Amy Satterwhite Americans love violence. That’s a sad fact of life that is getting sadder all the time, so it should be no surprise when we are subjected to the aftermath of a basketball game where players attack fans or the outcry when a game of sport like deer hunting goes awry. I’m not a…

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Morton Kondracke As much as Colin Powell’s departure is a loss to the State Department, it may be a gain for the nation’s children, who need special assistance amid stingy budgets. Realistically, Powell probably can’t get much more money spent on kids. But he can once again pioneer efforts to energize voluntary activity and try…

Letters to the Editor TO THE EDITOR: A free-roaming dog has an owner and a home and provided food and health care. However, that is generally the extent of the owner’s attention. Dogs are social animals and need human companionship, but this dog is left along for hours and hours with nothing to occupy its…

Jim Mullen Historians all agree that the Pilgrims really did celebrate a first Thanksgiving but they also agree that it was a one-time event. It wasn’t turned into a yearly celebration until Abraham Lincoln made it official during the middle of the Civil War, some 250 years later. New documents have come to light that…

Chattanooga coach Rodney Allison fired defensive coordinator Gwaine Mathews and two other assistants following a 2-9 season. Secondary coach Donald Dykes and defensive line coach Chris Achuff were the other two Mocs coaches released Monday. Chattanooga’s defense allowed 488.3 yards and 48.12 points per game, ranking them at the bottom in the Southern Conference.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Steve Spurrier might give his brash, visor-throwing style an overhaul now that he has returned to college football. Spurrier took over at South Carolina on Tuesday, signing a seven-year deal worth $1.25 million a season that could grow to more than $2 million with incentives. He pledged to turn the Gamecocks into…

Kicks Indoor Soccer Clinic The McMinnville Parks and Recreation Department in conjunction with Kicks Outdoor Sports will be hosting an indoor soccer clinic. The clinic’s instructor will be Justin Scott, former assistant head coach of McMinnville’s High School Soccer Team and owner of Kicks Outdoor Sports. The clinic will be held over a two day…

By ROB NUNLEY SMITHVILLE — The Lady Pioneer basketball team may have come up empty in last week’s Hall of Fame Classic games, but they filled up the basket with authority in Tuesday night’s regular season opener, rolling to a 64-41 win over DeKalb County. “We got off to a good start early, and we…

By ROB NUNLEY SMITHVILLE — The Pioneers staged a valiant comeback Tuesday night, only to have the rug pulled out from under them at the game’s final horn. WCHS guard Brooks Majors buried a 3-pointer with nine seconds left, tying Tuesday’s game against DeKalb County at 56-56 and completing a rally from what had been…