.....Advertisement.....
.....Advertisement.....

Today's Opinions

  • LETTER: Dump Q&A puzzling

    To the editor: 

    I attended the public information meeting Sept. 10 concerning the proposed landfill in the Duff community. No commissioners from the 5th district were there. 

    To my knowledge, the county mayor was not present. Our state representative stayed about 30 minutes. 

    The audience was allowed to ask questions of the Ketchen Land Company representatives, operators of the dump.

    I left the meeting with many unanswered questions. 

    Click here to read more...
  • I LOVE YOU, CHEESESTICKS

    Every family seems to have their own terms of endearment — maybe a special nickname or a shorten form of your first name.
    At any rate, one of the ties that bind in any family are names that tend to stick for no apparent reason.
    My children are working hard on a few for my husband.
    We have what we call “blue lights and kisses,” right before my husband leaves for work.

    Click here to read more...
  • GOVERNOR: ‘Get movin’ Tennessee’

    Tennessee ranks 39th in health — which is slightly healthier than we’ve been in the past.But there is still a lot of work to be done. Earlier this month, I was excited to launch “Healthier Tennessee,” an initiative focused on encouraging Tennesseans to become more physically active to develop better eating habits and to avoid tobacco use.  

    Click here to read more...
  • On the inside looking out

    Last week, the LaFollette Press published a story about the controversial snake-handling practices of Pentecostal pastor Andrew Hamblin and his congregation at Tabernacle Church of God (“Snake Salvation,” Aug. 8).

    Click here to read more...
  • DRIVERS BEWARE: Insurance priceless in event of accident: 1 in 4 not carrying coverage in state

    It is true that the law requires all drivers to have a certain amount of insurance coverage to pay for harms and injuries they cause in an accident.  In Tennessee, the law says we all have to have a minimum of $25,000 per person injured, up to $50,000 per accident. Unfortunately, not everyone has insurance.  
    According to the latest figures from the Insurance Research Institute, 24 percent of Tennessee drivers have no insurance.  

    Click here to read more...
  • A lesson in good manners

    Some of the most important lessons are painful ones. I received a very humbling lesson about manners from my roommate my sophomore year in college.
    Kang was an international student. His family lived in China, but he was originally from Korea. He could speak at least three languages — that I was aware of — including English.

    Click here to read more...
  • BETH'S BYTES: Accidentally on purpose: How I became a journalist

     I became a reporter accidentally on purpose. 

    To me, it seems accidental, but that’s because I thought I had other plans. 

    Really. After a few summers of ER reruns when I was a kid, I was going to be a trauma physician, but then I realized I don’t have the tolerance for blood, guts and other bodily fluids. These days, I get my thrill from the couch with a blanket and my ER DVDs. 

    Click here to read more...
  • Looking ahead

    When I was about 7, I watched Saved by the Bell with my older sister. The 90s sitcom made adolescence seem like so much fun. And the teenage characters looked like the coolest people I could meet. At the time, I didn’t realize the show wasn’t the most accurate portrayal of high school.
    I spent a lot of my time as a child wanting to be a teenager. For me, the next phase of life represented a place where I would be able to experience more fun and joy.
    Then I became a teenager. Those years weren’t miserable. But I didn’t go to Bayside either.

    Click here to read more...