Fall is the perfect time to visit the Smoky Mountains and there is no place more beautiful to visit than Sevierville, Tenn., the hometown of Dolly Parton. A statue of the iconic country music star in downtown Sevierville is Dolly’s favorite tribute. It is also the first stop of many visitors…
Agnew Peacock was a rock of a man in his days of yore. The passing years, however, brought about a decline with his health that made him compatible with the notion that sometimes it is better to leave this sometimes discordant world than to remain with agony riding shotgun in your life.
Fall officially arrived for another year back on Monday, Sept. 23.
Losing a best friend is like losing a family member. Death is so abrupt and leaves one with such emptiness. You reflect on the happy times you remember when there was never any resignation that there would be an eternal separation. You are always aware that finality eventually comes about, b…
I’ve never been a fan of blind loyalty.
It’s that time of year. The time of year columnists across the country reflect on the things they love about the fall.
Freshman Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York made an interesting statement over the weekend when she tweeted, “At this point, the bigger national scandal isn’t the president’s lawbreaking behavior — it is the Democratic Party’s refusal to impeach him for it.”
I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time just being still long enough to be thankful.
Most Baby Boomers, and perhaps some that came along on our coattails, remember California as it was in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
After working full time in the print journalism business for almost a quarter of a century, questions are still directed at me from time to time about the future of print media.
In the feature article this week, Ted Studdard reflects on the people who were an influence to him growing up. I think we can all remember wonderful people if we just take the time to do a little reminiscing. Thanks to Mr. Studdard for reminding me of this.
After working full-time in the print journalism business for almost a quarter of a century, questions are still directed to me from time to time about the future of print media.
Imagine going to vote only to be told, “There is no need for you to choose a candidate. The political party your candidate belongs to has decided who the winner is. You can go home now.”
It was a busy weekend.
As I reflect on 9/11 eighteen years ago today, my heart still breaks. My husband walks away from the TV, he can't watch the recount of that grave day, his emotions are in overdrive, for he was a firefighter and his heart remains heavy for his fallen "brothers." Our country so united on that …
Memories and music. Those are the highlights at most church homecomings, and this was true Sunday, Sept. 8, at Antioch United Methodist Church.
Dear Editor: The 47th annual Holiday Festival was held in Homer on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30 and 31. The organizers of the parade made the decision to honor the World War II Veterans during this time, and asked the remaining World War II Veterans in Banks County to serve as the grand mars…
I call him my “main man,” but that’s OK with my husband, Chris, because this little fellow is his Paw Paw’s pride and joy as well.
Have you ever felt a pull to do something and you don’t know why.
Growth was a big red pulsing signal in the air Friday evening and Saturday morning when the Commerce City Council talked about priorities for the city.
Dear Editor: There ought to be a law to stop hate speech! Our president recently called for it: “In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy.”
Dear Editor: All Americans should be horrified with our epidemic of mass shootings. What will it take to bring these to an end?
CASTELLINA in CHIANTI, Italy – To allow you to become familiar with a signature wine tasting in the heart of Italy’s celebrated Chianti Classico region, we begin with verbiage from a flyer that we came in possession of while on a trip to North Palm Beach, Fla. several months ago:
When I hear a speech and someone quotes a famous person, it typically doesn’t move me at all. I am usually moved by personal anecdote told with conviction, not some words of wisdom from long ago.
BY ANGELA GARY
BY ANGELA GARY
BY ANGELA GARY
It was sometime in 1988 when I discovered the man known as Ludlow Porch.
Is it true that you enjoy the smaller things in life more the older you get? It seems that is the case.
One of my favorite things about vintage football media guides is that they often would give you insight into a player that regular fans would not have known otherwise. The player’s favorite food, favorite television show, favorite hobby, etc. were just some of the items which would often be …
Being a native of Middle Georgia, I’m not used to weather occurrences like the one we had last week.
The arrival of a new year has always been something I look forward to.
Twenty-five years ago, I was a very quiet, very shy teenager who had an interest in working in the newspaper field. I called my hometown newspaper and asked the editor if she had a job opening. She told me to come in and do some filing and inventory and, 25 years later, I’m still working for…
Ready or not, Christmas is here.
The sports world lost another icon in recent days with the passing of “Dandy” Don Meredith. While my father could no doubt tell you about Meredith as a player on the football field for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s, my memories of “Dandy” Don were as an announcer, primarily as part of the …
My mother has instilled in me a strong Christian background that has helped me deal with the difficult times in life, as well as enjoy the many blessings that come my way. I know from my mother's example that prayer is important and we should always put God first in our lives. From my father…
I love what I do for a living. Like anyone in any profession, however, we all need a breather from time to time. That’s why taking some time off, even a day here or there, is vital. It’s important to help recharge the batteries. Such was the case for me last Friday when I mapped out a day of…
I love what I do for a living. Like anyone in any profession, however, we all need a breather from time to time. That’s why taking some time off, even a day here or there, is vital. It’s important to help recharge the batteries. Such was the case for me last Friday when I mapped out a day of…
Items from the political notebook following our state’s general Nov. 2 general election:
In case you missed it — and I’m sure many of you did — a funeral of sorts was held in recent days. It seems Sony has decided to stop production of the Walkman, a part of 80s culture which, quite frankly, I didn’t even realize was still being sent down the assembly line. How many teenagers to…
BY KRISTI REED
In theory, I suppose, your favorite month should be the one you were born in. However, while I was born in May (a fine month to be sure), I’ve always put the month of October at the vry top of my list.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
To many, the newspaper business seems glamorous. It’s that way with most professions that you don’t work in. “From the outside it’s a castle, from the inside it’s a prison,” is a phrase I like to use. It’s that way with anyone’s profession. No matter how much we enjoy what we do for a living…
Another anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy reminds me of how America continues to be the strongest country in the world.
I’m not sure if something has been off in the universe or what but the past five weeks have been some of the most hectic and chaotic days I can remember. Whatever the reason for it, I’ve found myself struggling to keep up. With so many events to cover, it seems there is never enough time in …
OK, everybody exhale. Or perhaps maybe everyone should spit.
I received a Facebook friend request from a former teammate from my Little League baseball days earlier this week and I must admit it brought back a flood of memories from those “glory days” of mine on the diamond. First, let me once again give a thumbs up to Facebook. This type of thing was…
Seventeen years, while not a great amount of time in the grand scheme of things, does take a while to pass by.
There were many storylines from last week’s primary. One could look at the pathetic voter turnout as a major storyline. However, how many of us that really follow elections were really surprised by this?
In the middle of one of most hectic and stressful weeks in memory for me, I performed what I consider my patriotic duty last Thursday. I walked in, filled out some paperwork and within a few minutes had cast votes for the candidates of my choice in the 2010 primary. Who I voted for doesn’t m…
The countdown to the primary election has now moved under a week. Candidates have been on the stump for months now doing their best to get their message to connect with voters. Of course, money plays a big part in all this. The more money a candidate has, the better chance his or her message…
Even as the final firecracker has now sizzled out, I remain in a thankful frame of mind this week. It goes beyond the usual events associated with the July 4 holiday. While things like cookouts, swimming and summer fun in general are important (and I am thankful for each one), there is so mu…
“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”
Items from the political notebook as we draw closer to this year’s primary election: •Candidates have different ways to get their message across to potential voters, although some are more irritating than others.
BY KRISTI REED
“Nothing on Earth that’ll get me humming, like a heat wave coming and I’ll come running. With her making that tan in the broad daylight and every night is a Saturday night.”
When you boil it down, May 27, is really like any other day. The sun comes up, and the sun goes down. Most of us go about our daily routines without giving it much of a thought.
Contrary to the belief of millions, Rush Limbaugh is not a journalist. Ditto (no pun intended) for the likes of Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and the other yackers who appear as part of “Fox News.” This also goes for those on the opposite extreme like Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthew…
More items from the political notebook:
Items from the political notebook following qualifying week: •Some well known and some not so well known candidates signed up for governor in our state last week.
For political junkies like myself, this is a great week. Candidates officially sign on the dotted line through Friday their intention to run for any number of offices from statewide ones right down to local positions. While I’m not going to kid myself into thinking everyone knows what’s goin…
How many of you have been like me when it comes to this year’s governor’s race? When it came to the list of declared candidates you found yourself being more than a little underwhelmed. Oh, there were a couple of candidates I could have supported — voted for even — but the fire just wasn’t t…
BY KRISTI REED
There were few things Nancy Schaefer and I agreed on politically. Oh, I guess if you dug deep enough you would have found that we actually agreed on some issues such as gun ownership, property rights and keeping taxes low. However, those were not the issues she pushed or championed. Instead,…
The political game has always been a fascination for me. I’ve been a fan for as long as I can remember. While other teens longed for the day they reached legal age to drink or buy a pack of smokes, I actually counted down the years, days even, until I could go into the voting booth and take …
It goes without saying I didn’t know Corey Haim. Oh, I knew who he was, of course. However, I didn’t know him personally and, likewise, he didn’t have the first clue who I was. We were both kids of the 1980s, but what we had in common likely ended there. Yet, as news broke early last Wednesd…
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