By Wednesday morning, the death toll had reached 37 with hundreds still missing. Deadly flash floods had washed through the hollers of Eastern Kentucky, taking with them entire families who …
Them old muddy water blues
One day toward the middle of last week, James McMillan noticed a pickup truck blocking McCampbell Drive next to the creek down the hill from McMillan’s house. A couple of …
Eulogy for an elegy of an elegy
Last week, my esteemed publisher expressed some puzzlement as to why I haven’t been cranking out columns lately. She did acknowledge that I’ve been a little preoccupied with the aftermath …
First Church and the Fighting Parson
Originally published September 15, 2017.
One of the great revelations of my childhood came when First Methodist Church got sand blasted. The work started on a Monday morning, and when we …
Requiem for the Jester: We won’t see his like again
He was a wisecracking funnyman whose T-shirt bore the logo, “Call me when you’re serious,” and he meant it.
Most people are pretty good at something. But Tom Jester was one …
Bike vs. Edwards in West Knox school board race
District 4 school board candidate Katherine “Kat” Bike has maybe one-tenth the campaign kitty that her opponent has amassed, but she’s banking on fighting the money gap with what appears …
Vivian Shipe picks purple, a hybrid color, like America
Four years ago, the leading contenders for the Knox County Commission District 11, at-large, faced off in the Republican Primary. Justin Biggs, a young county employee who pitted his sparse …
Doug Jones: ‘You can’t just wish for change’
Asking former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones to be the keynote speaker at this year’s Truman Day Dinner is paying off for Knox County Democratic Party chair Matt Shears. Not only …