Good morning, Murfreesboro.

Barfield Crescent Park will host the 2026 Hummingbird Festival on Saturday, Sept.

5 with bird banding beginning at 8 a.m. at the Wilderness Station and activities, educational booths, craft vendors, and food trucks running until 3 p.m.

At its Aug. 20 meeting, the RCS board approved Ten Commandments signs for schools at about $12,400 pending funding for all 53 plaques.

It also voted to test an 86-acre Blackman Road plot as a future school site with city support — follow-up meetings are set for Sept. 6 and 8.

Kirksey Old Main and Rutledge Hall reopened Tuesday, Aug.

18 following a $54 million renovation; the updated spaces now serve computer science and other programs as fall classes begin.

Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro was ranked the number one high school nationwide for 2026-2027 by U.S. News & World Report on Friday, Aug.

21; the school moved up from third place nationally, underscoring its academic strength for local families.

Rutherford County Schools is sending breach-of-contract letters to six bus contractors who have yet to supply drivers for 12 routes, including one without coverage.

The district bought nine buses & is hiring drivers to cover gaps and prevent delays for students.

The Transportation Modernization Board has chosen DriveTN to build two toll lanes each way on 26 miles of I-24 between downtown Nashville and Murfreesboro.

Construction will begin after financial close in 2027 and take eight years — sections may open when finished, and all general lanes will remain free.

Greg Wyant, the Rutherford County Schools athletics director and five-time championship-winning coach, was honored by TSSAA as its Distinguished Service Award recipient for the 2026-27 academic year — recognizing his decades of dedication to youth sports.