Bill Hagerty, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, joined other Republican congressional candidates speaking at a meeting of the Washington County Federated Republican Women on Monday in praising President Donald Trump and warning of a wave of socialism sweeping the nation. Hagerty, who is one of 15 Republicans on the Aug. 6 ballot vying to succeed retiring U.S. Sen Lamar Alexander, told Republicans at the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City he believes “America is at a crossroads.” The former ambassador to Japan noted that he has been endorsed in the race by the president, and said that  ..read more

ROME (AP) — Ennio Morricone, the Oscar-winning Italian composer who created the coyote-howl theme for the iconic Spaghetti Western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and often haunting soundtracks for such classic Hollywood gangster movies as “The Untouchables” and the epic “Once Upon A Time In America,” died Monday. He was 91. Morricone’s longtime lawyer, Giorgio Assumma, said “the Maestro,” as he was known, died in a Rome hospital of complications following surgery after a recent fall in which he broke a leg bone. Outside the hospital, Assumma read a farewell message from Morricone. “I am Enni ..read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country music firebrand and fiddler Charlie Daniels, who had a hit with “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” has died at age 83. A statement from his publicist said the Country Music Hall of Famer died Monday at a hospital in Hermitage, Tennessee, after doctors said he had a stroke. He had suffered what was described as a mild stroke in January 2010 and had a heart pacemaker implanted in 2013 but continued to perform. Daniels, a singer, guitarist and fiddler, started out as a session musician, even playing on Bob Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline” sessions. Beginning in the early 197 ..read more

David Wayne Ford, 58, passed away May 16, 2020. He was preceded in death by his father, John Wayne Ford. David served in the United States Navy before retiring as a Chief Yeoman after 23 years. He liked racing and Tennessee Volunteers. David loved life and people. Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 30 years, Lois Ford of Norfolk, VA; his mother and stepfather, Jean and Buck Trent of Jonesborough; his sister and brother-in-law, Darlene and Russell Johnson of Johnson City; his step brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Tina Trent of Elizabethton and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. A mem ..read more

Novel coronavirus in Tennessee by the numbers: — 724 new cases and 7 new deaths reported Tuesday. — 52,155 total cases since tracking began in March. 51,774 confirmed. 381 probable. — 653 total deaths. 628 confirmed. 25 probable. — 766 new recoveries for a total of 31,020. — 26 new hospitalizations for a total of 2,897 over the course of the pandemic. — 8,441 new tests for a total of 904,237. Northeast Tennessee by the numbers: — 35 new cases in the upper eight counties for a total of 641. — New cases by county: Carter 6, Greene 11, Hawkins 5, Sullivan 4 and Washington  ..read more

July 6, 1901: The Knoxville Sentinel carried news of plans for the Soldier’s home, now known as the Mountain Home VA Health Care Center. “Hon. W.P. Brownlow has received word that the plans have been selected for the Soldiers’ home at this place (meaning Johnson City). The board of managers met at the office in New York on June 24 for that purpose, but did not make immediate selection. Plans have not been selected from those submitted by the competing architects and bills will be advertised for at once.” July 6, 1921: The Jonesboro Herald and Tribune carried this news “On July 3d, the first is ..read more

Hidden behind the scenes in the TSSAA’s late-start plan for football is a quandary that fits this currently chaotic world. If the Board of Control selects Option No. 1 or No. 2 during Wednesday’s special called meeting, it could produce a Wild West scenario of teams scrambling to secure non-region games that benefit their programs financially. Under each of those options — two of the four being offered — the TSSAA will set region schedules for all schools. Option 1 (a seven-game regular season) would have Region 1 teams in classes 6A, 5A and 4A searching for one non-region game with smaller sc ..read more

A video of a woman making racist and homophobic remarks Saturday during a protest in Elizabethton has gone viral with hundreds of thousands of views on various social media platforms. The counter-protester identified herself as Sonya Holt in an interview with a local news station. Holt could be seen on social media video yelling at protesters “white lives matter,” “white lives are better” and making homophobic remarks, referring to one person by a homophobic slur and telling him he would “burn in hell” for being gay. At another point in the video, Holt could be heard yelling at a Black woman t ..read more

A recent East Tennessee State University petition is asking university leadership to “preserve instruction at ETSU” and commit to “no layoffs for adjunct faculty.” The July 1 petition, addressed to university President Brian Noland and Interim Provost Wilsie Bishop, was drafted by United Campus Workers members and other ETSU campus workers. It urged university leaders to address the “adjunct crisis at ETSU constructively” and to “ensure transparency in proposed strategies to meet budget shortfalls by providing a clear public accounting of the state of ETSU's reserve funds, a database ..read more

State Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2004. Hill is a graduate of Northeast State Community College and East Tennessee State University. Hill has worked as a broadcaster and small business owner, and he and his wife Amanda have three children. He currently serves as chairman of the House Finance, Ways & Means Appropriations Subcommittee and the Select Committee on Rules. He is also a member of the Calendar & Rules; Finance, Ways & Means; Health and Insurance committees. Hill and Rebecca Keefauver Alexander are t ..read more