Opinion & Editorial

Wandering Wordsmith: We came, we rocked, we were in bed by 11

By Denise Etheridge Music and memory go hand-in-hand. I was reminded of this last month. My husband and I don’t usually venture out on a weeknight, but this time we accepted an invitation to join friends for a concert at the Boot Barn in Gainesville.

Our View: Pride runs deep on Friday

The Friday night lights will come to blazing life tomorrow night for the White County Warriors as the first whistle of the high school football season cuts through the late-summer air.

Dink NeSmith: Reconnecting with old friends

What’s one of life’s most enjoyable surprises? For me, it’s reconnecting with old friends. For days now, I’ve been basking over the reunion with more than 100 unforgettable acquaintances. One by one—without saying a word—they spoke to me. And I still hear what they had told me years ago.

Paul's Perspective: In search of cool

By Paul Kimball As we lumber into August, it might be wise to remember that these are the enigma months – the paradoxical days between August and October that toy unmercifully with our desire to leave behind what has been and look with hopeful expectation to what is to come.

Notes from the Grillo Pad: Goofus and Gallant visit America

By Jerry Grillo If you’ve spent any time in a pediatrician’s waiting room, you’re probably familiar with the cartoon characters Goofus and Gallant, from Highlights for Children magazine.

OUR VIEW: Don’t let data centers drain us

We may be miles away from the ocean, but visitors still flock to White County for the water — we have trout streams, swimming holes, waterfalls. The great outdoors. Meanwhile, the people downstream depend on the water that comes from here.

FROM THE DESK OF PHIL HUDGINS: Herbalists can steer you right

Over the years, I have interviewed a number of herbalists, people who study—and believe in the effectiveness of—herbs and medicinal plants found in the Southern Appalachians. Some of them were experts in the field. The late Marie Mellinger of Rabun County, Ga., comes to mind.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR: Feeling overwhelmed? Try this

By Kristi Casey Blaring headlines. Hysterical social posts. Looming deadlines. Endless household chores. Add all that together and it’s hard NOT to get overwhelmed. If you find yourself feeling powerless and paralyzed, here’s something to try to help you regain balance: Fill your cup first.

THE WANDERING WORDSMITH: A windowless waiting room

By Denise Etheridge Why is it that the couples who desperately want children and would make the best parents struggle to conceive? My daughter Rachel and her husband Paul are in that category. They’ve been married for 11 years. She’s 40 and he’s 45.

OUR VIEW: Science is the anchor in sea of facts

Every day we navigate a surging sea of facts, consuming more information than someone a century ago absorbed in months. With constant streams from the internet and social media, facts — and opinions posing as facts — are easily twisted or ignored.