Admit it. You have a favorite adjective that you like to use to describe yourself. Besides writer and author, I love to call myself an old tomboy. Why not? I have been a tomboy my whole life. The word “old” is kinda recent though.
When I was a little girl, er tomboy, I absolutely loved to wrastle. By the way, that’s how we pronounce the word wrestle here in East Tennessee. Anyway, I would have rather done that than eat. In fact, I often tell people I learned how to wrastle before I could part my hair straight. No joke. The next time you see me, check out my part.

Sunday seems to be the day for travel curiosities in hero Union County, at least for me. A few Sundays ago on my way home from church I saw a man standing at the intersection of Ailor Gap Road and Maynardville Highway (aka Highway 33, State Route 33, Main Street, Maynardville Highway). This man was holding a sign, and as the light was green I didn’t get to read it well, but it did make reference to the Bible.
Interesting, I thought. I’ve lived in Maynardville all my life, and I don’t recall ever seeing anything that resembled a street corner preacher on Sunday or any other day.

There are a zillion strawberry jam recipes. This one is different, really different. There is no pectin in it. Since we see fresh strawberries in the produce section of Food City all year long, it can be made anytime. check out the other tasty combinations at the end of the recipe.

What’s the difference between a chipmunk and a mouse? The chipmunk has a striped back and cheek pouches. We consider both to be pests. Not so, for our cats. Chipmunks are their sources of entertainment as well as a snack.

Anyone who has picked blackberries is familiar with June bugs, because they'll startle you when you reach in and pick one of them instead of a berry. As a youngster I was taught that June bugs are those large, green backed beetles an inch long that are common during the heat of summer. They can often be seen flying low over your lawn in a zigzag pattern. You will also find them feeding on their preferred foods which includes grapes, berries, apples, and ripening corn.

You may already know him as the School Resource Officer at Horace Maynard Middle School, now DJ Taylor has added to that role by accepting Mayor Bailey’s invitation to serve as Union County’s Veteran Services Officer (VSO). Taylor took on this role on June 1, 2021, and is eager to help connect our veterans with the various federal and state veterans’ benefits they have earned through their military service. Taylor has a list of all veterans residing in Union County and is seeking ways to inform them about the benefits available to service personnel and their spouses and caregivers.

Hello! My name is Kaleb Hanna. I am Union County 4-H's Healthy Living Ambassador, Honor Club President, and All-Star Eagle Scout. This year I once again attended the Tennessee 4-H Eastern Region All-Star Conference! Woah, what a mouthful!

My name is Natalie Graves and I am a 5th grade student in Union County 4-H. I titled my 4-H Project this year “Home Cooking”. The goal of my project was to cook a breakfast, a lunch, and a dinner for my family. I also hoped to learn new cooking skills and recipes during the course of my project. I cooked many meals for my family by myself and occasionally with my grandparents.

A new study published in BMJ Open, an online publication of the British Medical Journal, examined the association of initial provider treatment with early and long-term opioid use in a national sample of patients with new-onset low back pain (LBP). The study evaluated outpatient and inpatient claims from patient visits, pharmacy claims and inpatient and outpatient procedures with initial providers seen for new-onset LBP.

I was so sheltered when I was growing up. Food sheltered that is. Our meals consisted of many things that were grown on my grandparents’ farm, including the beef from Papaw’s cows. But, the chicken, turkey, and pork came from the grocery store.