Tom Decosimo galvanized the Pachyderm Club on Monday by warning the conservative gathering of the UnifiEd group, saying it was “recruiting some left wing progressives to run for the School Board.” He told the club of the importance of controlling that board. He said, “The School Board had a 7-2 vote to pass through a $34 million school budget increase. That never goes away. That’s ... (click for more)

A Soddy Daisy man charged with second-degree murder attempted to have his $300,000 bond reduced in criminal court. Randy Lee Layne, 36, allegedly gunned down Timothy Stewart in a wooded area of Soddy Daisy in 2015. Defense attorney Jonathan Turner brought Layne’s sister, Lana Layne Lane, to the witness stand. She began by telling Judge Don Poole about Layne’s strong ties to the ... (click for more)

I have advocated and fought for increases in teacher salaries for educators over the decades. Beyond mere rhetoric, I actually talk to those policymakers at the state level who set the budget which largely determines salaries. We know that many teachers still struggle to support their own families, particularly in places where the cost of living is higher. That is unacceptable. ... (click for more)

I hear people all the time whining and complaining on here and other social media outlets about how bad the Valley has gotten or it's not the same Valley we have grown up in. You know it's not. There are several reasons why this is so true. However, we the citizens are the ones to blame. When I was picking up trash along Brown's Ferry I can't tell you how many times I picked ... (click for more)

Yotam Balbul headed home the lone goal of the match in the 81st minute to give the Lee men's soccer team its first Gulf South Conference Championship in program history with a 1-0 shutout of West Florida on Sunday afternoon from the Ashton Brosnaham Park. Balbul connected off a corner kick from Jared McWhorter to give the Flames the advantage late in the title game. Lee kept ... (click for more)

KNOXVILLE – Tennessee’s basketball teams both reappeared in their respective Associated Press top 25 polls on Monday. The Vols (3-0) popped back into the men’s poll at No. 20 after beating then-No. 20 Washington 75-62 last Saturday at the James Naismith Classic in Toronto. The Lady Vols (4-0), meanwhile, ended an 11-week absence from the women’s poll with their No. 23 ranking. ... (click for more)