Growing up, 37-year-old Doug Mann accredited his social discomfort to his status as a white English-speaking person in a predominantly Hispanic community.

“I grew up about a mile from Mexico, and so almost everyone I went to school with was Hispanic, spoke Spanish at home, and was very culturally different from me,” he reflected. “I was the minority. I didn’t fit in for obvious reasons.”

Humility is an essential quality for any basketball player. It allows them to recognize their strengths and areas for growth, both on and off the court. For Lily Armstrong, a ninth-grade basketball and track athlete at Albert J. Murphy Junior High in Genoa, humility is a core value that has fueled her journey from rookie to leader.

When asked about our days, many of us might reply that “work was a zoo.” Dr. Zachary Legan, an oral surgeon at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Northeast Texas, takes pride in his office’s calm atmosphere, where he can help patients “in a way that is not anxiety-provoking,” he said. But, some days, Zachary’s passion pulls him to work at a literal zoo—specifically the Little Rock Zoo, where he treats animals experiencing dental pain or disease.

In 2003, when Derek Matthews was just 5 years old, he was injured in a serious ATV accident. Once he recovered, his father, Shon, felt inspired to change careers: after nearly two decades working at Alumax Mill Products, Shon began pursuing a new vocation as a first responder. He joined a volunteer firefighter department as well as the first-responder team at the mill. He went on to attend EMS school, and in 2007, he joined LifeNet part-time and concurrently pursued paramedic education. In 2009, he was hired full-time.

Local paint contractor Gary Williams began the year on a kidney transplant list and ended it with a new kidney, donated by his son-in-law Jimmy Sorenson.

On August 16th, 2024, Lauren Crowder turned 40. Her 30s had been a decade full of life and milestones: at 30, she began dating Mike Crowder, the man she’d marry at 31. But, as wonderful as the prior 10 years had been, Lauren did not grieve leaving her 30s behind—because the day she turned 40 was the day her son, Crew, embarked upon the world.

Headaches and facial pain during increased cardiac activity were Queen City–native Janie Wright’s first indication that something was amiss with her health. She never guessed this seemingly random pain was actually the result of massive arterial blockages.

Love & Gratitude: The Wedding of Ashlyn Cook and Briley Court

Timeless Elegance: The Wedding of Melissa Lambert and Keith Beason

Beyond Blessed: The Wedding of Nicole Penny and Matthew Cox

Southern Charm: The Wedding of Allison Wright and Brock Yates

A Cherished Moment: The Wedding of Caroline Thomas and Chase Beebe

Come Rain or Come Shine: The Wedding of Alexandra Miller and Clete Norton

To Have & To Hold: The Wedding of Dacoda Goethals and Gage Davis

Keeping Traditions: The Wedding of Rachel Rhodes and Joel Orr

Watching the Wind Blow By: The Wedding of Summer Stussy and Hunter Druhan

On Top of the World: The Wedding of Sarah Foshee and Hayden White

Love in the Air: The Wedding of Jasmine Bruce and Austin Cree

A Southern Hello: The Wedding of Mary Claire Boudreaux and Brian Scott Rippee Jr.

Around 3:15 a.m. on the morning of October 17th, 2024, George Carpenter awoke in his second-story bedroom to a distant beeping sound. He roused his wife, Julia. “What’s that noise?” he asked groggily. Julia got out of bed and shuffled downstairs toward the sound. When she reached the end of the staircase, she saw smoke coming from under a buffet: the photo album she’d recently put there was inexplicably on fire. She shouted for George as she picked up the burning book, intending to toss it outside. But when she opened the door, the influx of oxygen caused flames to erupt all around her. She screamed more loudly.