A father of two and husband of one, he has been in the newspaper industry for 24 years, including 22 at the Standard.

James enjoys making holes-in-1 at mini golf, working outside in his yard, taking a dip in the Barren Fork River, and he once won a karaoke contest.

An NFL fan and big supporter of the Tennessee Titans, he has media credentials to take pictures from the sidelines during games. His mancave is filled with pictures he has taken of NFL stars, including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Eddie George, and Aaron Rodgers.

Margaret Hobbs started with the Southern Standard in 1993 as editor of the children’s newspaper, the Mini Standard, working with 12 area schools. Over the years, she has added the duty of Lifestyle editor and finds joy in interacting with folks and presenting their “happy” news. Margaret has been married to her childhood sweetheart, Michael, for almost 50 years. Her spare time is spent traveling, and enjoying her three daughters and six grandchildren.  

Lisa Hobbs has been a local government news reporter for the Southern Standard since 2004. She started her career by covering city meetings. In 2016, she accepted the added responsibility of being the county reporter. When she’s not keeping a watchful eye on elected officials, she covers other aspects of news reporting such as school-related activities, human interest articles, structure fires, motor vehicle wrecks, and a weekly column called “Just A Thought.”

Simmons is a sports fanatic, supporting the University of Tennessee football team, San Antonio Spurs and Jacksonville Jaguars. His fandom has taken him all over the United States, including trips to Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Texas to see the Vols.

The Standard’s newest reporter Lacy Garrison has a journalism degree from Lipscomb University and a master of arts from Tennessee Tech University. She joined the editorial team in March.

After moving home to McMinnville with her husband Ross, she enjoys small town life and spending time with her family.

A few of Lacy’s favorite things include, Dove dark chocolate, chips and salsa, Harry Potter and Halloween. If you want to follow along with her adventures, check out her weekly column “Livin’ la Vida Lacy”, which runs on Wednesdays.

She says complimentary calls and emails are greatly appreciated, but hate mail will be filed in the waste bin.

When not working at the newspaper, Wright enjoys spending his time with his wife, Ashley, and going to Nashville Predators games. He has been a Predator season ticket holder since 2000.