“Everyone wants things to be different, but no one wants anything to change.” That could be the mantra of our region. Yet changes, in technology, culture, business activity, as a result of the Pandemic… Read More
It pains me to watch us flog ourselves like some medieval flagellants. Certainly, our region is far from perfect; we suffer from many of the same ills as other rural areas. Yet, despite significant… Read More
I don’t quite know what I am. I turn 65 next month and just registered for Medicare. Social Security looms on the horizon. I am putting it off and justify it with the notion… Read More
Life seems in flux. There are so many forces acting on us these days: the Pandemic; stresses on the economy; and change of administration after a brutal bloody campaign. These produce points of conflict… Read More
A New Year. Time to shed off the old and start anew. But sometimes, the baggage of the past comes back to haunt us. The weight of events gone by seem to overwhelm the… Read More
When I was young, the world seemed endless. Youth gives you a type of serenity knowing there was always “next time” (another Spring Break, another football game, or another Christmas to celebrate). When an… Read More
I have struggled to find my voice this week, emotions and feelings are mixed. Every time I start to write, I end up down the rabbit hole of COVID. Like some toxic vapor, it… Read More
“May you live in interesting times.” Today seems the epitome of this Chinese curse. Ours is the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world we live in is partially like the old days and… Read More
Regardless of the name (Tri-Cities, Upper East Tennessee or Appalachian Highlands), we live or die as one region. However, we have been unable to formulate a coherent story that incorporates and mutually benefits the… Read More
I grew of age (politically speaking) in the Reagan era. I watched the economic and social malaise of the 1970s recede before a message of hope and optimism. A renewed American spirit took hold.… Read More
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