In 1982, we held our collective breath as a little boy named Elliott desperately struggled to help his little alien buddy “phone home” in “E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial”. The diminutive, so-ugly-it-was-cute critter had to somehow contact his home world before he died from some unknown illness assumed to be associated with being on Earth. As the movie’s popularity soared, people everywhere could be heard quipping, “E.T. Phone home!” Even today, you can hear that quote used frequently as an attempt to inject humor into some activity around an attempt to communicate.

There is a new weekly video series airing on www.HistoricUnionCounty.com called “Uniquely Union.”
The show is hosted by Dr. Ronnie Mincey, a long-time contributor to the website and newspaper. You may have read his column “Mincey's Musings”. In this new video series, Mincey conducts interviews with Union County residents and business people that have helped make our county the great place it is to live and work.

At the February meeting, Union County Commission approved a resolution entitled “Resolution Urging Governor Lee and the General Assembly Fund and Begin Construction of Improvements on State Highway 33 aka Maynardville Highway from Knox County Line Northwardly to the Municipal Limits of Maynardville.”
This section of Maynardville Highway is the last one to connect Knoxville and Maynardville with a four-lane highway. The five miles from SR 144 to the Knox County line has been “shovel ready” for several years.

At the February Union County Board of Education meeting, Sydney Jessee, a parent of two school-aged children, addressed the board during the workshop.
Jessee had received an attendance letter regarding his older child's absences due to flu and a stomach virus. He related that his child had doctor notes for all but one day and he had written a parent note for the stomach virus.

The Maynardville Public Library is launching a new reading incentive program for Union County elementary school-aged children. Through this program, the library offers kids incentives for reading and a buddy sloth to read to every day.
What’s more, this year-round program is completely free. The idea is adapted from Kim Todd’s “Read to a Pal” program at Luttrell Public Library, in which children can choose from a variety of stuffed animals to adopt and read books to.

The Luttrell City Council met in regular session on Feb 17.
Present: Mayor Jerry Lawson, Councilman Kyle Muncey, Councilman Lloyd Railey, Councilman Phil Ruth, Councilman/Vice Mayor Jody Smith.
Absent: Councilman David Williams

Poor posture affects the whole body, but can be easily fixed with a few adjustments. The average American adult spends more than three and a half hours looking down at a smartphone every day. Looking down or slouching for long periods of time can not only cause chronic pain in the back, neck and knees, but it can lead to more serious health issues like circulation problems, heartburn and digestive issues if left unchecked. However, a new national survey finds that too few Americans are concerned with the health effects of bad posture.

I'm sure you've noticed the Union County Opry signs posted at the Maynardville city limits. I know I have, and we're not the only ones. Middlesboro resident, William Isom, who drives to Knoxville to work each weekday, noticed them also.

Country Connections by James and Ellen Perry
I first met Chubby Beeler during my freshman year 1959/1960 at Horace Maynard High School in Maynardville, Tennessee, the county seat of Union County. Chubby was a phenomenon at school as he was a very good guitar picker and had an easygoing personality, as we called it back then. He hasn’t changed over the years even after all his success as a guitar picker displaying his great talent from Union County to the Grand Ole Opry and many places in between.

This year, Plainview will celebrate 28 years as a city. The establishment of the community and city itself was a huge task tackled by dedicated community members.
John Seltzer was a mail carrier beginning in 1948 in Knoxville. Later, in 1973, he became postmaster in Maynardville and retired at age 67.