The Master Gardeners of Hamilton County, in association with the University of Tennessee Extension, continue their third Saturday Gardening Classes online via Zoom. The next class takes place on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m., with “Shade Gardens” presented by Master Gardener Fran Geier. To register for the Zoom link to access this free public class go to: ... (click for more)

The Sept. 30 deadline is nearing for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s 2022 photo contest. Winning entries will be selected to appear in the TWRA’s annual calendar issue of Tennessee Wildlife magazine. All interested photographers are invited to submit up to 10 of their best photos on fishing, hunting, boating and wildlife species native to Tennessee. In the past, ... (click for more)

The Hamilton County Health Department reports an increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths below the age of 50, over the past three months. During the most recent winter surge, four percent of deaths were age 50 or younger. Since the beginning of July, 22 percent of deaths have been below the age of 50. “We extend our sympathy to all of our community members who have lost ... (click for more)

CARTA bus drivers will be getting almost a $3 per hour pay increase under terms of a new three-year contract between the transit agency and Local 1212 of the Amalgamated Transit Union. Lakecha Strickland, union president, said starting pay will be going from $17.32 an hour to $20.15 for new drivers. After a year, the pay rises to $21.80 and after two years to $23.70. Also, ... (click for more)

So they say it's time for redistricting. 'Redistricting' means carving up Hamilton County into nine sections of approximately equal population, right? And, as always, we're promised fairness in the process. But 'equal' is supposedly subject to topography and other unavoidable factors, and it's definitely subject to political whim. And 'fairness' is a very flexible term whose definition ... (click for more)

The first paragraph of a woman’s obituary in Illinois earlier this month was an eye-opener. “Springfield, IL—Candace Cay (Kruger) Ayers, 66, of Springfield, passed away on September 3, 2021, at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, IL. She was preceded in death by more than 4,531,799 others (globally) who were infected with COVID-19. She was vaccinated but was infected by others who ... (click for more)