Jackson County Public Schools announced it is officially going out for construction bids to install lighting systems on its baseball and softball fields. This significant project aims to enhance the athletic experience for student-athletes, improve safety, and support the broader community.

Following the Atlanta Braves’ recognition late last month of several groups in Georgia recognized by that state as Native American, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians officials issued multiple statements decrying the inclusion of multiple Cherokee tribes that are not federally recognized. 

One of the best things about marriage is the abundance of opportunities for continuous learning. For example, I did not know until today that you are never really on vacation until you put on a swimsuit. 

Ever notice how the sparkle in a kid’s eyes diminishes with age? The older I get, the more I want to be like a kid. I want to laugh with my whole body and get excited about little things like chocolate chips in my pancakes or blowing a dandelion. 

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | Life’s rolling along and you’re feeling confident and BAM out of the blue you have an experience that causes you to question yourself.  You notice that you’re having a few doubts about something that normally wouldn’t rattle you.  What’s that about?

Aside from the global darkness of a pandemic, political strife, natural disasters and the impending anniversary of 9/11, there is grief on a local and personal level as well. 

For much of the 20th Century, small-town life in Western North Carolina revolved around the large-scale industrial enterprises that had sprung up across some of the most rural settlements in the state. 

When our son, Jack, joined the high school marching band, he promptly announced his official retirement from baseball, unceremoniously closing the book on a 10-year career — from tee ball to senior league — that included at least a hundred games and untold thousands of practices, including those earliest ones in our back yard, where I taught him, among other things, how to turn his glove to catch the ball and how to shift his weight when swinging the bat.

It will cost nearly half a million dollars to upgrade facilities at the Smoky Mountain High School baseball fields to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

I am supposed to be watching a Dodgers game tonight. At this very moment, I should be pushing one of those “mini” grocery carts up and down the aisles of Ingles, stocking up on my usual menu of snacks when the Dodgers make the playoffs: tortilla chips and salsa verde for the first three innings, red seedless grapes for innings four through six, and then the clean-up hitter, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey in the last three innings.