Back in the 1970s, when I was in my twenties and still a couple of bubbles shy of plumb, I decided I could manage the dual role of a schoolteacher and a school bus driver. more

10 Years Ago — Tom Hilton of Tosh Farms discussed the company with prospective employee Ralph Dennie of McKenzie. more

Thursday of this week, Brenda and I headed to Cedars of Lebanon State Park to spend a few days and to attend a bluegrass festival. Two and a half hours into our journey, while we were traveling on I-840, I glanced at my side mirror to check on traffic and saw one of the wheels on our camper come off and go skittering across the highway. more

JUNE 18, 2024 — Maybe it was karma. Or divine appointment. I do not believe luck had anything to do with it. And it was not Willie putting his “mark” on me one last time. He had everlasting and forever done that in the summer of 1954 and ’55 and ’56 and ’57…. more

10 Years Ago — McKenzie held a hearing concerning the burned-out building in downtown McKenzie. Christien Radford previously owned the store, but online records indicated Jose Becerra and Hugo Becerra purchased the burned structure for $2,600 on April 14, 2014. more

To live life based on the expectations of others, is to live the life of a chameleon, constantly trying to read situations and become whatever they’re expected to be. The problem with the life of a chameleon is they never knows who they really are. more

10 Years Ago — To celebrate Memorial Day, Easton Butler and Harlon Butler carried and placed flags on graves of Veterans at Liberty All. more

Morris Frank was a blind man who helped start the first school that trained seeing eye dogs. His dog Buddy is considered to be the first seeing eye dog in America. more

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a letter from the co-owners of Tri-County Publishing, Inc. dba The McKenzie Banner, Jason and Brittany Martin, that will be delivered to members of McKenzie City Council prior to the meeting and read during the meeting. This is also meant to serve as an additional attempt to contact the city council prior to the meeting on Thursday, June 13. more

I’m telling you, I am trying with all my might to get out of the writing business, but things just keep popping up that need to be said. And I will admit, this one is my own fault. For reading the New York Times! more

A few months ago, Brenda and I decided to take a break from camping at Henry Horton State Park in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, and drive into Spring Hill, eat at a restaurant, and go see the latest Indiana Jones movie. more

10 Years Ago — Lori’s Hair Solutions celebrated its reopening with a ribbon cutting. The owner, Lori McDade, hosted friends and community leaders, including Mayor Jill Holland, at her shop. more

10 Years Ago — McKenzie Youth Summer Tee-Ball started. To get an out Kadarius Tharpe threw a ball to Fletcher Holt at first. more

A lot of you reading this have no idea what it’s like to live in a town of 5,000 people. You probably have lots of preconceived ideas about what life in such a small town must be like. Some of your notions may be accurate. But there are some things about life in a small town that can only be known by living there. more

After listening to Dr. Walter Butler speak this morning at Huntingdon’s Memorial Day event, I really wanted to know more about his uncle, Major Walter Sidney Butler, Jr. Within a few minutes of searching on-line for information, I found a treasure trove, and I am sharing it now in memory of Major Butler. more

I didn’t know he joined the Army when he was 17 and fought during World War II as a member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Pointe du Hoc, France. more

I lifted my bottom slightly off the seat. And craned my neck. I still couldn’t see much through the ladies’ hats and the back of the men’s Vitalis slicked-down hair. This was going to be a long night. more

One of the greatest interventions by a news organization was by Jack McElroy of the Knoxville News Sentinel and the violation of the Sunshine Law by the Knox County Commission. more

10 Years Ago — Miss Tennessee, Shelby Thompson Visits Oak Manor. She visited with the elderly people and gave them autographed photos. more

Under normal circumstances, Thursday’s McKenzie City Council meeting should have revolved around the approval of the fiscal year budget. While there was an unpublicized workshop on the budget, the Mayor’s impromptu directional change of Broadway took center stage. The ordeal of Broadway and antics of Thursday’s meeting have left a bad taste in my mouth for McKenzie Municipal Government.  more