James Clark Few things stir the emotional juices like local politics. And with early voting starting today for elected positions from Dibrell to Morrison, it?s safe to say we?re juiced in Warren County. I always know election time has arrived when letters to the editor come pouring into my office by the dozen. As much…

Cokie & Steven Roberts ASPEN, COLO. — The Aspen Ideas Festival assigned a panel of high-powered experts to contemplate the challenges of globalization. Each listed their most important concerns. None mentioned the word terrorism. As the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 approaches, no American has forgotten the trauma and tragedy of that day. President Bush…

Nat Hentoff After President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the Supreme Court held oral arguments on whether he had violated the Constitution by suspending habeas corpus during the Civil War — authorizing the arrests by the military of thousands accused of disloyalty or espionage. (“All persons … guilty of disloyal practice … shall be subject to…

Baby Boy Kayla Tate and Jeffrey Blair announce the birth of their son, Devin Lee Blair. He arrived June 13 at River Park Hospital weighing 7 pounds, 2.5 ounces. His grandparents include Kenny and Michelle Owen, and Randall and Peggie Blair of Spencer. Baby Boy Ayden Ty Banker, son of Yvonne and Christopher Banker of…

Roger Cook It has been said, ?Time flies when you?re having fun.? I don?t know who coined this phase, but certainly time does seem to go by much faster when one is enjoying the environment he finds himself in. The second week of June, I ?found? myself on the shores of Old Hickory Lake near…

Lucky Homemaker Lucky Homemaker FCE met June 26 in the Magnolia Room with president Sherry Salamon conducting the meeting. Gladys Womack read from Isaiah and Salamon offered the prayer. Brenda lead the pledge to the flag and roll call was answered with ?If I had a house pet, it would be. . . ? Jo…

Knoxville resident Velma Mae Hughes, 90, died July 12 at Ft. Sanders Regional Medical Center. A retired employee of Cherokee Mills after 40 years of service and a member of Marble City Baptist Church, she was the daughter of the late Walter and Pallie Hughes; and was preceded in death by brother Homer Hughes. She…

Murfreesboro resident and Syracuse, N.Y., native Timothy George Cowans, 48, was born June 16, 1958 and died July 9 at Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro following an 11-day illness. An employee at Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation and a member of the Catholic Church, he was the son of the late William George and Mary Elizabeth…

Centertown resident and Warren County native George Edward Prater, 84, died July 10 at Sparta NHC after an extended illness. A farmer and retired employee of the state Department of Transportation and a member of the Church of Christ, he was the son of the late J.R. and Ebbie Youngblood Prater; and was preceded in…

BOMBAY, India (AP) Eight bombs exploded in first-class compartments of packed Bombay commuter trains Tuesday, killing 147 people and wounding hundreds in a well-coordinated terror attack on the heart of a city that embodies India’s global ambitions. Suspicion quickly fell on Kashmiri militants who have repeatedly carried out nearly simultaneous explosions in attacks on Indian…