By Joseph Perkins / Columnist The Transportation Security Administration is not amused. It doesn’t appreciate being shown up by Nathaniel Heatwole, the 20-year-old college kid who is charged with smuggling box cutters and other verboten items aboard two commercial jetliners last month.“When you have individuals like this gentleman,” said Chris Rhatigan, a TSA spokeswoman, “or…

By Ed Kimbrell / Columnist The popular arts are always trying to survive the never-ending lust to create new works and forget those that are often masterworks. Yet, to the world, what we have created is a form of soft-diplomacy, a twisted, incredible kaleidoscope of the United States. To millions, our popular arts are America.The…

By Charlie Johnson / Columnist Like most of the people who will read this, I am a citizen of a country which claims to be one of the most freedom-loving nations in the world, and make no mistake, I love my country. And I love it, in no small part, because of all the freedoms…

Winnifred Grace McCorkle Roberts, 97McMinnville resident and Warren County native Winnifred Grace McCorkle Roberts, 97, died Oct. 23 at River Park Hospital after a short illness.A homemaker and a member of the Baptist Church, she was the daughter of Andrew Jackson and Blanche Loudora Miller McCorkle.She is survived by daughters, Wanda Fay Roberts and Myra…

TO THE EDITOR: Congratulations to Jeff Watson, the staff, and WCMS football team for another great year. I really enjoyed watching the team compete at a very high level.The players showed no quit, refused to be blocked, refused to be tackled by only one man. The protection was there on pass plays. The receivers ran…

To the editor: After reading the latest of several negative articles concerning WastAway, I feel the need to express my disappointment regarding the neighbors of that company who continue to complain instead of supporting this great opportunity.First, let me be clear on one thing – I do agree no one would want to smell such…

By Jim Mullen / Columnist I’m 53 and I have gray hair. The only time you see people like me on television is in a certain commercials that only run during the evening news.You’ll see an athletic-looking, gray-haired guy and his athletic female mate running down a beach, playing tennis, dancing on the deck of…

By Joan Ryan / Columnist She is a middle-class, attractive college student. She has had boyfriend troubles, as you might imagine of a girl of 19. She apparently has had significant emotional swings. And she has made poor decisions, the worst of which, it seems, was going to a famous basketball player’s hotel room in…

By James Clark / Columnist Rebecca Paul doesn’t have to wait in line to buy a ticket. Tennessee’s new lottery chief has already hit the jackpot.In Paul’s brief time on the job, her vast salary has commanded more attention than anything she has done related to the state’s lottery in progress. That’s because Paul can…

Our Viewpoint A North Carolina college student has commanded headlines recently for exposing shortcomings in airline security.While the matter is currently under investigation by the FBI, the impetus should be in making air travel as safe as possible. The college student, 20-year-old Nathaniel Heatwole, should be punished, but federal officials should be more concerned with…