In 1934, the Union County Extension agents, along with the local farmers, started the Tobacco Control Program. That year there were 1,100 family farms that were located in fertile bottoms where Norris Lake is presently located. There were 1,374 farms throughout Union County.
In 1935, an extra agent, Mabel Moore, was assigned to Union County as a Special Home Demonstration Agent. She was working along with TVA to mainly focus on Soil Erosion through the Erosion Control Association. Another agent, Oma Whorley, was assigned to serve District IV.

Country Connections
By James and Ellen Perry
As I sit on my front porch listening to Santo and Johnny playing “Tear Drop” on my computer, it puts me in a melancholy mood.
It’s now late August of 2024 and all of my flying friends are coming through on their way to their over-wintering homes either in the deep south of the USA or the butterflies and hummingbirds are heading south crossing the Gulf of Mexico to the Latin Americas or northern South America.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
If you read my stuff much, you know that I am unabashedly proud to be mountain bred. I love our southern Appalachian mountains. The terrain, the climate, the plants and animals, the culture and history, all blend together to form a unique place to live.

Anne was tidying up our barn the other day. She brought a strange looking contraption in for me to identify. It was a line level, of course.
You must be of a certain age and farm bred to recognize it. I answer “yes” to both conditions.

The Tennessee Department of Education defines Work Based Learning (WBL) as an opportunity allowing “students to develop employability skills in a workplace environment to prepare for success in postsecondary education and future careers.”
Using employment experiences, such as internships, apprenticeships and paid work experience, the Union County High School (UCHS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) students (11th and 12th grade CTE students, who are 16 years or older) may earn high school credit for these experiences.

Schools director Greg Clay reported to the Union County Commission on August 26 that excavation has begun for the new middle school on John Deere Drive. The formal groundbreaking ceremony will be on Wednesday, September 4, at 9:30 a.m. at the site.
Several property items were considered by the commission. The Luttrell Industrial Park Property was the subject of a motion by Greg Dyer and a second by Mike Boles to appraise the property for possible sale that the commission approved. Voting ‘No’ on the motion was Sidney Jesse.

Union County Mayor Jason Bailey installed six elected officials at the August county commission meeting. He administered the oath of office to Randy Turner, Assessor of Property, and David Cox, Road Superintendent.
Then at the BOE meeting, the four newly elected Union County School Board members took their oath: Charles Hamilton (1st District), Terry Washam (2nd District), Jimmy Carter (4th District) and Harold Cooke (6th District).

The Plainview Board of Aldermen awarded a $10,000 check to Luttrell Volunteer Fire Department at the August meeting.
Plainview recently built an extended bay for the fire department and is planning to help with furnishing the living quarters. Chief Brad Woods accepted the donation and expressed his gratitude for Plainview's support.

The Union County Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., continuing until October 5. Be sure to visit and support local vendors while enjoying a vibrant community atmosphere.
Join us for a flavorful farewell to summer at the Farmers Market. We look forward to seeing you and sharing the joy of fresh, local produce!

At their meeting in August, the Plainview Planning Commission recommended and the Plainview Board of Aldermen approved a resolution to change the building permit fee for manufactured and modular homes. Manufactured and modular homes, according to the state, had building requirements upgraded before 2020. These upgrades made the construction of manufactured and modular homes equal to "stick built" homes. So Plainview will charge the same 50 cents per square foot fees for double wide, manufactured, modular and stick built homes. Homes will have three inspections during construction.