Thinking of President Jimmy Carter

Thinking of President Jimmy Carter More than a Day Away by Mike Steely I learned recently that former President Jimmy Carter had returned home to live out his final days in home hospice in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. Over the years, my wife and I had many...

Taking the Benton Loop

Taking the Benton Loop By Mike Steely Getting out in the winter with the family can be inexpensive if you just take a ride and visit some of the most interesting places in our region. Polk County, southeast of Knoxville, is one of the more rural parts of East...

Taking the Luttrell Loop

A Day Away by Mike Steely If you are tired of being cooped up with the rain and winter weather, you may want to take the family for a brief drive and visit some of the smaller communities that surround Knoxville. Just north of Knoxville are several interesting...

Crab Orchard is almost forgotten

Crab Orchard is almost forgotten A Day Away By Mike Steely Crab Orchard atop Cumberland Mountain is one of the most historic communities in our region. The drive up the mountain west of Kingston gives you a small idea of what early travelers and settlers faced. The...

MLK and the 14th Street Bridge incident

MLK and the 14th Street Bridge incident By Mike Steely When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed I was stationed in Washington, D.C., at Coast Guard HQ. The evening after his death many towns erupted with demonstrations, violence and theft. Being one of the petty...