But first, let’s get out of Yucca Valley. We are heading to Bakersfield only because there is a distinct lack of lodging on the way to Yosemite. Along the route today we will also go through Needles and Barstow. Name that tune!

I will let you in on a little secret: I love loud noises. Not the sudden ones as in a balloon popping or a firecracker exploding. Let’s put it this way; if you’re ever attending a firework show and you see a short woman with glasses and her fingers burrowed inside her ears, it’s probably me.

The first time I remember becoming aware of church dinners was when I was a young child. Maynardville Baptist (now the First Baptist Church of Maynardville) was going to have a homecoming. I didn’t understand at the time that homecoming was a special service to welcome former members and pastors to renew “auld acquaintance.

We package up our ground beef in 1/2 pound freezer bags. Several of our favorite recipes only call for a half pound of ground beef. There is a good casserole for 1/2 pound ground chuck.. Of course, you have to like eggplant. I do.

Biodiversity is a big deal in ecology science these days. The dictionary defines it simply as the variety of living things in a particular area or region. Opinions on the importance of biodiversity vary, but to me the loss of native plant or animal species means something’s wrong, and rightfully raises some concerns.

What many would call a “hometown” politician is looking to serve Union County once more as mayor.
Mike Williams, previous Union County Mayor and past Tennessee State Representative and Senator for 12 years, has decided to run for county office once more.
Williams, a Union County native, started out as a schoolteacher where he taught government. He would often welcome elected officials into his classroom to speak to the students on local government, but one thing he noticed was that they only ever came knocking every four years.

With anything Savannah Jones did, she always felt the warmth of her small town, as they always showed up and showed out for her growing up, whether it be during hard times of family loss or joyous occasions of graduations and high school homecoming fundraisers.
Communities are made up of friends, families, teachers, leaders, churches, businesses and much more but what truly makes an individual’s community is the connections made throughout a person’s life.

At the June meeting, the City of Plainview honored its oldest veteran, Joe Roberts.
Jeff Collins did the honors of presenting Mr. Roberts with a plaque that noted his exemplary service in the Marine Corps during WWII.
Joe entered the war and saw action in the Pacific Theater, including Kwajalein and Guam, as a corporal in the 5th Amphibious Corps of the 3rd Marine Division. He was an MP when he was honorably discharged in 1945 at the end of the war.

The Union County Board of Education placed Dr. Jimmy Carter as the interim director at its called June 23 meeting. The action was the culmination of a series of events that left the district without a director for a short time.
Parents had voiced concerns at the May and June board of education meetings regarding bullying, vaping and other student behaviors. Carter abruptly resigned after the parents spoke on June 9.

The Union County Commission took two meetings and over 20 votes before agreeing on a reduced tax rate of 1.5899. County Mayor Jason Bailey, partly recovered from a serious automobile accident in May, chaired the meeting. He urged and coaxed the commissioners to meet the July 1 deadline to submit the FY23 Budget to the state comptroller.