What exactly is reality? Think about it. Look around you. If you are blessed with the gift of normal vision, you can perceive all sorts of colors and shapes around you. You can appreciate beauty. You can navigate around obstacles. You can do simple things like picking up a crisp, red apple from a granite countertop and bite into it – knowing it is wholesome and good. That apple is as real as it gets. Or is it?

The Asian longhorned tick (ALT) is a menace to livestock, companion animals, wildlife, and humans. This invasive species can transmit a number of pathogens to humans and animals, uses animals for dispersal, and is an economic threat to the agricultural and livestock industries. As of July 31, 2019, the ALT is confirmed in Union county on canines, cattle, and deer. Unlike other North American ticks, this exotic and invasive tick has a one generation per year life cycle and can produce offspring without mating, which permits rapid population growth.

So, what is preaching?

Well, the answer to that question sometimes depends upon who you ask!

In the general sense, preaching means to herald or proclaim openly something which has been done. Biblically defined preaching means an open public proclamation of the “gospel,” such as demonstrated in the New Testament by John the Baptist, Jesus, the Apostles of Jesus or other Christian followers. I could not do this article justice without pointing out that the word “gospel” means “good news” as it relates to Jesus’ redeeming work towards all mankind.

The first books I read as a child were the Dick and Jane readers in school. They had pictures with the prose. Later I discovered the Sunday comic strips in the newspaper. They were a step above Dick and Jane and their dog Spot. I fell in love with the Sunday comics. They were in color. The dailies were in black and white. I was much older when I discovered comic books. Married, with children, I secretly read their comic books while my kids were at school.

“It’s a gift.”
That’s the response I give now, but when I was younger, I didn’t see it that way. At all.
In case you don’t know, I’m a left-handed writer. I use that term instead of just saying left-handed because the only thing I do left-handed is write. I do everything else right-handed. No, I am not ambidextrous, which is the ability to use both hands equally well. (Ed. note: Using different hands for different tasks is known as cross-dominance or mixed-handedness.) I don’t fit the qualification because I can’t write with both hands with the same level of skill.

I began serving the Union County Public Schools as the Supervisor of Federal Programs in school year 2005-2006. For the first 13 years in this position I was blessed to have Norma Jones as my Administrative Assistant. Norma was absolutely wonderful to work with. There are not enough words to describe what a help, inspiration and support she was to me.

E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. middle and high school students, and USB-shaped e-cigarettes are increasing in popularity. As kids prepare to return to school this year, parents and other youth influencers (e.g. teachers, coaches, faith leaders, health care providers) can learn about the risks of e-cigarettes among young people by reading the CDC feature article: Back to School Without E-cigarettes.

What are e-cigarettes?

Deep rooted in the Black Fox community in Union County, Tennessee, sisters Lorene and Goldie Davis share a rich love for the county and an unwavering love of family instilled in them by their parents.

As the largest plants around, trees dominate our view when taking a woodland walk, and we enjoy the beauty of their trunk and branches as well as the shade they provide on a warm day. There’s another cool aspect about trees that’s overlooked: the beauty of their design.

It is football time in Union County and along with the sport comes homecoming season. For the past two years, Horace Maynard FFA Chapter candidates have worked hard and earned the Union County Homecoming Crown, with Savannah Jones earning over $17,000 last year. This year the FFA candidate is Union County High School Senior, Kennedy Hill.