Good morning, Murfreesboro.

Local community members are rallying around food truck owner Jafar Arbabshirani, who is battling leukemia after a summer diagnosis.

Neighbor Roy Tinker set up a GoFundMe for his medical and living expenses, and donations reached ($30,445) by Tuesday.

United Communications delivered cookies from The Southern Baking Co. to Eagleville Fire Department on Tuesday, Aug.

18 to honor volunteer firefighters on Recognition Day + the company also provides free internet to 17 local fire stations, bolstering emergency communications across the area.

Four Sisters Antiques + Vintage, located at 1056 Seals Way near Murfreesboro Square, was named Best Antique Store for a third year in a row thanks to its collection of antiques, vintage items, furniture, and collectibles.

The store features 6,000 sqft+ of space with new treasures arriving daily.

Southern Living recognized six Tennessee foods in its new Food Hall of Fame on Aug.

20, honoring Bush's Baked Beans, Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams, White Lily Flour, Goo Goo Cluster, MoonPie and Little Debbie snack cakes based on reader votes (showing local pride).

The Tennessee Philharmonic will begin its 45th season on Oct.

27 with a Chamber Series concert at the Center for the Arts in Murfreesboro. The professional ensemble will perform in various local venues through April — ticket prices range from $10 to $40.

State data shows unemployment dropped to 3.4% in July – its lowest in two years – while Rutherford County awaits updated figures when the state releases July numbers on August 27.

Local figures from June showed Murfreesboro at 3.3% amid modest monthly increases and ongoing job growth.

Timothy Bell, Jr., a third grader at Merrol Hyde Magnet School, won the elementary category in the TSS summer reading contest and received a $1,000 college scholarship.

TSS reported that contest participants read over 550,000 minutes this summer — a record of strong dedication.

Central Magnet School in downtown reached the top of U.S. News & World Report’s national high school rankings on Aug.

17—marking a milestone in academic excellence for its students and staff. Principal Clark Blair and former leader John Ash praised the achievement as a team effort by the entire school community.

MTSU flight training, which makes up about 70% of Murfreesboro Municipal Airport's operations, will move to Shelbyville Municipal Airport by late 2027 to free capacity for business aviation, while the academic program remains locally; the city has applied for an FAA contract tower (targeting $7–9M funding).

Officials announced that Murfreesboro commuters may soon use I-24 Choice Lanes with dynamic pricing to ease congestion.

The lanes will charge via license plate recognition+transponder system, with final methods pending as part of efforts to reduce delays.

High school football returns today as Blackman Blaze host the Clarksville Wildcats at The Inferno, with WGNS Radio and Big G TV airing live — marking Head Coach Will Hester’s return to Rutherford County.