Highlands Insider

12/01/2025

Christmas on the Square in Cookeville, Tennessee

11/29/2025

This Thanksgiving, I’m Grateful for You

Thanksgiving is a unique season in that it's in the middle of the busy holiday season (or the beginning of it if you're old school) but it somehow...

11/29/2025

Today is November 29th. Today my dad would have been 75. There's so many memories and so much I could share. He loved Thanksgiving. He always...

11/29/2025

S*X OFFENDER ARRESTED FOR REGISTRY VIOLATION

PUTNAM COUNTY, TN—On November 26, 2025, PCSO Deputy Carpenter was on routine patrolwhen he observed a male panhandling while sitting on the wall...

11/29/2025

Cookeville ChapelChristopher Paul Carter was a beloved and cherished father, and dedicated parent to Austin, his special-needs child. Chris was a...

11/28/2025

Our full Thanksgiving Series is LIVE. 🍂 Faith, Freedom & the Pilgrims’ Blueprint 🍂 From the night Cookeville came together, to Kirk Cameron’s message, to the forgotten monument that explains America — this 5-part series uncovers the spiritual foundations that shaped our nation and the true meaning of religious freedom. A powerful read for Thanksgiving weekend.

Every Thanksgiving, families across America pause to remember the Pilgrims — a small band of believers who crossed an ocean in 1620, risking...

11/28/2025

Most Americans have never heard of it. Few have seen it. Yet it rises 81 feet over Plymouth, Massachusetts — the largest solid-granite monument in the United States, holding the Pilgrims’ entire blueprint for a free nation. Part 4 of our Thanksgiving Special Series goes deeper into the history, the symbolism, and why this monument still speaks to America today.

Most Americans have never seen it. Many have never heard of it.Yet it rises 81 feet into the Massachusetts sky — the largest solid-granite monument...

11/28/2025

Today, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, we remember why the Pilgrims crossed an ocean: not for farmland or adventure, but for the freedom to worship without government control. 🇺🇸🙏 This freedom — carved into their covenant, written into our First Amendment, and protected again and again by the Supreme Court — is still misunderstood today. Before we lose what they suffered to give us, let’s remember the truth: freedom of religion protects expression, not silence. Read Part 5 of our Thanksgiving Special Series: Freedom of Religion — The Truth We Forget at Thanksgiving.

Every Thanksgiving, families across America pause to remember a small band of believers who crossed an ocean in 1620. We picture a wooden ship, a...

11/28/2025

What happened after Kirk Cameron’s message? A warm, candid, deeply encouraging conversation — one that touched on parenting, culture, politics, revival, and what it means to finish faithfully. ✝️❤️ This is Part 3 of our Thanksgiving Special Series: Faith, Freedom & the Pilgrims’ Blueprint.

When the sanctuary at Stevens Street Baptist Church settled after Kirk Cameron’s message, I stepped on stage for something I rarely do in front of...

11/28/2025

Kirk Cameron delivered a powerful message in Cookeville—one rooted in Scripture, history, courage, and the Pilgrims’ blueprint for freedom. 🇺🇸✝️ He spoke about reforming culture from the inside out, shaping the next generation, and returning to the foundations that make liberty possible. This is Part 2 of our Thanksgiving Special Series: Faith, Freedom & the Pilgrims’ Blueprint.

When actor and Christian advocate Kirk Cameron stepped onto the stage at Stevens Street Baptist Church, he didn’t talk about Hollywood or fame. He...

11/28/2025

Cookeville came together in a way we haven’t seen in years. ✝️ Churches, ministries, volunteers, worship teams, and leaders from across the Upper Cumberland gathered under One Name — Jesus, for a night that felt less like an event and more like a holy appointment. This is Part 1 of our Thanksgiving Special Series: Faith, Freedom & the Pilgrims’ Blueprint.

On Tuesday, November 4, churches and ministries across the Upper Cumberland came together for a night that felt less like an event and more like a...

11/27/2025

We are excited to introduce Havana as Highlands Insider’s newest columnist and reporter. I first learned about her through Pastor Shane Warren of The Bend, and since then, I’ve watched her lead, speak, organize, and serve across our community with confidence and grace. From speaking at the Charlie Kirk courthouse event with more than 1,000 in attendance, to helping organize the TTU student-led vigil days later, to guest hosting the Tennessee Tech TPUSA student podcast in our ShineCast Studios—Havana has already shown herself to be a strong, principled, faith-driven voice for this region. A senior at Tennessee Tech studying Organizational Leadership and a small-business owner here in Cookeville, she brings heart, focus, and purpose to everything she does. We are thrilled to welcome her to the Highlands Insider team. Welcome aboard, Havana! 💙📰✨

Highlands Insider is honored to welcome Havana as our newest columnist and reporter, bringing a principled, confident, and faith-rooted voice to...