Will Ballad Health truly benefit our region?

Local business, government and education leaders said last week they were pleased to hear that Tennessee officials have given the thumbs up to a merger of Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System.

Could She Know?: Holiday joy seems to bypass Raymond & friends

We all have a stake in Ballad's success

Now it’s up to the newly formed Ballad to prove to its skeptics that Tennessee officials made the right decision. That means Ballad has to deliver on the many promises it made to area residents to control costs and deliver quality health care.

Taking care of the American ‘Dreamers’

Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker need to ask President Trump to do everything in his power to keep DACA in place while Congress works to pass the Dream Act of 2017 into law.

Will Sen. Corker call it quits next year?

It may not be what’s up, but what’s gone down in recent months that has the state junior senator rethinking his plans. Sources say polls show his his support among likely Republican Primary voters is dreadful. Trumpsters don’t have fond feelings for Corker these days. I guess that’s what happens when you liken the Trump administration to a dumpster (filled with baby diapers) on fire.

The 'black box' approach to tax reform

In science and engineering, we have the concept of the “black box.” This is a theoretical construct with inputs on one side and outputs on the other. What happens within the box does not matter as long as for a given set of inputs, we get the desired outputs.

Help is available to kick the habit

Kicking the habit not only benefits the person who quits cigarettes, but it also improves the lives of all who come in contact with second-hand smoke.

Equifax should help victims of data hack

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery says more than 3 million state residents are victims of the Equifax hack. The security breach of the credit reporting company has put the financial and personal information of 143 million Americans at risk of abuse or fraud.

Celebrating our cherished constitutional freedoms

This is Constitution Week, which was created in 1955 when the Daughters of the American Revolution convinced Congress to pass a law setting aside a week each year to observe the signing of the Constitution. This week is a time to emphasize the responsibility every American has to protect and defend the Constitution and to remind citizens of the role this document has had in the formation of this nation.

Trump is a hypocrite on DACA

It is embarrassing to read that our congressional leadership are trying to defend Trump’s wishy-washy executive order. It’s dishonest to pretend that Trump’s punt to Congress to fix DACA within six months is anything but a way for him to sidestep responsibility.

Hurricane relief, fight against local hunger both ongoing

“A lot of people are giving for the hurricanes but we still have hunger in East Tennessee.” — Unicoi Alderman Jeff Linville

Finding your own words to live by

What pieces of advice do you hold most dear? What motivates you and propels you to work hard toward greatness? Find those things.

An opioid treatment model for all of Tennessee

The legislative task force needs to follow what we are doing here in Northeast Tennessee to tackle the opioid problem, and we need to let state officials know what they can do to help the Gray clinic succeed.

Let's talk about climate change

Mother Earth isn’t angry — she's suffering. And our area is not immune. A new study published this summer in Science magazine concludes that the southern United States likely will feel the worst impacts of climate change.

Will street murals slow traffic?

While Johnson City commissioners have given their blessing to a neighborhood’s request to paint a mural on a city street to help slow drivers, they are not ready to see the unorthodox traffic calming approach expanded to other areas of the city.