Today, we begin the first of our yearly visits from the coaches of the up-coming basketball season as Kevin McMillan, Head Coach of UTM’s Girls Basketball Team visits and lets us look into the future of that program. Kevin is in his first year as head of the team, coming from Gibson County, where he put up some very impressive numbers. Coaching there for 3 years, 2007-2009, he led that organization to 62-6 record, including a pair of state tournament births and an undefeated 35-0 run to the 2009 state championship, which earned him his most recent coach of the year recognition.

Kevin has also had stints at Middle Tennessee, Millington High School and Westview High School, compiling an overall high school record of 434-120.

McMillan played college basketball at Wake Forest for one season in 1985 before transferring to Rhodes College to finish out his Collegiate Career from 1986-89. At Rhodes he was a three-time all-conference selection and in 1988 was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year. In only three seasons he scored 1,372 career points and still ranks ninth all-time at Rhodes for career-points scored.

Kevin received his B.A. in math and business in 1989 from Rhodes; then completed his M.S. in health and human performance at Middle Tennessee in 2007. He and his wife Paige have two sons, Ben and Matt, along with one daughter Alli.

Next week, we will once again gain knowledge from our own Union City Baptist Hospital, as we will have more than one of the people involved in the breast cancer program at the local hospital visit and enlighten us on the advancement being made in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Breast cancer has been brought to the front in the last few years by many means of awareness, brought on by the media supported sports organizations, they have picked up on it as well as other organizations which have raised millions of dollars to research the problem, leading to great strides being made to combat and treat the dreaded disease.

Melanie Nicks will be on hand to discuss the technological advancements in detecting breast cancer and the different digital technology for the breast cancer screening in addition to other services.

Amy Harris will share statistics and discuss the importance of treating cancer patients locally.

Lyda Rice, a local business person, and a survivor of breast cancer will also attend, and share personal experiences and the treatment she received during her battle with the disease.

Last week, local broadcaster and president of Thunderbolt Broadcasting visited and left us with a detailed history of the radio stations which have been on the air in our area since 1920.

Paul brought with him several visitors, including his partners in the business, Judge Jimmy Smith, newly appointed General Sessions Judge of Obion County and Weakley County Judge Tommy Moore, who took a few minutes at the podium to ask Union City Rotary to consider making a donation to a project they have going in that county to erect a statue of former Tennessee governor, Ned Ray McWherter, to be placed on the Court House Square in Dresden. Paul also brought with him several members of the staff of Thunderbolt Broadcasting which he introduced before beginning his history lesson.

Paul began jis lesson by saying that KYTN-104.9 is celebrating 35th anniversary and took the time to invite everyone to their open house at KYTN, which will be held this weekend.

He said that conversations with Dr. Joe Harpole here in Union City had given him a lot of knowledge of the history of broadcasting here in our area, which included the first AM, station, WOBT which went on the air in Union City in the late 1920’s, and was put on the air by the late Arthur Titsworth. He said Union City and Memphis were among the earliest communities in West TN to have a radio station. He spoke briefly of some of the early advertisers on that station and also some of the entertainment which aired.

In 1946 familiar WENK went on the air, and in the 1950’s Union City’s third AM station went on the air, WTUC.

"Union City’s first FM station went on the air in 1974, founded by Ed Perkins out of McKenzie. After several owners, we now have Thunderbolt broadcasting and KYTN-104.9", he said.

Oct. 30 - Breast Cancer Awareness, Union City Baptist Hospital

Nov. 06 - TBA

Nov. 13 - TBA

Oct. 26 - Jerry Bailey

Oct. 28 - Dick Hall

Oct. 28 - Roger Williams

Oct. 24 - Shea Riley, Jr. and Diane

Oct. 26 - Eddie and Rosemarie Hill