I was so excited when it arrived that I clapped and danced around. What in the world was it? An island for my kitchen. Seriously.
Are you thinking, “You got excited over that?” In my defense, I had wanted one for years. This one is very pretty, it’s portable in that I can roll it to anywhere I need it to be, and it has a top that I can extend out if I need more counter space. In other words, it’s perfect. Of course, I like to show it off when people walk into my kitchen. But my island itself, isn’t what impresses them.

I remember one day at the Union County Board of Education’s Central Office Ms. Pat Baker came in. She announced she was there to fill out her retirement papers. I was most surprised. Ms. Pat said that she knew that one day she would wake up and know it was time for her to retire, and she said that was the very day.

I began smoking cigarettes when I was fifteen. It seemed like the sophisticated thing to do. Lord knows, I wanted to fit in. It soon became a habit. I would hunt for my glasses so I could find my cigarettes. I was noted for searching through the ashtray, sorting out the longest cigarette butts. It was hell to run out of cigarettes. We were living on Lee Road east of Michigan Center, Michigan. Extra money was hard to come by, trying to build our house. Every spare cent went into buying materials. Almost every cent, that is.

When the forest is laid bare each winter there is a tendency to think of it as a bleak and dreary place. But the basic structural skeleton of each tree can be seen at this time, with every branch, twig, and bud visible, thus revealing how it has grown in the past, and how it has prepared for the future. So put on a coat, go outside and go take a look.

Literally hundreds of people visit the Union County Museum each year. Some come to see the artifacts. Others view those same artifacts and displays with the nostalgia of their childhood and are inspired to research their family tree.

I am thrilled to announce that as of December 2022, Biblical instruction is offered to students of all five elementary schools in Union County. This is provided through an interdenominational program similar to the Bible Lady that many of you grew up with. It is called Bible Release Time and is provided by the Elgin Children’s Foundation.
What is Bible Release Time (BRT)?

At its December 20, 2022, the Union County Board of Education elected to negotiate a director's contract with Washburn Principal Gregory Clay. Clay had been employed as a teacher and a principal at Horace Maynard Middle School. The announcement brought a round of applause from the audience.

The FY23 Union County Budget has a new pay scale for county employees. The pay scale was developed by looking at all current salaries for county employees. Any employee who currently made less than $15 per hour was raised to at least that amount and placed on the schedule without regard to the number of years worked.
So, if employee A makes $8 per hour as a new hire and employee B makes $10 per hour with five years experience, both employees will now make the same $15 per hour.

At the December meeting of the Plainview Board of Aldermen, Mayor Gary Chandler presented a plaque to be hung on the community building wall that honors the founders of the City of Plainview. The plaque pays tribute to Albert Thomas, Billy Sexton, Janie Frazier, Jeff Collins, John Seltzer, Judy Brantley, Ruth Collins, Terry Hill, Thomas Keaton, Walter (Junior) Wolfe, Sr., and Wayne Roach for their leadership given to the founding of Plainview. Plainview became a city on September 11, 1992.

There’s a new stylist in town and she has set up shop at New You Hair Salon in Maynardville. Tonia Harrison is the newest stylist to join owner Vickie Burkhart’s crew. She has come all the way from Florida, where she was a stylist for 16 years, part of the time as a shop owner.
Earlier this year, Tonia and her husband made the decision to move to Tennessee to be closer to family. The couple has family residing in Union County and Polk County, so they had the tough choice of choosing a new hometown. The wonderful tight-knit community of Union County won their hearts, so they packed up and left Florida. Tonia, however, left behind her salon, Pretty Bird Hair.