TCAT announces Aviation Maintenance program in Scott County
Plus: Election field shrinks by one, postseason basketball update
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.
TCAT announces new Aviation Maintenance program
ONEIDA | Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville is planning the addition of an Aviation Maintenance program that will start late 2026 or early 2027, President Dwight Murphy announced Thursday.
TCAT has received $1 million in grant funding to help start the program through the ThreeStar program administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. That grant was announced by Gov. Bill Lee and TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter in October 2025, and was facilitated by the Industrial Development Board of Scott County.
TCAT is also partnering with the Scott County Airport and ATS Tennessee to make the program a reality. Scott County Airport Authority chairman Brom Shoemaker and ATS Tennessee President Wayne Hughes, who also serves on the Airport Authority, will serve on the advisory board for the new Aviation Maintenance program. ATS Tennessee is one of the largest aviation employers in the North Cumberland region.
David Deaton, director of the Aviation Academy at Tom P. Haney Technical College in Panama City, Fla., is leading the effort to get the new program off the ground, and Oneida native Porter Mayberry, a retired Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, is also advising.
The program will be housed on TCAT’s Oneida campus, with classroom and shop space in the brand-new building there that is currently being completed. Eventually, TCAT plans to lease space in a new hangar at the Scott County Airport.
Aviation infrastructure is one of Gov. Lee’s workforce development initiatives, and the new program at TCAT Oneida/Huntsville will be the fourth such program offered at the 24 TCATs across the state. TCAT Memphis, TCAT Morristown and TCAT Nashville currently offer similar programs.
The Tennessee Board of Regents has approved the Aviation Maintenance program at TCAT Oneida/Huntsville. Additional approvals are currently being finalized with the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), which is TCAT’s accrediting body, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
President Murphy said during an initial meeting of the new program’s advisory board Thursday that he envisions the Aviation Maintenance program being similar to the Power Line Construction and Maintenance and Earthmoving Equipment Operator programs, in that it will attract students from outside the local area.
“The lineman program has proven that this college is a college of destination,” Murphy said. “We have linemen coming from as far away as Memphis and from as far away as Mountain City. We have 40 linemen a day on our campus and we have had graduations without a single Scott Countian involved.”
Murphy added that TCAT Oneida/Huntsville is one of only two colleges in the state — along with TCAT Crump — doing earthmoving training with actual equipment. The program, which launched in September 2025, employs industry-standard equipment including excavators, bulldozers, and skid steer loaders, which students operate on a daily basis.
Similarly, the Aviation Maintenance program will purchase actual aircraft for students to work on, in addition to the use of trainers.
“If we are going to do a program, we want to do it right or not do it at all,” Murphy said. “Our goal will be to have the best Aviation Maintenance program in the state.”
The program will include dual-enrollment options for high school students. “Students essentially will be able to graduate high school with their aviation maintenance certification and their high school diploma at the same time,” Deaton said.
Students interested in the Aviation Maintenance program can contact Student Services at (423) 663-4900 for more information. Financial aid will be available for those who qualify.
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Election field shrinks by one
HUNTSVILLE | A candidate has withdrawn from Scott County’s 2026 election field ahead of Thursday’s withdrawal deadline.
Jerry Wade Byrge, who had qualified as an independent candidate for Scott County Commission in the Fourth District, has withdrawn, Administrator of Elections Gabe Krahn said Wednesday.
Byrge’s withdrawal leaves just two candidates in the field for the Fourth District: incumbents Kenny Chadwell and Shonda Gray. That means, barring a successful write-in campaign, the Fourth District will be the only district without competition in the County Commission race come August.
Dive Deeper: The complete candidate list
Huntsville Post-Acute & Rehabilitation Center offers short-term or long-term care … on your terms. Learn more. (Sponsored content.)
Local teams come up short in district championship bids
Oneida’s Lady Indians came up just short in their District 3-A tournament championship game against Coalfield on Monday, and Scott’s Highlanders did the same in their District 4-3A championship game against Clinton on Tuesday. Here’s how the games played out:
🏀 MONDAY STAT LINES 🏀
The girls’ district tournaments concluded today. Scott High defeated Union County, 48-46, to take third place in District 4-3A, while Oneida fell 37-31 to Coalfield to finish second in District 3-A.
🔴 SCOTT 48, UNION CO. 46
Jacey Goodman was named our First National Bank Player of the Game, and Addy Rogers the Trophy Masters Hustle Award winner, as the Lady Highlanders defeated Union County in the consolation game.
Addy Rogers: 15p / 8r / 2a / 5b
Karlie Branscum: 9p / 4r / 2a
Jacey Goodman: 8p / 9r
Myah Sharp: 7p / 4a
Calli Strunk: 7p / 3r / 2s
Sage Riseden: 2p / 2a
🟠 COALFIELD 37, ONEIDA 31
Despite some questionable calls, Oneida was a few missed free throws away from giving itself a chance to beat Coalfield. Kamryn Stiltner was named the First National Bank Player of the Game, while Kendall Duncan was named the Trophy Masters Hustle Award winner.
Kamryn Stiltner: 10p / 3r / 2s
Elli West: 6p / 3r / 5a / 2s
Larissa Jones: 5p / 9r
Kendall Duncan: 3p 6r / 2a / 3s
Maddie Pike: 3p
Elizabeth Zachary: 2p / 2r
Tynleigh Jeffers: 2p / 2r / 2s
🏀 TUESDAY STAT LINES 🏀
The boys’ district tournaments concluded Tuesday. Oneida defeated Sunbright 66-55 to claim third place in District 3-A, while Scott High mounted a big second half comeback to erase a 17-point halftime deficit before falling to Clinton in the District 4-3A championship game, 50-45.
🟠 ONEIDA 66, SUNBRIGHT 55
The Indians started strong, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and eventually leading by as much as 20 points late in the second quarter, before cruising to a third place win over Sunbright. It was another big game for Ben Gilbert, who arguably played the best basketball of his career during the district tournament. Brock Ryon was named our First National Bank Player of the Game, while Canaan Shoemaker was named our Trophy Masters Hustle Award winner.
Ben Gilbert: 22p / 14r / 2s
Grady Keeton: 16p / 3r
Brock Ryon: 15p / 4a
Jesse Zachary: 8p / 9r / 5a / 2s
Canaan Shoemaker: 5p / 7r / 6a
Jackson Phillips: 2b
🔴 CLINTON 50, SCOTT 45
The Highlanders couldn’t hit a shot in the first half, falling behind 27-10. But they rallied in the second half, closing to single digits in the third quarter and making it a two-possession game in the fourth quarter. Landon Washam was our First National Bank Player of the Game, and Wyatt Lloyd was our Trophy Masters Hustle Award winner.
Wyatt Lloyd: 14p / 4r / 3s
Landon Washam: 9p / 7r / 2a / 5s
Jaigen Morgan: 8p / 3r / 4a / 2s
Isaiah Washam: 8p / 2r / 4a
Landon Goodman: 5p / 3r
Brady Crabtree: 1p
REGION TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
Here’s the schedule for the region quarterfinals, which will be played Friday and Saturday. All games will be broadcast on the IH Sports Network, with live postseason video made possible by First National Bank. Each of these are elimination games.
Friday: Scott girls at Northview Academy (Region 2-3A quarterfinals), 7 p.m.
Friday: Oneida girls vs. Rockwood (Region 2-A quarterfinals), 7 p.m.
Saturday: Oneida boys at Rockwood (Region 2-A quarterfinals), 7 p.m.
Saturday: Scott boys vs. Seymour (Region 2-3A quarterfinals), 7 p.m.
The Weekend!
☀️ Weather: A brilliant weekend is on tap, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the 60s. We’ll go from the low 60s Friday to the upper 60s Saturday, before perhaps settling back into the upper 50s with more cloud cover on Sunday. Rain chances will return Sunday night. Enjoy a spectacular weekend! 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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📅 Community Calendar
• Friday: In high school sports, Oneida girls will host Rockwood at 7 p.m., while Scott High girls will travel to Northview Academy at 7 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the IH Sports Network.
• Saturday: Fourth Saturday night worship services will be held at Straight Fork Baptist Church (7 p.m.), and Antioch Baptist Church (6:30 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 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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