William E. Woolet, known to his picking buddies around Woods Music in Maynardville as “Dobro Bill,” was born June 26,1927. Our math being correct, on June 26, 2026, he turned 99 years young. Bill was born in Mishawaka, Indiana, and was raised on a farm with three brothers and four sisters.

Bill graduated high school in 1945 from Mishawaka High School and joined the U.S. Navy, where he served on the Wharton and Prinston battleships, and was stationed on the Bikini Islands while testing was being done on the atomic bomb. Bill was honorably discharged in 1952.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

It interests me how trees are so often intertwined with our culture and history. The 250th July celebration of our Independence is a good time to review the history of the Liberty Tree, a symbol for individual liberty and resistance to tyranny.

Whisk together
1/3 cup buttermilk,
1/2 cup mayonnaise,
1/4 cup each sour cream
1 minced red onion,
1 tablespoon each chopped chives,
dill and parsley.
1 minced garlic clove.
Season with salt.

Since the first part of this series which was printed in the December issue we have made prophecy of America’s future which looks bleak. America’s main enemy as of now is China. China has Russia and North Korea as allies against America, did have Iran but Iran has now been rendered at present as harmless by the current American administration, their fortitude and the rebuilding of America’s military. But the snake is not dead, still has fangs and if not exterminated will heal and come back to bite and rejoin China as an ally. Remember China built the great wall of China which is 13,107 miles long and took over 2,000 years to complete. It took many Chinese dynasties to build it. China is in no hurry and they believe that China has a manifest destiny to rule everything on earth covered by the sky. China today exports up to 33% of America’s products

(All our Veterans have different backgrounds, different lives and different stories. The one thing that they have in common is their service to our country. Some served 2 years, some 4, while others made a career of the military. Many Veterans saw battle or supported battle troops; others spent a good deal of their service in one place. There are Veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard and now, the Space Force).

Eddie Ramirez hails from a long, rich family history of farming. His parents spent most of their lives working tomatoes and, in 2002, bought a farm in Rutledge. Eddie and his wife Lizbeth have strong ties to Union County. They were married at St. Teresa of Calcutta in 2019 and celebrated their union with a reception at Red Gate Farm. They now have 3 active children who all love being on a farm. Although Ramirez Tomatoes does grow other vegetables, about 98% of their crop is tomatoes. They are fairly new to the general public; the majority of their business has been wholesale.

We have finally booked our bucket list trip to Alaska. We booked an inside passage cruise with a pre-cruise extension. Why the pre-cruise extension? To acclimate to the four-hour time difference as well as sightseeing Anchorage.

Understanding the time zone changes for booking flights and knowing the airport rules for checking bags and carry-on: Quick tip – Often the airlines request checking your carry-on at the gate for space saving and waive the bag fee. I did this for my second bag and saved $45. They check it to the final destination for free.

Spoiler Alert: The conclusion of the Bible ends with a curse! Most Christians describe the Bible as a great book of hope, which portrays Jesus as the embodiment of that promised hope. If that is the case, it may seem very strange that the closing sentences of the Bible contain a curse.

Revelation 22:18-21 KJV
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: [19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. [20] He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. [21] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

The history of the modern stock market dates back to the Netherlands in 1602, when the Hendrick de Keyser Exchange was formed in Amsterdam. Today, we hear a lot about the stock market in the headlines of the daily news. It is a major part of the U.S. and global economy today.

Board policy revisions caused some discussion at the Union County Board of Education meeting on June 18. At issue was Board Policy 2.805 Purchasing. The policy revision was not on the agenda. However, Rebecca Lock from Plainview offered a revision to the purchasing policy along with other policy revisions for discussion.