Category: People
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Kingsport’s Best: Russ & Joyce Brogden
Over the next several weeks, we’ll be recognizing the 2026 recipients of the Kingsport Community Fund’s “Kingsport’s Best”, celebrating those whose service, generosity, and commitment make Kingsport a better place to live. While you’re thinking about it, mark your calendar for the next round: August 6, 2027. Kingsport Community Fund is the new name for…
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The Good Old Days Won’t Win Friday Night
Any given Saturday. It’s more than a football cliché. Look at the Southeastern Conference. Ten of its 16 teams have three losses or fewer. Good teams have taken turns beating one another, and sorting out the College Football Playoff contenders could be almost as difficult as playing the games. That’s parity. And it isn’t confined…
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Scrappy, Hungry, and #1
Number one. Overall. Of all sizes. That’s how the Dobyns-Bennett High School Marching Band finished its 2026 competitive season Saturday night in Cookeville. With a score of 91.075, D-B won the Bands of America Middle Tennessee Regional Championship, edging Bartlett High School of suburban Memphis by just 0.075 points. Earlier that day, they had already…
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Northeast Tennessee & Southwest Virginia: Are We Growing Too Fast?
For years, Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia faced a demographic challenge: our population was barely growing, deaths outnumbered births, and too few newcomers arrived to make up the difference. That picture has changed—and that’s worth celebrating. The latest Census Bureau estimates show our nine-county region added 20,221 residents between 2020 and 2025, reaching 623,799. That’s…
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Standing in the Gap: A Tribute to Kingsport 9-1-1
I recently completed my four-year term on the Kingsport 9-1-1 Board as “Citizen Fleming.” It was a tumultuous time in the aftermath of COVID, and the mayor thought my experience might be useful. So I was happy to take a turn. But I came away with something more valuable than I expected: a renewed appreciation…
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Be Still
I was raised by a World War II veteran who loved me deeply and did everything he knew to set me on a positive course. Without him, I would have been lost. He gave me discipline, direction, and responsibility. His leadership style had been forged in the military. Two sayings reflected that: “Yours is not…
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The History and Mystery of the D.W. Moulton Bridge
Thousands of people cross it every day. Ask them the name of the bridge carrying West Stone Drive across the North Fork Holston River, though, and you may get a blank stare. The Stone Drive bridge? The 11W bridge? The bridge north of Netherland Inn Road? All are understandable answers. But the State of Tennessee…
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Model City Matriarchs
Mark your calendars for this very special presentation! There are three ways to participate: (1) Attend in person, (2) watch the livestream on the Archives Facebook page, or (3) watch it on the Archives YouTube channel that will be uploaded a few days after the event.
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Milton DeVault and Team Kingsport
I recently visited what our guide called a “museum of stories.” Rather than focusing mainly on artifacts, it sought to preserve the lives of ordinary people. Many visitors were descendants trying to piece together their family histories. That experience reminded me of a conversation. My niece introduced me to a friend in Knoxville who mentioned…
