With Forest Fire season now in play thought it good to review our relationship with fire and how to get along with it. We live on a planet where carbon chemically reacts with oxygen at a high enough temperature to produce heat energy and light, a chemical process we call “fire”. The carbon is produced by plants like trees and grass. Since almost any plant material can burn, fire is a very common phenomenon, doing either harm or good depending on where and what it consumes.

A lot can change in twenty or so years. But what if you had slept during that time and woke up to changed surroundings? This is the plot for the story: “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving. Rip slept for twenty years to wake up to a changed world. Recently, I had an experience that made me feel like Rip Van Brooke.

It stands on a hill behind the high school, overlooking Wilson Park. Many have seen it from a distance, but only a few stop by. The concrete Union County Veterans Wall was originally painted black to represent the bleakness, the abyss some veterans feel when returning to civilian life. The Wall was completed in 2014 and dedicated on Flag Day in 2015. However, the paint started to blister, and was replaced with a gray stucco that resembled the look of granite, with black marble plaques.

The fantastic annual Sharps Chapel Fall Festival Scarecrow Competition again asked festival goers to vote for their favorite of the 17 scarecrow entries. Each vote cost $1, and a total of 1008 votes were cast. Many thanks to Amanda Rae Simpson and her crew for organizing the competition and donating all of the money raised to the Union County American Legion New Liberty Post 212.

Horace Maynard Middle School faculty and staff enjoyed one of the highlights of their school year this past Saturday as they hosted the fourth annual Turnaround Breakfast, an invite-only event dedicated to celebrating student success.
The breakfast honors students and their families who have demonstrated tremendous gains in the current school year, whether academically, behaviorally, or both. These students have "turned it around," transforming their performance and commitment to their education.

A year-and-a-half-long effort to revitalize the Horace Maynard Middle School’s band program has culminated in a major success, as the school secured a $40,000 grant worth of new musical instruments through the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation and the hard work of Ms. Hope Williams, the school’s band director.

Q: Are chiropractors allowed to practice in hospitals or use medical outpatient facilities?

A: Chiropractors are being recognized to admit and treat patients in hospitals in some states, and to use outpatient clinical facilities (such as labs, x-rays, etc.) for their non-hospitalized patients. Hospital privileges were first granted in 1983.
Q: Do insurance plans cover chiropractic?

The Union County Board of Education will meet in Executive Session on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. at the Union County Board of Education Central Office for the purpose of discussing pending litigation.

For many years we have had to endure a home invasion of ladybugs that are determined to make themselves bothersome houseguests. They are beneficial creatures, feeding on other bugs that damage farm crops, but indoors they drive you nuts buzzing around lights, dive bombing into drinks, and smelling bad.