GOOD STUFF – Sense of Neighborly Fellowship
GOOD STUFF is a column sponsored by RESCUE 180, dedicated to spotlighting the good side of the news. Saturday marked the conclusion of Christmas Parade Season across Jefferson County. Starting the first Saturday in December to the last Saturday before Christmas Day, the streets of Jefferson County are lined with parade goers and participants. While […]
Jefferson County EMA Deputy Director Tim Wilder receives federal civilian service medal for actions in U.S. pandemic response
Jefferson County EMA Deputy Director Tim Wilder received the COVID-19 Pandemic Civilian Service Medal for exemplary service to the nation as part of the federal medical response to the pandemic. Deputy Director Wilder serves as a member of an Incident Management Team (IMT) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic […]
48,538 Pounds of Litter Removed from Tennessee Roadways During No Trash November
More than 1,300 volunteers across the state removed more than 48,000 pounds of litter in their communities as part of the second annual No Trash November, a month-long initiative created to ensure Tennessee roadways are safe from the harmful effects of litter. The initiative is spearheaded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) litter prevention campaign, Nobody Trashes Tennessee, and in partnership with Keep Tennessee Beautiful (KTnB) affiliates and Adopt-A-Highway groups. […]
FSU research links common sweetener with anxiety
Florida State University College of Medicine researchers have linked aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in nearly 5,000 diet foods and drinks, to anxiety-like behavior in mice. Along with producing anxiety in the mice who consumed aspartame, the effects extended up to two generations from the males exposed to the sweetener. The study is published in […]
Nearly 40 million children are dangerously susceptible to growing measles threat
Measles vaccination coverage has steadily declined since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, a record high of nearly 40 million children missed a measles vaccine dose: 25 million children missed their first dose and an additional 14.7 million children missed their second dose, a joint publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and […]
Tennessee to Receive $13 Million from Settlement with Electronic Cigarette Manufacturer JUUL Labs, Inc.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a Complaint and Assurance of Voluntary Compliance relating to Tennessee’s settlement with electronic cigarette maker JUUL Labs, Inc. The settlement is the culmination of a two-year, bipartisan, 34-state investigation into JUUL’s marketing and sales practices. The total settlement payout will be $434.9 million, with Tennessee receiving approximately $13 million. […]
VITAL POLICY – Gentry vs. Speaker of the House, A Citizen’s Quest to Exercise Constitutional Rights and Improve Tennessee Government
John Gentry is asking the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives to schedule a time for him to orally “address” the house of representatives for a period of fifteen minutes at a time mutually agreed upon when a quorum is present. His aim is to persuade state legislators to make corrections to a system […]
Splashdown! NASA’s Orion Returns to Earth After Historic Moon Mission
NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, at 9:40 a.m. PST Sunday after a record-breaking mission, traveling more than 1.4 million miles on a path around the Moon and returning safely to Earth, completing the Artemis I flight test. Splashdown is the final milestone of the Artemis I mission that began with […]
Carson-Newman University celebrates winter graduates
Carson-Newman University celebrated some 380 graduates during its Winter Commencement on Friday, Dec. 9. Families gathered at the Sevierville Convention Center to watch their students receive their degrees. Dr. Carolyn Bishop, president of the Consortium for Global Education (CGE), delivered the commencement address. The CGE supports 40 private accredited universities representing over 7,000 full-time faculty members. In her address to graduates Bishop spoke on […]
#HEROES – Karen Phillips Lee is one of those people
#Heroes is a column sponsored by Dr. Warren K. Stinson, DDS, Jefferson City, TN, spotlighting local heroes throughout the community from all walks of service. It has been said that given the right circumstances many people have the capacity to perform heroic deeds. While that certainly may be true, it is only a handful of […]
THE LEARNING CURVE – 84 Cafeteria Staff Bring A Little Extra Along With Nearly 70,000 Meals
THE LEARNING CURVE is a column sponsored by Doug Ibbetson, Jefferson County School Commissioner, spotlighting those in the educational community who make a significant contribution to the success of Jefferson County School System. It takes many components and many people performing various necessary tasks to make a good learning environment for children. While most of […]
Wreaths Across America, December 17, 2022
Giving the gift of remembrance! Each December, Wreaths Across America (WAA) coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and at more than 3,400 other locations in all 50 U.S. states. Wreaths are also laid at sea and in foreign lands. According to its website www.wreathsacrossamerica.org, the non-profit organization has three paramount goals: to REMEMBER our […]
VITAL POLICY – OPINION – Citizen Standing to Participate in Government, A Primer on the Tennessee Constitution
Nothing says your opinion doesn’t count like shutting down citizen comment at public meetings. If citizens wish to speak their mind at county commission, school board, or any subcommittee meeting of local government, they should be able to comment on any public policy issue. When the framers of the Tennessee Constitution included Section 23 under […]
The Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs Offers Consumer Protection Tips When Considering Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
The Food and Drug Administration rules now allow the sale of over-the-counter (“OTC”) hearing aids. Consumers over the age of 18 may buy hearing aids directly from store shelves and online at lower prices. Finding the right OTC hearing aid may require consumers to try more than one device before finding the perfect fit, and […]
Participants in State’s Families First/TANF Program to Receive a One-Time Additional Payment of $500
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is providing extra support to thousands of families who receive monthly cash assistance through the state’s Families First program. Households with a case in the Families First Program as of December 1, 2022, will receive a one-time additional payment of $500 on their existing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. This […]
State Veterinarian Urges Biosecurity to Prevent Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
The Tennessee State Veterinarian is issuing an alert for domesticated bird owners who also engage in bird hunting. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is prevalent in wild birds and is endangering backyard and commercial flocks in Tennessee. “HPAI detections among domesticated birds and wild birds have been on the rise.” Tennessee State Veterinarian Dr. Samantha […]
