Columns

Gentle reader, public discourse in this great republic may be approaching a crisis point, and if not, a boiling point.

This state of affairs arises from the President’s action in attempting to fill certain cabinet vacancies, especially the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency.

He has named long-time C.I.A. operative John Brennan to head that agency, and former Republican Senator from Nebraska, Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense.

The State Report Card was released last month, so now is a good time to update our citizens on the status of Roane County Schools.  

The report card shows academic improvement — and also shows many areas for growth.

Our greatest improvement was in math, where we received an A in value-added scores and a B in achievement.  

Our goal this year will be to maintain the A and improve our achievement score.  

Our other achievement scores were an A in social studies with B’s in reading and science.  

Gentle reader, as we wrote a few weeks ago we are increasingly grateful for the gift of friendship, but all too often we are reminded of the meaningfulness of our friendships most strongly when one or more of those friends is called from us by their death.

Thus it was this past week when we lost one of our old South Harriman High School friends, Bill Gibson: and almost simultaneously came the news of the death of Mary Lou Bradford.

Thanks to a tennis accident, a massive blood clot in my leg,  a bout with cancer, a bum gall bladder and a few other health issues, I’ve spent more time than I care to recall in and around hospitals.
So when my mother went in last week for surgery to relieve compression on her spine, I jokingly told her, “Better you than me.”
Later, as I sat alone for hours in the surgery waiting room, I decided she had the easier role.