Good Thursday evening! This is The Weekender, a final look at this week’s news from the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) any of these newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so!
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Buckeye Home Medical Equipment. Serving Scott County and several other communities in the Upper Cumberland region, Buckeye is a full-line DME providing home health equipment to its patients.
A reason to change
There was a time when the future might not have seemed to hold much promise for a young man who had already experienced his fair share of trouble.
Elijah Grant had started drinking at 14. By 16, the habit was hardcore — as many as “24 to 30 beers a night” sometimes. By 19, a DUI had landed him in jail. Alcohol, marijuana, and other bad decisions had become part of his life.
Now 22, Grant is a student at Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville, learning the skills he hopes will lead to a rewarding career as a diesel mechanic.
But the biggest change in his life didn’t happen in a classroom or a workshop.
It happened when he learned he was going to be a father.
His daughter, Madelyn Jo, was born last month. Fatherhood has a way of changing men, and it changed Grant by giving him something he says he didn’t have before: a reason to build a better future.
“I wanted to do better,” he said of the moment he learned that his fiancé, Macy Byrd, was expecting their first child. “Not only that, I wanted to straighten up, because I was into a lot of bad stuff.”
For Grant, fatherhood wasn’t simply another milestone in life. It was a turning point.
He remembers being nervous when he and Macy learned that they in late 2025 that they were expecting a baby. The pregnancy hadn’t been planned, and the responsibility of becoming a father was intimidating.
But through the nervousness, Grant saw opportunity.
“To be honest, it was more of a life-changer for me, because I felt like that was the Lord giving me something to live for and look forward to,” he said.
He began thinking seriously about where his life was headed. The people he had surrounded himself with, the choices he had made and the trouble he had experienced were no longer things he wanted to carry into the next chapter of his life.
He had already begun distancing himself from his old lifestyle, beginning with his arrest at 19. He has been sober for more than two years. He quit drinking the night he landed in jail — once was enough for him. And now he has a powerful reason to keep moving forward.
“I feel like three years down the road, where would I have been?” he said. “I may have gone back (to that old lifestyle). But because I’ve got her now, I ain’t doing it. I ain’t doing it.”
That determination helped bring Grant to TCAT, where he enrolled in the Diesel-Powered Equipment Technology program in February.
His interest in mechanics, however, goes back much further.
Growing up between Scott County and neighboring McCreary County, Grant spent considerable time helping his grandfather, who was paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident as a teenager. His family has a history of working with their hands.
“I’ve always liked semis and I like diesel pickup trucks,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be able to rebuild them myself and do things myself.”
His great-grandfather was a mechanic. And while Grant never got an opportunity to meet him, he feels that same draw.
“Sometimes I feel like it’s in the blood, because some things just click with me,” he said.
At TCAT, he’s getting the opportunity to turn that natural curiosity into practical skills.
And when he joined the diesel program, he was paired with an instructor, Gabe Kennedy, who has a reputation of providing more than just mechanical knowledge to the students who are in his program.
“I love him,” Grant said of Kennedy. “He’s taken me in with open arms. He’s been really, really kind to me.”
During a recent stop by the diesel building on TCAT’s Oneida campus, the lunch break found Kennedy sitting in his classroom, cradling baby Madelyn in his arms as Grant and other students sat around and listen to him casually talk about God working in his own life.
“He does a lot of stuff that makes it look easy,” Grant said of Kennedy’s tutelage. “You’ll try to do it and be like, man, I can’t get this. And Gabe will come over: ‘Let me show you how to do it.’ And he’ll just pop it right off.”
The instruction and encouragement have helped Grant gain confidence in his abilities and begin imagining a future in the industry. He’s thriving in the diesel program, and was recently named his program’s nominee for SOAR — a statewide contest that awards academic excellence.
He hopes to work on diesel pickup trucks, tractors or heavy equipment after completing his training. He has even considered opening his own repair shop someday, although he isn’t ready to commit to that particular dream just yet.
For now, Grant is content to see where his education takes him. And he’s also determined to assist others who are fighting the battles he once fought. If he can help people, he says, that’s what he wants to do. He speaks of one friend in particular who got addicted to cocaine. Grant has tried to persuade him that there’s a life apart from drugs.
“I don’t know if he’ll ever change,” he said. “But I hope he does. I am praying for him and I love him like a brother.”
The biggest thing he can do for those around him, Grant says, “is to try to help them find the Lord. That’s the biggest thing. A lot of these guys have never really been taught that. They’ve never really been shown. That was the case with a lot of the boys I was running around with. They never really had that. The lifestyle they grew up in was a lot different.
“It’s kind of different when you’ve got somebody trying to tell you the right way to live, and then you’ve got these other ones who grew up in drug-addicted homes and everything else. They just kind of go to that because that’s all they really ever know,” he added.
Grant’s outlook on life is a dramatically different outlook from the one he had just a few years ago.
His journey hasn’t been without mistakes, and he makes no effort to hide them. He readily discusses his arrest, his drinking and marijuana use, and the realization that he needed to change.
Those experiences are part of his story, but he doesn’t intend to let them define his future.
Instead, he wants to be defined by what he does next.
And much of that determination comes from the little girl waiting for him when the school day ends.
He remembers the moment Madelyn was born.
“I cried my eyes out,” he said.
The emotions haven’t diminished in the months since. Grant is soft-spoken and mild-mannered by nature. But fatherhood has maybe made him even more so. If anything, the everyday experience of being a father has reinforced his commitment to being the kind of man his daughter can look up to.
“I wake up and I see her, and it just makes me smile,” he said. “It gives me a reason, really.”
At 22, he doesn’t know exactly what the years ahead will bring. And that’s okay. Because he knows what he’s working toward.
And when he thinks about the life he left behind, and the life he’s trying to build, the difference comes down to one little girl.
Madelyn Jo Grant may be too young to understand how profoundly she has changed her father’s life.
Someday, perhaps, she’ll understand that while her father was learning how to fix engines, she was helping him put something far more important back together.
His future.
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TCAT announces SOAR nominees
HUNTSVILLE | Phoenix Alexander is Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville’s nominee for Outstanding Student in the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Statewide Outstanding Achievement Awards (SOAR) recognition, President Tim Smith announced this week.
Additionally, Diesel-Powered Equipment Technology instructor Gabriel Kennedy is the college’s nominee for Outstanding Faculty Award, and Financial Aid Assistant Nancy Boles is the nominee for Outstanding Staff Award.
The SOAR process for Outstanding Student began with each instructor nominating an accomplished and deserving student from their program. TCAT invited a panel of community leaders, including representatives of local financial institutions and each local school system, as well as local government, to interview each program nominee and make a final selection. The panel unanimously selected Phoenix Alexander, of the Automotive Technology program, as its finalist. Meanwhile, President Smith nominated Gabriel Kennedy and Nancy Boles for the Outstanding Faculty and Outstanding Staff awards, respectively.
Other students who were nominated by their instructors for the SOAR recognition included Nathan Lund (Building Construction Technology), Ryan Householder (Computer Information Technology), Emily Adkins (Cosmetology), Erian Washam (Criminal Justice: Correctional Officer), Elijah Grant (Diesel-Powered Equipment Technology), Brian Duncan (Earthmoving Equipment Operator), Joshua Hicks (Machine Tool Technology), Zane Rutherford (Pharmacy Technology), Levi James (Power Line Construction and Maintenance), Skye Vaughn and Cynthia Stocks (Practical Nursing – Oneida), and Elizabeth Rogers (Practical Nursing – Jamestown).
Phoenix Alexander enrolled at TCAT Oneida/Huntsville in January 2026. A resident of Sunbright, she plans to complete the Automotive Technology program and then pursue a four-year degree in forensic science at a traditional university. She hopes to eventually be a forensic investigator. She is a representative of TCAT Student Government.
Gabriel Kennedy has been a diesel technician since 2004. He has been the Diesel-Powered Equipment Technology instructor at TCAT Oneida/Huntsville since 2023. He is quick to earn the respect of his students, and the positive first impression he makes is often enough to sell prospective students on the diesel program.
Nancy Boles has been TCAT Oneida/Huntsville’s Financial Aid Assistant for 29 years. During that time, she has helped thousands of students secure funding to continue or complete their education, with a reputation for being thorough, patient, and understanding. She is a vital part of the Student Services team at TCAT.
The nominees will participate in a series of virtual interviews at the regional level on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. The SOAR awards will be announced in Nashville on March 31, 2027.
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Queener introduced as telecommunications instructor at TCAT
JAMESTOWN | Loren Queener was introduced Monday as the instructor of Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville’s brand-new Telecommunications and Underground Utility Construction Technology program in Fentress County.
The new program will be offered at the Fentress County Higher Education Center in Jamestown. It joins Practical Nursing as the second program offered at TCAT’s Fentress County campus.
The six-month program consists of 648 clock hours, and combines classroom learning with hands-on training on the use of equipment used to install broadband and underground utilities such as sewer, water, and gas lines. The first class will be seated on Oct. 26.
Queener, who is himself a graduate of TCAT Oneida/Huntsville, has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry. He is a native of Scott County but has been working in Fentress County. He and his team recently completed an interconnect project that involved the installation of fiber lines from Livingston into Kentucky, then to Allardt and into Scott County.
He said that he expects the transition from the field to the classroom to be a natural one.
“Teaching has always been my role in the construction industry,” he said. “Companies will hire me when they’re training new hires. This transition is something that I’ve always wanted to do.”
The telecommunication construction program is a new offering by TCAT, and the one in Fentress County will be the first of its kind among Tennessee’s Colleges of Applied Technology. Queener said he expects the program to attract quality students.
“It’s really exciting to me,” he said. “For years, the best underground construction workers have come from these three counties, Fentress, Scott and Morgan. This program can help the community and it can help create longevity for the industry.”
Prospective students can apply online at www.tcatoneida.edu. Those who have program-specific questions are invited to contact Queener by email, loren.queener@tcatoneida.edu. To schedule a tour of the Fentress County Higher Education Center, contact campus coordinator Belinda Payne, belinda.payne@tcatoneida.edu. As with all TCAT programs, financial aid is available to students who qualify. Contact Financial Aid Assistant Nancy Boles at (423) 663-4900 ext. 109 or nboles@tcatoneida.edu.
ICYMI
Threads of Life: This week’s Threads of Life newsletter is in remembrance of Ricky Smith, Joshua Goad, Marjorie Mason, Mildred Sexton, and Wilma Shannon. » Read It
Echoes in Time: This week’s Echoes in Time newsletter reflects back on the Foster Crossroads community through the years. » Read It
The Weekend
🌥️ Weather: There’s a chance of rain Friday as much cooler temperatures swoop into the region. We’ll be in the mid 70s Friday, but only in the mid 50s Saturday, and in the low 60s Sunday. The weather will be beautiful after Friday’s rain chance. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page— published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot.
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⛪︎ Featured Church
Landmark Baptist Church
Denomination: Baptist
Pastor: Chad Hutson
Address: 260 Landmark Road, Oneida
Services
Sunday school: 10 a.m.
Sunday morning: 11 a.m.
» See the complete Church Directory, and thank you to our sponsors of the Church Directory.
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📅 Community Calendar
• Saturday: Third Saturday night worship services will be held at Lone Mountain Baptist Church (6 p.m.), Capital Hill Missionary Baptist Church (6:30 p.m.), Black Creek Crossroads Missionary Baptist Church (7 p.m.), High Point United Baptist Church (7 p.m.), and House of the Lord (7 p.m.). For more information, see our Church Directory at indherald.com.
• Sunday: Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program designed to help with addiction, co-dependency and domestic abuse, will be hosted by Fire & Purpose Ministries from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 27192 Scott Highway in Winfield. There will be food, fellowship, praise and worship. Childcare is provided.
The Community Calendar is presented weekly by Citizens Gas Utility District. You can help prevent pipeline damage and leaks by calling 811 before doing any excavating or demolition and submitting a utility locate request. Visit citizensgastn.com.
Scenic Sale!
This week’s sale items at Scenic Foods in Huntsville! The sale continues through Tuesday. Sponsored content.
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Our Newsletters:
• Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
• Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
• Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
• Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
• Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
• Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)