Columbus
The Advocate & Democrat
Volunteer Federal celebrates 50th anniversary with community celebration
Volunteer Federal Savings Bank commemorated its 50th anniversary with a free community celebration on Saturday, April 27, in Downtown Madisonville around the bank’s Main Office. “From our humble beginnings to becoming a cornerstone of financial stability in our community, our journey has been one of growth, resilience, and shared success,” said President/CEO Rob Rule. “In planning for our 50th anniversary, we wanted to express our heartfelt gratitude to the loyal customers and supportive community that have been the driving force behind our success. This celebration...
Monroe on the Go!
Splash Pad at Houston Park The City of Madisonville will hold an open house and ribbon cutting for the newly-installed splash pad and playground at Houston Park on May 18 at 11 a.m. Houston Park is located beside the Madisonville Public Library in downtown. Night Hike at Fort Loudoun Join Park Ranger Lauren Baghetti at...
Volunteer Federal announces scholarship winners
Volunteer Federal Savings Bank has announced the inaugural recipients of the Volunteer Federal Savings Bank Scholarship. “At Volunteer Federal, we understand the financial challenges that often accompany higher education, and it is our privilege to offer assistance to deserving individuals who demonstrate not only academic excellence but also determination, resilience, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the world around them,” said Volunteer Federal Savings Bank President/CEO Rob Rule. ...
Tellico Village’s Drug Take Back Day deemed a success
Marsha Keiser, chair of the Tellico Community Foundation, has announced that on April 27, the Welcome Center in Tellico Village, Loudon County, and the Kahite Clubhouse, Monroe County, sites collected a record volume of unused, unwanted and potentially dangerous medications. The total collection was 430 pounds of drugs from 385 cars and 490 people. Loudon County is consistently among the top three collection sites in the State of Tennessee, and...
Grave marker restored for Crockett
Richard Holmes with the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Missionary Ridge Camp #63, recently restored and replaced the weathered grave marker of David R. Crockett, who served with Company A 5th Tennessee Infantry USA, at Hall Cemetery in Roane County.
April Students of the Month at TPES
Tellico Plains Elementary School recently recognized its April Students of the Month. The following students received the honor: (front row, from left) Braden Hunt, Paisley Robinette, Daniel Crace, Gunner Plemons, Mason Jones, Janice Presley, Rinoa Butler, Xander Corman, (back row) CJ Forsythe, Caden Davis, Kinlee Presley, Breeauna Payne, Josiah Lethco, Jessica Stinnett, Kanaan Watkins, Jeremy Brown, Shyann Price, and Aubree Coleman. Not pictured: Branson Hunt.
March Students of the Month at TPES
Tellico Plains Elementary School recently recognized its March Students of the Month. The following students received the honor: (front row, from left) Thea Butler, Josie Isbill, Ryelei Johnson, Alana Blackwell, Brent Dockery, Damian Calkins, Emmy Graves, (middle row) Marley Martin, Liam Miller, Sawyer Moses, Kynslie Allison, Remy Wagner, Beth Yearwood, (back row) Olivia Thomas, Corey Lance, Isaac Williams, and Annie Berry. Not pictured: Eyden Fitz, Bransyn Captain, and Kynlee Blanks.
Bryson Burgess' no-hitter leads Sweetwater to Region 2-2A Championship berth
Bryson Burgess was in the zone Friday. Sweetwater’s freshman dealt from the mound against CSAS in Jasper, tossing a no hitter in a 13-0 five inning win that saw the Wildcats storm to a second consecutive Region 2-2A championship berth. “The most important thing that helped me was my team. They were very supportive and they helped me, especially my catcher, Cade Houser,” Burgess said. ...
Sweetwater drops District 3-A championship to CSLA
Sweetwater’s hope for a district championship in soccer came to an end Saturday in Chattanooga. A valiant effort for the Wildcats ended in defeat, losing 2-0 to host and top-seed CSLA in the District 3-A championship. “They were very excited about playing a championship game. Everyone felt very well before the game,” Sweetwater coach Ricardo Torres said. “Last night’s game was a reflection of the season that we have had....
Wiseman, Hawk qualify for Class A state track meet
Tellico Plains is sending two more runners back to the Class A state championship. Darrah Wiseman — a four-time state champion — is joined by senior Nicholas Hawk who will be competing in at least one event at the state meet as well as in next week’s Class A state decathlon. Wiseman won in the 800m and 1600m runs while Hawk’s second place finish in the 110m hurdle earned a...
Sweetwater repeats District 3-2A championship with double-header triumph over McMinn Central
It’s a repeat in Sweetwater. The Wildcats had to win twice to pull it off, with 6-3 and 5-4 wins over McMinn Central on Tuesday to win the District 3-2A championship. Sweetwater’s run to a second consecutive district championship went smoother than a year ago. The top-seed Wildcats trailed for only three innings across five games and avoided deep runs into extra innings. ...
Boyd preparing for Memorial Day coming up later this month
The Monroe County Veteran Services Office is preparing for this year’s Memorial Day ceremony. According to Monroe County Veteran Service Officer Andy Boyd, the ceremony will take place in front of the courthouse stairs in Madisonville at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 27. “This will be the same way we have done it in the past,” Boyd said. “We like to do the ceremony there because that is where the...
Tellico season ends with Kingston shutout
Tellico Plains was one win away from returning to the region tournament for the first time in three seasons, but the Lady Bears’ season came to a halt on May 7 losing 8-0 to No. 2 Kingston in a District 3-2A elimination semifinal. For Tellico (17-8), the bout marked the third time the two have met in May, splitting the two previous meetings. Kingston jumped out on the front foot, pushing two runs across in the bottom of the first and taking a 5-0 lead...
SHA announces Sweetwater native Henry as new CEO
New leadership is in place at Sweetwater Hospital Association (SHA) and it is a local person. The SHA Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Andrea Henry, BSN as the new chief executive officer (CEO). Henry grew up in Sweetwater, where she also raised her two sons, Tanner and Tyler, with her husband, Greg Henry. ...
Cochran reflects on legislative session happenings
State Rep. Mark Cochran believes this year’s legislative session produced a variety of good policies for Tennesseans. With this year’s legislative session closed, Cochran (R-Englewood) reflected on how the session went overall. “I think this session went very smoothly,” Cochran expressed. “It lasted about a week longer than I had previously predicted but I was very happy with the laws that we were able to pass.” ...
Springtime festival
The City of Sweetwater held its annual Blooms, Bluegrass and BBQ Festival over the weekend, with numerous vendor booths set up throughout the downtown area. Shown here, Vericella Chastain (left) and Caryn Starkey look over one of the merchant’s goods on Friday. See more photos inside this week’s edition of The Advocate & Democrat. Springtime festival
Joines walkoff home run advances Tellico, eliminates Sweetwater
Addison Joines has been swinging a big bat the past few weeks. She did it again on Monday. With two on and no outs, the Tellico Plains freshman connected on the first pitch, launching a home run out of centerfield, advancing the Lady Bears into the District 3-2A semifinals and eliminating Sweetwater. For the Lady Wildcats, it was a sign of how cruel the game can be. Sweetwater limited the...
TWU announces upcoming academic restructuring
Significant changes are coming to the academic side of Tennessee Wesleyan University. According to TWU officials, over the past decade, the academic landscape at the university has expanded dramatically. With the addition of numerous graduate and undergraduate academic programs, the university will soon be expanding the academic leadership to “streamline the academic enterprise,” according to a news release. The new structure will result in three distinct colleges: the College of...
Local students taking part in Tellico Eco Days event
The Cherokee National Forest is hosting an annual environmental education event for children from Monroe County Schools, Sweetwater City Schools and the Barefoot University Homeschool Group on May 6 through May 9 at the Indian Boundary Recreation Area. The Tellico Eco Days event will provide an opportunity for hands-on outdoor learning in small group stations led by natural resource professionals. Since the event started in 2008, this environmental education event...
Sequoyah bats power past South-Doyle in postseason opener
Allen Roberts wanted to see the Sequoyah offense make steps forward in the postseason. Navigating the District 5-3A tournament will take powerful bats and strong, consistent defense. When the first pitch to Alicia Kimble was tossed to start the bottom of the first on Sunday, he must have been happy. Kimble wrapped her barrel around...
The Advocate & Democrat
360+
Posts
993K+
Views
The Advocate & Democrat serves Sweetwater, Madisonville and surrounding areas of East Tennessee.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.