The News-Democrat

08/11/2025

Thank you Daryl Mosley with Humphreys County Chamber of Commerce for another excellent backstory on a community member and business owner!

Last week, our BACKSTORIES featured Erik Houston from Waverly Express Tire and Alignment. Be sure to check out this week's feature in The News-Democrat !

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Harlen Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Howard Schultz of Starbucks, and Sara Blakley of Spanx are all examples of people who saw adversity as an opportunity. Erik Houston of Waverly Express Tire and Alignment took his lifelong love of cars and combatted the adversity of the covid pandemic with a thriving business serving our community.

Erik grew up in Humphreys County. “I was born in Dickson and lived in McEwen until I was seven, but then we moved to Waverly,” he said. Even as a youngster growing up, Erik developed a love for cars. “I grew up around cars and tractors. I always loved tinkering with them. My dad had a lot of cars growing up and we went to a lot of car shows.”

Eirk fondly remembers his first car. “It was a 1954 Bel Air that my dad and I worked on. My first driving vehicle was a 1979 Bronco that we restored.”

After high school, Erik went to Tennessee Tech with a focus on mechanical engineering but never developed the passion for it. He returned to Waverly, married, and went to work at Houston Products. In 2009, Erik took the leap into self-employment and started a sheet metal business.

In 2020, the covid pandemic began impacting many industries, including construction. Eirk was also wanting to make sure personal changes. “I was traveling a great deal and wanted to be home with the family more,” he said. With his experience in already running a successful business combined with his love for cars, it made sense to take the plunge into another family business. So, he opened Waverly Express Tire and Alignment.

Erik says one of the hardest obstacles is that the car repair industry has a bad name because of some unscrupulous practices. Erik said, “We try to be very diligent in doing what the customer needs. We don’t replace parts that are not needed. It really is a pleasure to be able to help people and meet their needs.” Erik has a philosophy about the work. “I instill in my team to treat each repair as if your mother or your family is going to be driving it.”

Erik shares that ever-changing technology cuts both ways in the car repair world. “There are programs we have to purchase and update, and many other things. But, on the other side, we can access information in ways that were never possible before.”

When asked what advice he would give someone who wanted to start a business, Erik shared, “Find and hire good people. They will make or break your business. I am fortunate that I have really great people here.”

Stop by and see Erik at Waverly Express Tire and Alignment. They are located at 1056 W. Main Street in Waverly.

BACKSTORIES is an article series from the Humphreys County Chamber of Commerce.

08/05/2025

What started as a puzzling situation full of mystery in Dyer County on July 29 has turned into a national story leaving the people of all of West Tennessee feeling pity, heartbreak and fear as the …

08/04/2025

Ahhhh those chicken Fridays are still a thing !!! 💛 💙 ❤️
We hope every student, staff and faculty member, school bus driver, volunteer, and all folks school related have a very safe and successful school year!!

August 2025 Menu for Humphreys County Schools

08/04/2025

Don't forget about tonight's 6pm county commission meeting at the courthouse annex (where you get your tags renewed). Call, text, or message your commissioners today and give them your opinion on whether The County Powers Act is right for ALL of Humphreys County. The meeting is open to the public. We will have a reporter on site to cover this meeting and our county citizens within the paper have spoken to their respective commissioners on their personal stance.

07/28/2025

Such a special lady!!

Last week's BACKSTORIES was on local entrepreneur and visionary, Ruby James. Be sure you get this week's The News-Democrat for another in our series.

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When you are in the middle of your life’s work, legacy is not something you necessarily think about. It’s not until you look back on the work and the trails you blazed that the impact of your efforts is truly understood. Mrs. Ruby James committed her life to making a better life for her family and in doing so, made a better life for Humphreys Countians.

Ruby is a product of Humphreys County. “I grew up on Bucket Branch,” she shared. “Dad had a few cows and things, but it wasn’t a farm.” Ruby met Gerion James at the MI-DE-GA theater in Waverly. All of the seats were taken, but there was standing room, and Ruby found herself standing next to him and a conversation began. “I knew his uncle,” she recalled. The conversation led to a courtship that culminated in marriage in 1948.

After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. James moved to Detroit. It was there that their first child, Gary was born. The baby was born with cerebral palsy and Ruby and Gerion returned to Tennessee. Gerion worked for the Bell telephone company while Ruby raised their children. When their son Gary began approaching his eighteenth birthday, Ruby saw a dilemma. “My other children would go to college and move on with their lives but I wondered what Gary could do,” she said. “There has to be more of a life for him than just sitting home and watching television.” Ruby had heard of activity centers for handicapped adults but there was nothing like it in Humphreys County. Ruby began working on a way to provide handicapped young adults in the area with opportunities for vocational training and support services. Starting with nothing but passion and $275, her efforts transformed into The James Center Developmental Center, a federal, state and locally funded non-profit organization (named for son, Gary) in Waverly in 1971. The program included Gary and several other local adults with special needs. And that was just the beginning!

Ruby’s leadership expanded the James Center into recycling. “We received a grant that the county matched,” Ruby said. She applied for grants, volunteered with organizations, asked questions, and gave numerous speeches to advocate for services and increase awareness. The recycling center provided job skills for developmentally delayed adults and became a resource to Humphreys and nearby counties reducing landfill waste. “Dupont, the United Way, so many others locally were helpful in making it possible.” In October 2000, Ruby won a lifetime achievement award by the National Recycling Coalition for opening the James Recycling Center.

Ruby’s vision continued to expand. The Small Steps/Giant Leaps Pre-school Program, four residential group homes and sheltered apartments, the Hilltop Thrift Store are also part of the James Center footprint.

The list of honors and accolades are long for Mrs. Ruby. “I was the first woman ever elected to the Humphreys County Commission,” she shares proudly. Ruby also served as Chair of the Community Rehabilitation Agency of Tennessee, Chair of the Humphreys County Special Olympics, among others.

For most people, these accomplishments would be more than enough in a lifetime. But Ruby never stopped trying to fill the needs when she saw them. “In 2000, I put a survey in the News Democrat asking the community if they thought we needed an assisted living facility for our aging citizens.” Ruby was 68 years old at the time. The community responded with a resounding “Yes!”

In 2003, Ruby and Gerion opened doors to Magnolia Place Assisted Living, a 40-room facility at 811 West Main Street. In 2012, Magnolia Place added a secure memory care wing due to requests for dementia care. Today, Magnolia Place remains a family business established for the purpose of improving the quality of life for seniors. Things came full circle in 2021 when Ruby made Magnolia Place her home, becoming a resident at the place her vision created. She enjoys time with her family and is the mother of four, grandmother of seven, great-grandmother of sixteen and great-great-grandmother of eight.

When asked what advice she would give to someone who has an idea or sees a need, Ruby said, “First, find out what’s out there. Find out what’s available to you. Contact local officials and meet with them. Be positive.”

Stop by Magnolia Place in Waverly and see the place that her vision created and say hello to Mrs. Ruby. Mr. James, her husband of seventy-seven years, is close by. And Gary, the child her doctors encouraged her to institutionalize who inspired this incredible legacy, lives there too.

Backstories is an article series from the Humphreys County Chamber of Commerce.

07/28/2025

We love the Reveles family!!

Last week's BACKSTORIES in The News-Democrat featured John Reveles of Tequila John's in New Johnsonville. Be sure to pick up this week's paper and read the next in our series about local business.

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Some of us are Humphreys Countians by birth. Others have moved here because it’s where their work sent them. But there are still others who have handpicked Humphreys County as their home. John Reveles of Tequila John’s in New Johnsonville chose our area to put his world-renowned restaurant and has since made lots of hungry people happy!

John is a first generation American, growing up in southeastern New Mexico. “You’ve heard of the famous UFO town, Roswell,” he said. “I grew up just outside of there in Haggerman.” John was the typical high school kid with interests in sports and things. “After high school, I went into the Air Force,” he said. After his service time, John went to work in the aviation industry in Puerto Rico and then to the Dominican Republic. “While there, the FBI approached me about working in their drug enforcement program. Because of my security clearance, I worked with the FBI, U.S. Customs and DEA.”

When the government contract expired, John followed his heart into his first venture in the food industry. “I had a hot dog cart,” he said. “Actually, I had several carts and employees, and we did well. Eventually, the government passed an ordinance against street vendors. So that’s when I started my first restaurant.” Tequila John’s first opened its doors in the Dominican Republic in 1992. Although already a success, John wanted to be the best. “So I went to culinary school,” he recalls. “He graduated with a degree at the top of his class and was featured on television and in magazines across the country. But John began to dream about and pursue restaurant success in America.

John started searching online for a new home for Tequila John’s. “We looked at San Antonio, Hawaii, and some other places, but they weren’t right.” Eventually, John saw a post for a location in Waverly. “My son and I flew here to check it out. We knew it was the perfect area.” In 2011, Tequila John’s moved from their Waverly location to their current spot in New Johnsonville.

Tequila John’s is committed to serving the community. “We try to help and support any way we can,” John says. “We want to be the restaurant that everyone is happy to have in their community.” John says there will be some new, exciting things coming soon. “We really love being here,” he said.

Asked what advice he’d give a potential entrepreneur, John said, “Do the research and be willing to do the work. It’s hard sometimes. You work on the days when other people are off. But my dad used to say that you can’t do it for the money. You have to want to be the best and do it from the heart.”

Stop by and see John and his wonderful staff at Tequila John’s in New Johnsonville. Come hungry. You won’t leave that way!

BACKSTORIES is an article series on local business from the Humphreys County Chamber of Commerce.

07/18/2025

Just an update on the ever-elusive Humphreys County pterodactyl: Apparently he broke loose from his loving owners, the Bigfoot family, who reside near Paint Rock. It is believed that both the Duck River crocodiles and Bakerville black panther may have scared him into flight. Before I had a chance to get a photo he flew off, but not before leaving the pictured parting gift (sunglasses case for size reference).
If you happen to see him, please contact the Bigfoot family, as their other pet, the Possadillo, is pacing the cave floor missing him.
You may also contact Patti Hoehn Damesworth as she is in direct contact with the family during the midst of planning the Inaugural Possadillo Festival.

07/07/2025

SMALL BUSINESS ALERT!!
Often you'll get overlooked or forgotten in the amazon and shein hustle and bustle during the back to achool tax holiday. How about a centralized page right here in our little paper? Get your sale ad info to me by noon on Friday, July 18 to be included. Send info or inquiries to [email protected]. Special low rates on these color ads.
People are more likely to shop local if they can get most of their needs in one shopping day and know what you have for sale. Let's get the word out, while supporting your local paper!

Tennessee sales tax holiday set for July

The dates for Tennessee’s 2025 sales tax holiday have been announced. This year’s tax-free holiday will run from 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 25, to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 27.
During that weekend, as in previous years, purchasing any of the following items will not result in sales tax:
• Clothing: General apparel that costs $100 or less per item, such as shirts, pants, socks, shoes, dresses, etc.
• School Supplies: School and art supplies with a purchase price of $100 or less per item, such as binders, backpacks, crayons, paper, pens, pencils, and rulers, and art supplies such as glazes, clay, paints, drawing pads, and artist paintbrushes
• Computers: Tablets, desktop computers, and laptop computers for personal use with a purchase price of $1,500 or less.lnn u

07/07/2025

😅 😮‍💨 🫣
Does anyone else feel validated now that there is a word for this feeling?
Source of meme unknown but appreciated.

07/07/2025

Make sure to be there Saturday and support this great cause all while getting some of that famous fish. Please share