Chiropractic colleges accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) offer Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree programs. (CCE is the agency certified by the U.S. Department of education to accredit chiropractic colleges in the United States.) Admission to a chiropractic college requires a minimum of 90 semester hour credits of undergraduate study, mostly in the sciences.

I truly believed I was going to have a fun adventure to tell my friends when I got back home. Let’s just say things didn’t go as planned.
Let me back up a little here. It was the summer of 1980 and I was fifteen years old. Mom, Mamaw Jo, Papaw E.O., and I were spending the weekend in Fletcher, NC. In case you’ve never heard of it, Fletcher is a small town just a little east of Asheville. Papaw’s army buddy Porter lived there and he invited us over to spend the weekend with him and his family.

The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God gave the first man and woman only one commandment. They could eat of all the trees of the Garden of Eden except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God had a very good reason for this. Before they ate the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve were innocent like children, not knowing that anything was wrong.

This salad is so pretty. Tasty, too. It could be the star of your potluck recipes. It will stand alone as a supper dish as well.

At the beginning of my first class in college, the instructor drew two circles on the chalkboard; one huge one and a tiny circle above it. He explained that most of humanity fits in the large circle. College educated people were in the small circle. We were in the small one, he said. Ok, but there are some mighty strange ones on our circle. let me explain.

Normally I am a plant lover kind of guy, but there is a group of foreigners that I love to hate. They are classed exotic invasive plants, and they are determined to take over the world an acre at a time, disrupting native plants and ecosystems as they go. Probably the most notorious and recognized invasive in the south is Kuzdu (Pueraria montana). You don’t have to drive far to find its vines carpeting the ground, trees, buildings, and anything else standing in the way.

The Grainger County Tomato Festival is back! After a one year hiatus because of the Coronavirus, Grainger County is hosting its 28th annual tomato festival on Friday, July 23rd and Saturday, July 24th at 7480 Rutledge Pike in Rutledge, TN. 1992 launched the first festival to, according to their website, “promote all Grainger County agricultural products, specifically the Grainger County Tomato, and to promote the many local artists, authors, talent, and craftsmen we have in our area”. This year’s schedule, however, will be a little different than in the past.

I recently had the joy of meeting young entrepreneur Jacqueline Stallard when I visited her newest shop location, Home Town Shack, in Maynardville. Stallard opened this location—her latest venture—in March 2021 to bring a wide variety of items to the community. In a way, the offerings harken back to the days of the local mercantile, as there is a wide array of merchandise, from boutique items to fishing supplies and even fresh produce when in season. Stallard aims to meet the needs of the underserved northern end of Union County.

By Kelly Irick

The BRIGHT Afterschool program, ran through the UT Extension Union County Office, hosted an afterschool and summer camp program at Big Ridge Elementary to align with the extended Summer School program provided to the county. The program, a grant funded opportunity, offered after school hours Monday through Thursday and full day camps on Fridays throughout the month of June.

By Meradeth Whitley

Cakes are delicious, but what would they be without the frosting?! That’s me without 4-H. You could say that 4-H is one of the most important things in my life. My name is Meradeth Whitley, I am entering high school this year, and I live in Union County. I love everything about where I live, and I am so proud to represent my county when I go to the many amazing 4-H events all over our region.