Dear Reader, you have been privileged and blessed to enter a New Year that holds special promise. This year our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.
Assuming I live until our nation’s Semiquincentennial (or Sestercentennial), I will have lived through both the 200th and 250th anniversaries of our great country. Much “ado” was made of the 200th anniversary of the founding of America. I’m eager to see how much emphasis will be placed on the 250th.

In the years following World War II, America relied on dependable trucks to rebuild farms, businesses and infrastructure. Ford met that need in 1948 with the introduction of the Bonus Built Ford F-1 pickup, the light-duty foundation of what would become the iconic Ford F-Series.

The Union County Family and Community Education (FCE) Club invites the public to attend its January meeting on Thursday, January 15, at 10 a.m. at the Union County Extension Office.

During the meeting, participants will learn how to make Simmer Pot Kits, a simple and natural way to add seasonal fragrance to the home, as well as how to safely dehydrate oranges, which can be used for décor, gifts, or cooking. A covered dish lunch will follow the program, providing time for fellowship and conversation.

When you read the title, was your first thought: “I thought Brooke liked Christmas?” I most certainly do. This may sound strange, but I also like when it’s over.

Spine injections should not be given to adults with chronic back pain because they provide little or no pain relief compared with sham injections, say a panel of international experts in the BMJ. After careful consideration, the panel concluded that there was no high certainty evidence for any procedure or combination of procedures, and all low and moderate certainty evidence suggests no meaningful relief for either axial pain (in a specific area of the spine) or radicular pain (radiating from the spine to the arms or legs) for spine injections compared with sham procedures.

Two men identified each other as military veterans in an Aldi parking lot by the Navy ship ball caps they were each wearing. After a brief ten-minute conversation, Dave provided Norm with a card listing thirteen locations in East Tennessee that offer complimentary breakfast for veterans every Saturday.

Snow is a weather event that is either loved or loathed, with not much middle ground. There is no denying however that a gently falling snow is a beautiful, serene sight. As with most things in nature, snow is a more complex phenomenon than it appears.

Horace Maynard Middle School is closing out a successful fall semester as school students and staff continue their mission to become an “Everything School.” The staff’s focus at HMMS is clear: excelling in all areas and providing students with opportunities for success and exploration.

Horace Maynard Middle School is proud to celebrate Susan Coffey for once again going above and beyond for her students by successfully applying for and winning another grant to support her STEM classes. Her dedication to providing meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities continues to make a lasting impact on the student at HMMS.