by design | Aug 31, 2026 | Columnist, Ferguson
By Dr. Jim Ferguson We lost a great lady last week. Dolly Parton belonged to the world, but we East Tennesseans considered her our own. Her Smoky Mountains were mine as well. And like her mountains, her music and life are for the ages. I had begun a different essay,...
by design | Aug 31, 2026 | Columnist, McKeehan
By Jedidiah McKeehan According to a 2018 study, it is estimated that forty percent of births in the United States occur outside of marriage. That is an increase from twenty-eight percent in 1990. It seems that there is much less of a stigma surrounding having children...
by design | Aug 31, 2026 | Columnist, Mattingly
By Tom Mattingly Moments of transition are always interesting, sometimes sad, many times poignant, often intriguing. There is a wide range of emotions as you watch one career pass in review and watch another one begin. The day in question was June 4, 2003, in the...
by design | Aug 31, 2026 | Columnist, Nagi
By Mark Nagi As you well know, the 2026 college football season is almost here. Technically, it has already arrived with “Week Zero” contests played last weekend, but the real deal starts on Saturday. For the Tennessee Volunteers, only 12 games are guaranteed....
by design | Aug 31, 2026 | Columnist, Pratt
By Justin Pratt, Clear Springs Baptist Church Senior Pastor You have seen it a thousand times. So, have I. A headline appears on your screen: “You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!” or “This Changes Everything!” Curiosity gets the best of you, so you click, only to...
by design | Aug 31, 2026 | Columnist, Rector
By Joe Rector joerector@comcast.net We all woke up this morning hoping that the news wasn’t true, that we’d just had a bad dream. However, with the sunlight came the realization that Dolly Parton is gone. Just like it was hard to believe that she was 80, the...
