Zack Freeman lost his father when he was a young man. A freshman in college, and nowhere near becoming a parent himself, he grieved, along with his sisters, for the man that had been such an influential figure in his life. "My dad did every thing he could to make sure we had everything we needed," says Zack.

It pretty much speaks for itself when you echo the words...East Rutherford at R-S Central on the football field. This rivalry game is on Thursday night 7pm, October 5th with MY40 and Thursday Night Lights being on hand to broadcast a live Rutherford County football game for the first time in history.

Friday night, October 6th, kicks off this year's Annual 2-Day Hilltop Fall Festival with the Race For The Gold: Soapbox Derby beginning at 7:00pm. These custom designed derby cars will race down Main Street in the hopes of taking home the trophy.

We have approached the halfway mark of the high school football season as Rutherford County went 1-2 this past weekend. Two teams are at home this coming Friday.

If you live in Rutherford County, chances are you've heard about the untimely death of Matthew Pannell. As reported by MA Andrews in the Rutherford Weekly back in December of 2013, "Mr. Pannell, everybody calls him Cosmo and his wife, Joni had just one child, a son, they named Matthew.

Only two football games were on tap last week and the schools went 1-1. Three play this Friday and two are at home.

They may not even know the deceased. It doesn't matter. All they know is that he or she served honorably. They're a veteran, and that is all that matters. So they come to do the 'right thing'.

Another week and another split decision for Rutherford County football. Let's take a look at what happened and what is to come. At least two play at home (9/15) after all four were on the road this past week.

"Nobody's ever been touched by a story untold... I'm just one person with this condition and there's thousands of others that have had a very rough road. All I can say is I'm being blessed everyday now in recovery. It's not bliss but I certainly see progress! Thankfully, my family is very resilient and we've made it through this stronger than ever. I'm very faithful and positive and hopefully any light I might give will help someone else with their own battles."

- Melissa Tate-Oakley

It was another split decision this past week on the football field at East Rutherford and Thomas Jefferson both won, while Chase and R-S Central suffered losses.

The heat of a late summer day didn't deter the crowd who turned out in droves to celebrate yet another exciting announcement from the Town of Forest City. With his back to the construction site, Mayor Holland recounted the path that lead to the town's highly anticipated development of property left vacant when the mill closed down in 2001. The town purchased the property in 2004 but the site remained virtually unchanged until last year when they demolished several structures and the vision of 'The Park' began to take shape.

Well, week two of High School Football is in the books and two of the four county teams were victorious. Let's review and preview...shall we?

Ground was broken for the new Applied Sciences and Workforce Development Center on Monday.

Approximately 100 people were in attendance at the ceremony.

Week one is over, with three Rutherford County football teams winning and four correct picks by yours truly last week. Let's review and preview what's ahead. Perhaps 8-for-8 to start out in the guessing game for me as well?

It is finally here, the first week of High School Football has all four teams in Rutherford County with a contest this Friday night, August 18th.

The 26th Annual Hot Nights Cool Rides Car Show is fast approaching! Each year thousands flock to the small town of Forest City on the third Saturday in August (this year August 19). This free event is sponsored by the Forest City Merchants Association and the Town of Forest City. Each year over 400 cars, trucks, and motorcycles lined both sides of historic Main Street. Over 60 classes of cars, trucks, and motorcycles are represented each year. Best of show awards and special awards are also presented.

High School Football is in gear for the 2017 season, so why not go around the county and see what's going on. Practices are underway, but the first regular season games take place August 18th.

If you look up the word 'grace' in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of Mary Gladys Sams.

The Forest City Owls look to be the number one seed out of the Coastal Plain League West once the playoffs start next week. They hold a four game led in the West and have the best overall record in the CPL with two less losses than Fayetteville. However, Wilmington is coming on strong in the East, they have won 10 games in a row now.

Are you struggling with your defiant child? Have all of your 'tried and true' methods of parenting failed? If you're like most parents, you've probably had more than a few moments when you wondered what in the world happened to that sweet loving child that would sit in your lap and dote on every word you said.

Let's take a quick look at how I believe the Southern Piedmont 1A Football standings will shakeout this season.

It all started back in the 1970's when John (Bill) Turner started his collection of antique plows and other farming equipment. Having grown up farming in the Walls Church Community, Bill knew a thing or two about plows.

We are less than two weeks away from the start of High School Football with Three of Rutherford County's schools playing a new six team conference known as the Southwestern 2A. This conference was conformed due to this being a realignment year in the state. I will get to Thomas Jefferson soon.

Heroes are all around us. Whether it's the EMT that performs a medical procedure at a crash scene that saves a life or a police officer whose quick thinking prevents a tragedy, they're everywhere. No others in our community deserve our support and praise more than those who rush into a raging fire to save a life or stand vigil, monitoring our condition and providing comfort as we heal from life threatening injuries or illnesses. Doctors, nurses, firefighters, EMT's and police officers, who've trained vigorously and spent countless hours preparing themselves for such an occasion, are heroes in every sense of the word.