Not long ago I found myself in a conversation with two gentlemen. In the course of the discussion, the men discussed their businesses, houses and real estate.
The more they talked, the more insignificant I felt. It was obvious that their business acumen had made each of them prosper far above my life holdings. Even their utility bills were astronomical compared to mine, due to the large number of square feet of their dwellings. I would be hard pressed to pay either of their electric bills for one month.

Can sneezing cause a herniated disc? For many people with back pain caused by a back pain condition (ie, herniated disc), the problem starts off small and then gradually builds until you start to feel symptoms, such as back pain. For example, let’s say you sneeze and feel a sudden, sharp pain in your back. You may have had an underlying herniated disc, and the sneeze was what triggered it to progress.

By Elliott Brack,
Editor and publisher, https://www.gwinnettforum.com/author/bottomline

About 25 members of Frank Sharp’s 1960 Horace Maynard High School class gathered recently in Maynardville like they do every six months. Some would learn of the death of their classmate, while all recalled memories of him.

“Is that a tornado?”
As a child, I would ask this whenever I saw a whirlwind out on Papaw’s farm. It was fascinating to watch hay spin around up high in the air. For some reason, I had it stuck in my mind that all swirling winds were tornadoes. I even thought this as an adult.

Sponsored by your friendly American Legion Post 212

Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, at 2:00 is the perfect time to have the kiddos at Wilson Park to hunt for Easter eggs! This annual event is free.

The hunt will be divided into three age groups, each with its own hunting area: 1–3 year olds, 4–6 year olds, and 7-10 year olds. A total of 238 plastic eggs will be filled with candy and divided into each age group area, and each group will also have four golden eggs with real money inside!

For too long, many of our veterans have been overlooked or forgotten. We all benefit from the freedoms protected and preserved by those who served in our armed forces. They gave selflessly of their time, knowledge and strength, and now it is our turn to honor and support them and their families.

The March American Legion Veterans Breakfast was sponsored by the UCHS Navy Junior ROTC. The speaker was Master Chief Jacob Streufert, the Senior Naval Science Instructor (SNSI) at the school. An SNSI is a retired Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard commissioned officer certified by the Naval Service Training Command to lead a high school NJROTC unit. The SNSI is vital for building a “strong foundation of citizenship within America's future leaders” by maintaining high standards of military bearing and teaching cadets personal responsibility.

After a long bleak winter, it is wonderful to see wildflowers in the spring, foretelling of warmer weather and the return of color to the forest. The earliest wildflowers bloom, such as Hepatica, Trout-lily, Bloodroot, Spring-beauty, Toothwort, Mayapple, and Trillium, are called "ephemerals", meaning "lives for a day". They all bloom for a very short period when it's still cool weather. And because they are strictly insect pollinated this could be a problem, since insect activity is minimal in the early spring. Enter our hero: the Bumblebee.

Many people dread Monday mornings. Monday is the beginning of the work week for many, after at least a partial weekend rest from the duties of the previous week.
This past Monday began in the early hours of the morning at my house with a terrific and frightening wind and rain storm. The storm was all the more interesting as it occurred after a few days of warm, unseasonably early spring weather. The storm not only made Monday more challenging, it also ushered in an unpleasant cold spell.

My mom isn’t the only wolf lady that I know. Recently I had the pleasure of meeting another one: Manuela.
Last month, Sara asked me if I could be at her house by 6:30 one morning so I could watch Maverick for a while. Her friend Manuela was to pick her up at that time so they could visit a wolf preserve in Dandridge: Wolf PAWS, Inc. I was amazed because I didn’t know anything like that existed here in East Tennessee. I readily agreed. Like I’m going to miss out on time with my grandson. Afterwards, Sara talked about how much she enjoyed the tour. Naturally I thought their trip could make for an interesting article. So, I contacted Manuela and she kindly agreed to meet with me for an interview. We had a very nice time. But then again, we were talking over coffee and doughnuts.