On November 10, 2020, at 1:00 pm, the Smoky Mountain Home School 4-H Club met at Revival Vision Church. Each member had prepared and packed a shoebox for Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Christmas Child. Elijah Helton, the community service organizer, prepared the boxes for shipping and delivered them to Milan Baptist Church, the drop-off location for Union County.

Doctors of chiropractic are part of the essential critical infrastructure workforce, according to an advisory memorandum released by the u.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The memo aims to give state, local, tribal and territorial governments guidance as they consider what actions to take in their communities to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) while still maintaining critical industries and the workers who support them.

Have you ever heard the excuse, “The dog ate my homework?” Or instead, maybe I should ask if you’ve had the chance to actually use it?
Let me tell you, my Mamaw Jo was quite the baker. She even took a course in cake decorating. Naturally, she did very well. I enjoyed watching her craft roses out of icing since I had always wondered how that was done. If I ever tried to make one, it would have resembled a melted beehive.

It seems both my wife and I are losing our hearing. Our kitchen is separated from the living room by a dining room. I would estimate the distance from the kitchen sink to our recliners to be approximately thirty feet. One of us is always calling to the other from the kitchen to the living room or vice versa. It seems neither of us hears the other on first call. When repeated more loudly the second time, and even louder with clearer enunciation the third time, the imminent response of either, “You don’t have to scream!” or “You don’t have to be so hateful!” occurs without fail.

If you trail hike much, perhaps you used a walking stick to lean on for balance or help support a sore knee joint. This simple tool goes back a long way and was used for more than just walking. The Bible refers to them as a rod or staff, and both have strong symbolic meanings.

We all know Honey-Mustard Chicken Wings are delicious. The same can be said for chicken leg quarters. They are usually cheaper by the pound at the meat counter. Try this recipe and see your family dig in.

I like Taco Salad. This recipe is a little different. It is made with pasta. I like taco-style seasoning whatever way you fix it. This is a new experience for me. Growing up during the Great Depression, it wasn't part of our diet. With no refrigerator or freezer, we only had ground beef the day Mother brought it home from town. Green onions, lettuce and tomatoes were only savored in the summertime from our garden. Mother never bought such fresh vegetables at any time. Corn chips? Never heard of them. Grated cheddar cheese?

I can’t say for sure when I first met “Mayor” Michael Bailey, but I believe it might have been at one of WMRD’s Saturday night singings.
Michael was a unique person, with an unquenchable desire to sing, praise God, and socialize within our community. He always had a smile on his face, a joke to tell, and a song on his heart.
Meeting Michael was one of many reasons that I soon grew to love Union County and call it my home. Not only because of who he was, but also the wonderful way this community embraced him, enabling him to accomplish so much good with and for those in need.

The Union County Childrens Charities members first thought we simply could not have our annual toy drive this year due to COVID-19, but we knew it was important for the needy children. It was restructured in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The goal was to keep all safe.

“Union County Schools are not spreading COVID-19” was the message Dr. Jimmy Carter, Director of Union County Public Schools, stated as he updated the Board of Education at the December 10 board meeting on the status of COVID-19 in the schools.