Tennessee State Parks to Host Statewide Hikes to Celebrate Spring
Tennessee’s 56 State Parks are hosting free guided hikes statewide on Saturday, March 18 to celebrate the coming of spring and the bounty of recreation opportunities state parks offer. Park staff – who can speak to the natural, cultural and historical treasures that all Tennessee State Parks have to offer – will guide free hikes […]
Ash Wednesday Ushers in Lent
Mardi Gras and Carnival season are now over, ushering in a time of reflection and prayer in the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is Wednesday, March 1st, 2017. This Wednesday will be a prelude to the season of Lent leading to the Easter Holiday. What is Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday opens Lent as a season […]
Happy Mardi Gras!
Mardi Gras celebrations, otherwise known worldwide as Fat Tuesday, will begin on Tuesday February 28th, 2017. The holiday is full of food, celebrations, and fun as many prepare themselves for the upcoming season of Lent leading to Easter. The celebration of Mardi Gras is believed to have started thousands of years ago with pagan celebrations, […]
The Buzzz!!
The buzz word this week is “confounding.” The education hive met and the hierarchy overrode the buzzing of the masses. Buzzy Bees in the Know are buzzing that the powers that bee are more out of touch than ever with the average drones and it is creating a sticky situation. The low humm is that […]
A Chunk of Change
The numbers are in, well sort of in, and the bottom line for the proposed Commerce Park in White Pine is just a little steeper than I thought it would be. I figured on being north of five million dollars and even closer to ten million but fifteen million dollars is so north that it […]
She Said, He Said: The Role of the Media
The following is the third entry in “She Said, He Said,” a new series of articles seeking to compare and contrast the various views, political, social or otherwise, of Millennials in today’s world. Elizabeth Lane is a 2016 Carson-Newman University graduate with a BA in Creative Writing, and has worked at the Jefferson County Post […]
Industrial Development Board Meets, Gives Projected Total Cost of White Pine Commerce Park Project
The Jefferson County Industrial Development Board met Friday, February 27, 2017, and was joined by a number of citizens. The meeting opened with comments and questions by citizens. The primary concerns of citizens revolved around the tax abatement of Nyrstar. In response, Chairman Masters stated that Nyrstar’s tax abatement was completely finished as of January […]
First Full Day of School is August 8, 2017
The first day of school for Jefferson County students will be on August 8, 2017, though teachers will report for their first full day of school on August 1, 2017. Calendar School Year 2017-2018 dates were solidified on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at the Regular Meeting of the Jefferson County School Board. Other items of […]
High Levels of Chemicals Found in Cats
A study from Stockholm University have now established what was previously suspected, that the high levels of brominated flame retardants measured in cats are from the dust in our homes. The study has been published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. The study shows that cats are exposed to chemicals found in electronics and furniture, […]
Alastair Reynolds’ “Revelation Space”
As a huge fan of hard science fiction, I’ve come to grips with the fact that the genre’s “good to bad” ratio is about 1:10. Is isn’t hard to find painfully standard fare books in the genre, so I am always on the lookout for another great find. This week, I snagged a copy of […]
Study Reports Multidrug Resistant Bacteria Found in Hospital Sinks
Many recent reports have found multidrug resistant bacteria living in hospital sink drainpipes, putting them in close proximity to vulnerable patients. But how the bacteria find their way out of the drains, and into patients has been unclear. Now a team from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, has charted their pathways. The research is published […]
Tennessee Department of Education Showcases Positive Statewide Momentum in First Year of Read to be Ready
Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Candice McQueen today celebrated the strong movement forward in year one of Read to be Ready, a statewide campaign with multiple initiatives focused on helping our youngest learners build a strong foundation in reading, and she shared successes and key practices from individual classrooms, as well as how the state is helping […]
NASA Telescope Reveals Largest Batch of Earth-Size, Habitable-Zone Planets Around Single Star
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed the first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star. Three of these planets are firmly located in the habitable zone, the area around the parent star where a rocky planet is most likely to have liquid water. The discovery sets a new record for greatest number of […]
Happy Presidents Day!
Presidents Day is upon us, Monday, February 20, 2017. It is one of those holidays that most of us see pass in a blur and don’t really take the time to know or learn about. Presidents Day is a day of patriotic remembrance and a day to take a look back to the founding fathers […]
The Buzzz!!
The buzz word this week is “assumptions.” The budgeting hive met and it was the charity bees that got the sting. Buzzy Bees in the Know are buzzing that it could be more the line up than the work when it comes to pollination. The low, humm is that at least one hive could bee […]
Tough Decisions
I have to say that I was more than a little disappointed this week, as the Jefferson County Budget Committee passed a motion to only hear from non profits that made the funding cut for this fiscal year. Just like many Commissioners, I remember the lists of non profits that were requesting funding a few […]