By Ralphine Major I paused for a moment when I saw it. The simple beauty of a church steeple wrapped in an early morning fog slowed my work on a long list of things to do. I marveled at its powerful and majestic impact as it towered toward the sky. Even more amazing is the […]
By Jedidiah McKeehan Two common legal terms that are often confused are probation and parole. While these terms are used frequently, there are some similarities and some differences. Probation generally happens before going to jail. Probation is what a defendant will receive when a sentence has been suspended. A suspended sentence means that they will serve […]
By Joe Rector joerector@comcast.net Last spring, Amy and I traveled to Cookeville to help sort through her aunt’s possessions. She suffers from Alzheimer’s and resides in an assisted living community. To pay for her stay there, the house had to be sold. Family came to box up her items, and they took home some things […]
By Rosie Moore After a few months of sniffling, itching, and sneezing, I finally went to an allergist. What he told me after going through some needle-ing tests, amazed me. I was allergic to weeds, some trees and mold. What! Me! Allergic to Mother Nature, whom I love with all my heart? I have two […]
By Dr. Jim Ferguson Recently, I’ve considered leaving my column at The Knoxville Focus. I’ve written weekly essays for ten years, but that’s not the issue. I ask myself, “What does it matter?” Maybe it doesn’t, but my sense of duty is to “man-up” even if that verbiage is threatening to some college kids and […]
Butch Jones should have gone for two! Sorry, I can’t let it go. If he had, I really believe Tennessee would have made it and beaten Texas A&M in regulation. Then that 49-10 loss to Alabama would have been a little easier to swallow. Then we would be 3-1 in SEC play going into this […]
By Ray Hill In the fall of 1966, Republican Howard Baker kicked off his general election campaign for the United States Senate. He faced Democrat Governor Frank Clement in November, one of the most popular and experienced campaigners in Tennessee for the last decade. Since 1953, Frank Clement had served as Tennessee’s governor for all […]
By Jedidiah McKeehan As complicated as the criminal justice may seem, there are really only three different levels of offenses: infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. An infraction is something simple like a speeding ticket or a moving violation, where a police officer will write you a ticket and you are required to pay a fine or […]
By Joe Rector When I was just a wee lad, I lay in bed at nights and dream. On some occasions, they were interrupted by warm streams that ran down my legs and soaked the sheets. No, I wasn’t dreaming of a bath or a swim in the ocean; I had not yet conquered the […]
By Rosie Moore The sidewalks will soon be filled with goblins, ghosts, and ghoulish costumes, worn by children and adults. Whether you like it or not, many play at being scary. The sad fact of the matter is Hallowe’en is actually scary–in real life, in this day and age. When I was young, we would […]
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