District Attorney General Jared Effler and staff, in partnership with the Children’s Centers of the 8th Judicial District, will be hosting the 6th Annual Clays for Children Sporting Clays Tournament at Chilhowee Sportsman’s Club in Maryville, Tennessee on Friday, September 24th. Funds raised from this tournament will ensure that our Children’s Centers continue their worthy mission of serving abused and neglected children. This successful fundraiser has grown every year and is now the largest event held at the Chilhowee Sportsman’s Club.

The Union County Heritage Festival is right around the corner. Did you know that you can enter your items into the Festival Exhibit Contest with UT Extension Union County? You have already put in the hard work, now seek some reward. There are categories for adults as well as youths grades kindergarten thru 12th.

Steve Johnson, CEO of Horticulture Lighting Group (HLG), addressed members of the Union County Business & Professional Association (UCBPA) at its August meeting.
Johnson related how HLG grow lights developed into the world's best horticulture lights in less than five years. He said that his desire to grow tommy toe tomatoes year round sparked his quest to develop the perfect grow light.

Despite the high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy, few women in
underserved populations receive treatment for their low back pain. Moreover, researchers
found that pain in a previous pregnancy may predict a high risk for musculoskeletal
complaints in future pregnancies. 85 percent of women who experienced pain in a previous
pregnancy reported pain during their current pregnancy.

Hubby and I headed east last weekend to Flat Rock NC. We had passed by the exit countless times, saying to each other, “That sounds fun. Maybe we’ll go there someday.”
Now one thing you must understand is that me and Hubby, we like to veer off the beaten path; like, way off. Many times we see a road that looks like it should go somewhere fun and we take that road. We have rarely been disappointed.

I have often said only certain things happen here in East Tennessee. One great example of this happened many years ago.
My Mamaw Jo got up one morning and went to the kitchen to start her coffee. That was usually the first thing she did. On this particular morning, she noticed stuff lying on her kitchen counter that wasn’t there the night before. She looked closer at them, which sent her into a state of panic. With what she thought it was, I really don’t blame her.

Last week I shared about various signs that have caught my attention throughout the years. Today I continue with that thought.
Several years ago in the Sunday morning service at Loveland Baptist Church the elderly, esteemed Rev. Oliver Wolfenbarger stood and announced his text. It was the same text he had preached on the week before. He said, “I know what you’re thinking—poor ol’ Wolfenbarger, he’s losing his mind, can’t even remember that was what he preached about last week.” He continued, “I know this is the same text I used last week, I just didn’t get through with my message. And I’ll tell you something else. I’m just about as crazy as you all think I am.”

Eggplant is one of those veggies you either like or you don't. This recipe reminds me of a pizza. I suppose if you added a few slices or pepperoni, you could call it an eggplant pizza.

You’ve likely got some age on you is you remember singing about Susie “pickin’ up pawpaws, put ‘em in her pocket, way down yonder in the Pawpaw Patch!” The Pawpaw is a curious native tree that gets attention this time of year when its fruit start to ripen. Also called a "Winter Banana" and "Custard Apple", the fruit looks like it should be growing in a tropical rain forest rather than the Appalachian Mountains. It is in fact a relative of several tropical trees in South America, and even the name "Pawpaw" is tropical in origin, being a corruption of the papaya tree to which it is not related.

Aaron Russell is a man of faith. Seven years ago, he became very sick. His kidneys shut down from what turned out to be vasculitis; a disease that damaged the small blood vessels in his kidneys.
During this time, Aaron became paralyzed as a side effect from heavy doses of steroids, which resulted in back surgery. He suffered pneumonia, migraine headaches, deadly hypertension, pericardial effusion, pleural effusion and was on dialysis three days a week, four hours per day.
In total, he was admitted to the hospital eight times and had countless doctors’ visits.