There really is a film industry in Tennessee. One day, while we were living in Niota, my husband was driving home and was stopped by a gentleman wanting directions. Imagine his surprise when he recognized the man as Claude Akins. Mr. Akins was in Tennessee filming scenes for the forgettable movie, King Kong Lives.

If you drive down the road right now and see patches of blue in the green hayfields and pastures, it’s liable to be Lyre-leaf Sage. I have a lot of it in my fields for the first time that I can remember, as does my neighbors. It’s always been around, but I normally only see it along roadsides and field edges. It is in the same family of plants as the herbal sage used in cooking and such.

I read a recent article that celebrated the health benefits of squatting and said that we should be doing this regularly (as opposed to spending all our time sitting or standing, I guess). I was offended by this outlandish disregard for the heritage and history of a good portion of the population, not to mention the language.

Where I come from, people don’t squat. They hunker down. Allow me to illustrate the distinction:

On Friday night, April 26, the Union County Chamber of Commerce held the Annual Fundraising Gala at Union County High School. Doors opened at 6:00pm with the Gala beginning at 7:00pm. The agenda was full of guest speakers with a delicious meal being catered by Li’l Jo’s Bar-B-Que.

Born in 1932 to Jesse Lewis and Anna Smith Lewis, Harrell was a man who loved the Lord above all else. He was a proud lifetime citizen of Maynardville where he was well known and loved. He married wife, Ima Ruth Cooke, on November 24, 1951 to begin their nearly sixty-three years together before her death in 2014.

Union County has never had a county seal. Other counties have a seal that reflects their work, products, resources, or heritage. Believing that Union County should have a seal, Mayor Jason Bailey met with Ms. Lana Booker, who teaches graphic design at Union County High School. The Mayor challenged the students to develop several seals. He offered to personally fund the project with a $50 gift card to the student who developed the winning design. The students submitted their designs anonymously and a committee of county leaders narrowed the choices to the top three.

In 1966, The National Preservation Act was enacted, establishing a federal policy for preserving our nation's heritage and creating the National Register of Historic Places and the National Landmark Program.

In order to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts in America, The National Trust for Historic Preservation created preservation week in 1971. Because of overwhelming popularity, the Trust decided to extend the celebrations to last the entire month of May.

Opioid use is common among workers injured at work. A new study focuses on low-back injuries, which are common claims in workers’ compensation and exhibit a higher use of opioids—including the longer-term prescriptions on which we focus—than most other injuries. In addition, evidence-based treatment guidelines recommend against long-term use of opioids for most of these cases, suggesting that some prescriptions may be excessive.

Declaring it's a new day in UT Athletics, Sterling Henton electrified the Union County Business & Professional Prayer Breakfast with his energy, his optimism, and his voice. After BPA President Martin Shafer introduced Sterl the Pearl as he was known in his New Jersey high school and into his college career at the University of Tennessee, Sterling explained that he really never intended to go to college in the South. In 1987, he was focused on leading his high school to a state championship in three different sports. Alabama called, he refused. Florida called, he refused.

Mayor Jason Bailey opened the second Project Planning Meeting on Thursday, April 26th and summarized the County Union idea. This suggestion would consolidate much of the county services into the current Horace Maynard Middle School Building. Most of the properties that are currently rented for various county departments and some state or federal programs would also move to the middle school. The plan would save the county the cost of the rent.