That’s the only word that aptly describes the spaghetti dinner sponsored by the UCHS Culinary Class and the UC Lions Club! Under the direction of their instructor, Chef Zach Hodges, the students made HUGE pots of homemade spaghetti sauce that was rich, thick, and tasty. The aroma of the herbed Italian bread, again prepared by the student chefs, wafted several feet away from the serving table, steering people in that direction.
During public comment at the March Union County Commission meeting, Stephany Davis requested a one hour workshop to allow discussion of constables with public participation. Fred Gilliam, a constable and resident of Speedwell, urged the commission to have a discussion of issues and commented that a recent law allowed a non-performing constable can be removed from office by a judge. But their comments did not change the minds of commissioners. Commission voted unanimously to abolish the position of constable when the current terms expire.
Merit Construction has begun erecting the outer walls and even the classrooms of one wing of the new middle school. But construction has not come easy as every shovel of dirt seems to turn up rocks and more rocks. The latest location of rock is at the end of John Deere Drive as improvement on the road began. The construction has nearly depleted the original contingency fund due to the excess of rock, and the Union County Board of Education approved the use of $10,000 more of the original $300,000 contingency at the regular March meeting.
On Friday, March 28, 2025, District Attorney General Effler and staff, in partnership with the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, hosted Cops in Court for all law enforcement agencies who work within the 8th Judicial District (composed of Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott and Union Counties). Cops in Court is a training that focuses on impaired driving detection and prosecution. Officers who attended this training completed a mock trial presentation where they experienced court room scenarios in direct and cross examination.
Union County, TN – On March 27th, the Union County Extension Office welcomed community members to its Open House event, showcasing the many programs and resources available to local residents. The event provided an opportunity for guests to learn more about Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and other valuable extension services.
The Union County Business & Professional Association will host its 28th Annual Prayer Breakfast at First Baptist Church in Maynardville on Good Friday, April 18, beginning at 8 a.m. Dale Keasling, retired CEO and Chairman of Home Federal Bank, is the keynote speaker.
Dale Keasling grew up on a farm in Greeneville, Tennessee. As a farmer he learned the value of work and the responsibility of serving animals and people. He took the principles he learned from farming first to serve in a cryptographic unit in the Air Force, stationed most of the time in New York where he worked with coded messages. The lessons learned from farming continued as he entered ETSU to earn a Bachelor's in accounting and his first job as an auditor for the Arthur Andersen & Co. accounting firm in Chattanooga. Next he joined one of his clients, Valley Fidelity Bank & Trust Co. in Knoxville as chief financial officer.
Plainview welcomed a new recorder in its regular March meeting. Pam Holbert resigned effective March 31. She, along with well known financial consultant Ann Dyer, trained Emily to take over on April 1. Emily is the current business owner of Butterblume Bakery (formerly Buttercup Bakery) in Maynardville. Ann Dyer, who is Emily's great aunt, taught Emily to bake. Ann’s mother , who was an amazing baker of German delights, was also a mentor to Emily. So changing the bakery to a German name for buttercup pays homage to them both.
The Union County tennis teams are off to a good start. Bad weather wiped out the match on March 5 at Clinton High School and caused the match at Cumberland Gap to be postponed to a later date. So UCHS opened on its home court against Knoxville’s Powell High School. The girls tennis team exhibited persistence as they slid by Powell in a 5-4 win. However, the boys team used skill and energy to ace the Powell team by a 9-0 victory. The match on March 11 against Career Magnet Academy of Knoxville at Tyson Park posted another victory for both UCHS teams.
KUB Fiber is now available to all Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) customers in Union County. KUB officials, along with Union County Mayor Jason Bailey and other state dignitaries, gathered at Union County High School on March 21 to celebrate the availability of high-speed internet to all KUB customers in Union County. KUB serves the southern half of the county which includes Maynardville, Plainview and Luttrell and their suburbs, indicated in blue on the map pictured. There are some in this area where high-speed internet was not available until this KUB Fiber rollout.
Oakes Farm is in full swing with their first annual Tulip Festival, that started March 22 and runs through April 6 or longer according to how long the blooms last. While they are well known for their pumpkin patch, corn maze and lily festival, to celebrate their 25th year of family fun, they decided to try something different. When talking to the gentlemen who designed their corn maze and also had experience in designing tulips fields, they decided to give it a try.