On June 9, Union County Commission voted to approve the FY26 budget with no tax increase. Several discussions centered around nonprofit contributions. But after much back and forth, the commission approved a cap on nonprofit contributions. The approval of the balanced budget was approved by a slim majority.

Commissioners also formally hired Spirit Architects to plan and oversee the building of the jail. The commission approved reappointments to the Union County Library Board. All budget amendments, mainly to clean up the current FY 25 budget, were also approved.

Senator Jessie Seal and Representative Dennis Powers honored Ruthie Cooke with a resolution passed by the Tennessee General Assembly at the Union County Business & Professional meeting in June. Ruthie was recognized for having served as secretary of the Republican Party for over 35 years.

Sitting in my bedroom/office looking out our double glass doors across the porch and seeing no leaves moving, shadows forming as the late afternoon sun sinks slowly in the west. Our first really hot weather has arrived with temperatures forecast to hit nearly 100 degrees here in Tennessee. Also, the daylight hours have started getting shorter and will continue getting shorter until December 21st. It’s hard to believe that shorter daylight hours starts when summer begins. Well getting down to business, this month’s article will continue with a year by year recap of happenings from the year 2000 ‘til the year 2020. By studying the listed happenings, you will see quite a change from the listed happenings from the 1960’s ‘til the year 2000. You will not see as many innovations, accomplishments and the United States saw more American products and American manufacturing companies moving to foreign countries.

Artificial intelligence, Creation, and the Tower Of Babel

Artificial Intelligence, commonly abbreviated as AI, is all the rage today. Emeritus Stanford Professor John McCarthy is credited with coining the term in 1955. He defined AI as “the science or engineering of making intelligent machines” . Merriam-Websters dictionary defines Artificial as “made, produced, or done by humans especially to seem like something natural.” Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines Intelligence as “the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations.”

Cousins: We were quick to get into mischief as well as to stand strong as a tribe to defend each other. There is a bond between cousins that is different than other friends. It’s hard to describe if you don’t already know, but for us, we always knew you were just one call away.

You may have heard it said, “Laughter is good for the soul,” which I believe is true. I want to add an element to that: So is fun art.

There is something soothing when you color or paint, especially when it’s just for fun. I think our brain needs time to unwind and relax. The colors trigger memories and moods, the movement releases the stress we hold on to. If we take the time to gather with friends and create, it’s about the experience. So have a good time. The thing with fun art is it’s not meant to be a masterpiece, it’s playful and should make you smile. Just add color, add diminish, try textures, it’s not finished until you say it is.

Summer is my least favorite season with all the bugs, heat and humidity. With winter when it’s cold you throw on another layer of clothes and your good, but with summer you can run around buck naked and still be miserably hot just standing around. And then there is all the sweating, a particular negative in public, with the B.O. and wet spots on your clothes. Summer season is sweaty season, something I do not like. However, some personal research has revealed that I need an attitude adjustment, for it turns out sweating does the body good.

Everyone knows that we sweat to keep our body temperature from spiking, a condition called hyperthermia. We sweat through glands located in our skin, the largest organ we have. These sweat glands make our skin essentially a third kidney. When we sweat all over while doing outdoor activities on a hot day, it not only cools us off, but the sweat also carries toxins out of our body, which in turn boosts our immune system. Here’s a rundown of the benefits of building up a good sweat.

Walk 4 Water Union County raised more than $33,000 during its third annual fundraiser in June. All funds raised will go toward the drilling of safe water boreholes for the villages of Sihubira, Panyandere and Agaruru B #1 Cell in the African village of Uganda.

Walk 4 Water Union County’s fundraising goal was $22,500, but the community showed up in a big way and went above and beyond. The event has raised enough to fund the drilling and installation of three wells.

Legislation has been enacted by the Tennessee legislature designating the month of July as “Celebration of Liberty” month. This is most appropriate, as Independence Day is celebrated every July 4.
Many things come to mind when thinking of liberty, everything from fireworks to commercials for insurance (“Liberty, Liberty, Liberty—Lib-er-ty”; “Liberty Bibbity”) to Scripture. Strangely, as my mind turns this year to thoughts of liberty, I have been thinking of my maternal grandfather.

The intention of this article is not political. I assure you that it does not lean toward Republican rhetoric or Democratic declarations. There is no attempt to sway you, the reader, into forming an opinion about the geopolitical chaos we see across the world today. Instead, I want to express a deeper truth that I encountered through a text message that went viral from former governor and current U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee to the president.