School Board helps resolve middle school concerns

The Union County Commission met with the Union County School Board during the Board's regular October workshop to have an opportunity to ask questions regarding the new middle school. Specifically, commissioners wanted to know if the middle school sports fields are included in the current plan and if the timeline for completing the sports fields would cause a lapse in availability if the jail is constructed on the current middle school football field. The first concern was put to rest before the architects even arrived.

Commission to pay for veteran plaques, wheel tax increases

At the regular October meeting, Union County Commission voted to set aside $3,000 annually to fund the plaques on the wall at Veteran’s Place. Commissioner Sidney Jessee, Jr. stated that the idea had come from a 2nd district citizen who said that paying for the plaques was the right thing to do for our veterans who have given us so much.
The money will purchase approximately 30 plaques a year on a first come, first served basis.

Study finds “considerable uncertainty” around effectiveness and safety of analgesics for low back pain: part II

There is still a lack of high-certainty evidence on the effectiveness and safety of commonly used painkillers (analgesics) for short bouts of low back pain, finds an analysis of the evidence published by The BMJ.

Autism & Me: Playing by the rules

I would like to thank everyone for all the kind words and positive comments regarding my first article. I wasn’t sure how my story would be received, and I loved reading all the words of encouragement that you left for me. Several have asked for more of my perspective on Autism and while I only know how it affects my everyday life, I am happy to share more of how I see the world. My parents have told me that there is a saying that if you have met one person on the Autism spectrum then you have met one person on the Autism spectrum. That is most definitely the truth.

Peacocks in the Church

Peacocks are often used as a symbol of pride and vanity. The male peafowl are known for their piercing calls and their extravagant plumage. It can be quite the sight to see a peacock preening in full strut.
The preening peacock’s full tail feather display not only attracts the peahens, but it gets the attention of any creature in his vicinity, including humans.

Priceless

Sandra Kay (White) Nunley attended the University of Tennessee from 1966 to 1972. She graduated in June 1972 with a B. S. She received her professional certification in September 1972. She returned to UT in the summer of 1974 through 1975 for additional coursework, receiving credit for 45 hours.
From 1974 through 1981 Sandra worked for the Douglas-Cherokee and Mountain Valley EOA Headstart programs in Sevier, Claiborne, Campbell and Union counties.

How to move from fear to faith to knowing

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Fear is a form of worry. We worry about so many different things. Ninety-five percent of the things we worry about never happen.
Then suddenly multiple things happen that we were not worried about, which creates a huge emotional storm in our life. Often when something bad happens almost every aspect of our life is impacted. We feel like we are being bombarded and attacked on every front.

Puppy Love

Did you remember a crush you had on somebody when you read the title?
If so, I hope it brought a smile to your face, but that is not the kind of puppy love I am referring to. Actually, I was thinking of something much better: real puppies.
There’s just something about a sweet baby animal. As a kid on a farm, I was around baby cows (heifers) and chicks.
Also, my Mamaw Jo always had cats, so there were the occasional kitten liters from time to time.