Sycamore (Planatus occidentalis) is a very common tree in our area, and easy to find growing along streams and lakes. It is also one of the easier trees to identify in the woods because almost all of its identifying features stand out.

Hold out your hand, palm up. Now, imagine there’s a solitary peanut nestled in the center of your hand. You’re just holding it there, looking at it and thinking about how small it is.

I’ve heard this saying for years and because of a recent event was curious, so I looked up the source. Voltaire is credited with coining this phrase, or one very much like it, back in the 1700’s. Voltaire was many things, some of them admirable, and I particularly admire his beliefs on freedom of speech and religion. However, there is one thing he definitely was not.

He was not a plumber.

The Horace Maynard FFA chapter in Maynardville, Tennessee has been awarded a Yearlong Living to Serve Grant in the amount of $3,000. The nationwide program provides grant money to local FFA chapters to support yearlong service-learning projects that address needs related to community safety; environmental responsibility; hunger, health and nutrition; and community engagement.

I have an easy recipe for Batter Buns. Okay, so they're yeast rolls whipped together, not kneaded.

Lazy as I am, I'm always looking for the quick and easy way out. Here it is. They have a good flavor and don't harden down overnight. That is, if you keep them in a gallon plastic freezer bag.

Yes, I know, a well-kneaded roll has a texture and flavor that can't be beat. These are the next best things. Give them a try.

Football season has kicked off for the Union County High School Patriots. There are several returning seniors this year into the program, which is in its third year under Coach Larry Kerr’s leadership. The team has been practicing on the field and in the weight room for several months and they are looking forward to an eventful season on the new turf field.

Chairman David Coppock called the August Union County Board of Education Meeting to order and recognized Jimmy Carter, superintendent of schools, to present an award to the Union County Clover Team, who took second place in the national competition. Then Carter asked Lucy Russell Freyer to pay tribute to Carolyn Murr for her 50 years of service to Union County Public Schools. Murr has served as a physical education teacher as well as a classroom teacher and a coach. She currently teaches fourth grade at Maynardville Elementary School.

When rumors circulated on Facebook regarding a resolution to amend the Regulations Governing the Cleanup of Illegal Dump Sites (Litter Ordinance), Mayor Jason Bailey candidly told the rather large crowd at the August County Commission meeting that “there will be no drama here tonight.”

The Big Ridge FCE (Family Community Education) Club gives back to the non-profits in the community that its members belong to and support by volunteering.

Some 15 percent of adults in the U.S. have some type of spine deformity, with lumbar scoliosis being the most common. Some adults have had scoliosis since adolescence; others develop the condition as adults. Many don’t experience symptoms, but a significant percentage will develop back pain, leg pain and even lose up to four inches of trunk height—measured from the waist upwards—due to the deformity.