tive than I probably would have been given different cir cumstances.”

The sheer exhaustion of holding your breath for four months and hoping against the anticipation of the other shoe dropping is, as Sarah said, “It’s definitely a healing process.”

Azi just turned nine-months old this week and is a bub bly, bouncing baby boy with a clean bill of health. He had laser surgery to correct the issue with his ocular vessels, the PDA closed on its own without surgery, and he has outgrown the need for blood pressure medicine. His de velopment is nearly perfect with his original due date. He is a very good eater, has found his voice, is learning to use his hands and exercise his motor skills, loves tum my time and is rolling over to build the muscles he needs to learn to sit up.

“He loves his toys. He loves his mirror. He loves people. He loves music,” she said. “He’s learning and he’s get ting there.

“He just pushed through, and he’ll always be my hero for that.”

Photo

12 Life on the Mountain

CCP presents the best ever

‘Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

A Review

By Rebekah Beeler Scribe publisher

“The Best Christmas Pag eant Ever: The Musical” opened on Friday and is now playing on the Cum berland County Playhouse MainStage through Dec. 21.

We all remember the sto ry. We all sat in a circle on the reading rug while our school librarians read it to us in the third grade. It is a memory we all share. Now, we can watch it live at CCP.

The Playhouse has pre sented “The Best Christ mas Pageant Ever” in the past, but director Weslie Webster said, “This is our first time doing the musi cal version and, I think, it adds even more to the story and complements the story so well. There’s a lot of dif ferent styles of music in it all from around the ‘60s, so it’s a very nostalgic piece.” Webster continued, “Some of it’s really jazzy. It’s just exciting to hear that mu sic, especially to a holiday Christmas piece, I really do think it adds a whole other layer to the story.”

The musical is set in the 1960s and follows the story of how members of a com munity church congrega tion label, ostracize and judge the underprivileged, unsupervised and unwieldy half-dozen Herdman kids; in their minds, a stain on their perfect little town.

It’s almost time to have auditions for the annual Christmas pageant when an accident befalls pageant director Helen Armstrong, and she forces Grace to re place her with a the useful prodding of emotional ma nipulation.

Nicknamed them the “Hor rible Herdmans” by the some of the congregants, the disheveled children embrace it and prove them right by being bullies and cads, terrorizing the town’s children at school. The only place the “good” kids at school can find sanctuary is the church, where there are no Herdmans.

That is, until Grace’s son, Charlie, gets tired of the Herdmans stealing his lunch every day and tells them they can have his lunch because he gets all the best snacks at church. Letting the cat out of the

bag, the Herdmans show up. Not only that, but they want to be in the Christmas pageant.

Things literally go up in smoke as the Herdmans take over the church in a kind of inmates-take-overthe-asylum way.

Caught between her fami ly, the church and the Herd mans, Grace puts her name to good use.

As it turned out, the Herd mans weren’t the only ones who needed a little grace, and the church gets a lesson

on right(eous) and wrong. The show is double cast, and each cast offers the same musical in two unique performances. I highly en courage getting the full ex perience of the production by watching both casts in action.

Webster said that the double cast is made up of a nice mixture of experi enced Playhouse kids and new ones, adding that the older ones stepped up into role model positions for the younger ones.

“The excitement on the younger ones’ faces when something new is added, like the lights and the cos tumes,” Webster said, “it’s like Christmas for me to watch them learn and grow. Really, that sense of ac complishment from all of them, to watch them feel proud of themselves, was so rewarding for me.”

With nearly 50 kids mak ing up both casts, Webster laughed and said, “They are very much authenti cally children. So, trying to

marry being authentic chil dren on stage with actu ally some of the rules about stage… is always really a big challenge, too, to get them to understand how to tell the story on stage and still be real kids at the same time.”

Webster is Grace in real life when it comes to di recting the children.

“You have to be super patient,” she said. “There is nothing more rewarding than directing the kids.”

Though it makes for a

fluid viewing experience, Webster added that one of the challenges with the show was that it is written like a modern musical in which scenes flow into one another. With limited time between sets, they had to get creative with their tech nical theater team for scene and costume changes, while not taking away from the fluidity of the story.

“So, that the show flows the way it’s supposed to,” she said. “That’s always a challenge technically.”

Webster’s favorite part of the show is the 20 minutes dedicated to the pageant it self, because it includes the transformation of the Herd mans.

“It’s funny, but moving,” she said.

Webster encouraged that the show isn’t just for kids. It is an enjoyable theater experience for audience members of all ages that will leave you very much in the Christmas mood.

“I’m just so proud of all the kids,” she said. “I’m just so proud of how they are working together as a team to bring this story to life.”

“The Best Christmas Pag eant Ever” is the hottest ticket in town right now, but reserve yours before they go up in smoke faster than Imogene Herdman’s cigar in the church kitchen! Visit ccplayhouse.com or call the Box Office at 4845000 for ticket informa tion.

Photo by Rebekah Beeler

Holly cast Herdmans, Ollie (Olivia Fugere), Claudette (Cenleigh Holt), Gladys (Breanna Sias), Leroy (Luke Smith), Ralph (David Kappel), and Imogene (Kyra Crosby), terrorize the town with their antics.