Last Saturday night was the annual Burns Supper hosted by two friends of ours who live in West Knoxville but were born in Scotland. Every January on the weekend closest to Burns’s birthday (January 25th) they invite 35 or 40 of us to their home for a Scottish meal and celebration of the life and works of the poet.

As in past years, it was a fine evening. We saw friends we hadn’t seen in a while (some not since the last Burns Supper), there was pleasant conversation, toasts, and a Burns trivia game, but the centerpiece of the evening was the meal.

February is the month for cherry bread. I don't know if our first president really chopped down a cherry tree. I doubt it. I don't think he made any bread either.

Pre-K is an educational growth opportunity for children and families to participate as a transition into Kindergarten. Students who attend Pre-K are more prepared socially, emotionally, academically and physically as they enter Kindergarten. Many times, they are further ahead of those students who have not attended. Pre-K impacts students for life.

Commissioners Present: Jeffrey Brantley, Danny Cooke, Bill Cox, Earl Cox, Gary England, Dawn Flatford, Kenny Hill, Janet Holloway, Sidney Jessee, Jr., R. L. Jones, Larry Lay, and Becky Munsey
Commissioners Absent: Jeff Chesney, Debra Keck, Joyce Meltabarger and Jody Smith
- Notaries approved: Shannon Brooks, Elbra Davis, Jennifer Helms, Travis Patterson, Sheila Ann Rice, Carrie Elizabeth Rule, Teresa Lynn Satterfield, Barbara J. Williams

The Union County Board of Education continues to dispense with business in record time, according to Chairman David Coppock. The bulk of the meeting dealt with Tennessee School Board Association recommended amendments to the board policies.
One policy recommendation was postponed in order to refine the restorative practices for returning a suspended student, and the various disciplinary procedures that should be considered before any action is taken.

The Union County Health Council meets the third Thursday of each month at noon at Cherokee Health Systems, and meetings are open to the public. Last year the Health Council worked with the Health Department to complete a health assessment to determine the needs in our county.

You will never meet a more loyal and loving lady than Joy Richardson Corum. She grew up in the Norwood community in Knoxville, but has deep roots and strong connections to Union County. She is the oldest of three children, having a brother four years younger and a sister nine years younger. The family lived in the same little loving home nestled into the all-American neighborhood from the time she was five until she married.

Could you give a speech on an important topic affecting society today with only three minutes to prepare? In early January, that is exactly what Kaleb Hanna, a Union Count 4-H member, did when he gave an impromptu speech at the 4-H Western National Roundup in Denver, Colorado.

From small acorns, large oak trees grow, and so did a Union County gospel group. This group started jamming about 1978, so said one of the founding members to me. They included Jerry Cole, Sr., Bill Turner, Neal Walker, and Dannie Peters.
Then they became known as Union Grass, a bluegrass and bluegrass gospel band. Union Grass started entertaining at bluegrass festivals, local churches and pie suppers. They always closed with a bluegrass gospel song or a gospel song by Hank Williams.

Your back is a complicated structure of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. You can sprain ligaments, strain muscles, rupture disks, and irritate joints, all of which can lead to back pain. While sports injuries or accidents can cause back pain, sometimes the simplest of movements—for example, picking up a pencil from the floor—can have painful results. In addition, arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and psychological stress can cause or complicate back pain.