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Finding Ways to Move Forward After a Tragedy

Tragedy struck close to home when a student opened fire in the commons area of Marshall County High School on January 23rd, eleven minutes before the first bell rang. 20 students were injured, 16 of which were gunshot wounds. Dr. Michael Bordieri visits Sounds Good to discuss how the community might take steps to move forward after that horrific morning. 

Although Marshall County High School students returned to class just three days after the attack, the tight-knit community is still reeling from the shock of such an event happening in a town like Benton -- compared by some to the fictional town of Mayberry. Vigils and prayer circles have been held, storefronts have been painted with 'Marshall Strong,' but now that the tragedy has passed, how can the community as a whole begin to recover? 
        Dr. Michael Bordieri, MSU professor of psychology, visited Sounds Good to discuss how to personally cope or help those still in recovery. This includes striving for a balance between the tragedy and everyday life, contributing time, money, or resources to the community, and acknowledging that everyone is at a different stage in the grieving process. The journey to recovery is not linear, and it may require some doubling back before it feels like a healed state has been reached. As this event has shown, however, the close-knit community has risen to face this tragedy as a single unit, Marshall Strong. 

Tracy started working for WKMS in 1994 while attending Murray State University. After receiving his Bachelors and Masters degrees from MSU he was hired as Operations/Web/Sports Director in 2000. Tracy hosted All Things Considered from 2004-2012 and has served as host/producer of several music shows including Cafe Jazz, and Jazz Horizons. In 2001, Tracy revived Beyond The Edge, a legacy alternative music program that had been on hiatus for several years. Tracy was named Program Director in 2011 and created the midday music and conversation program Sounds Good in 2012 which he hosts Monday-Thursday. Tracy lives in Murray with his wife, son and daughter.
Melanie Davis-McAfee graduated from Murray State University in 2018 with a BA in Music Business. She has been working for WKMS as a Music and Operations Assistant since 2017. Melanie hosts the late-night alternative show Alien Lanes, Fridays at 11 pm with co-host Tim Peyton. She also produces Rick Nance's Kitchen Sink and Datebook and writes Sounds Good stories for the web.
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