HOMESTEAD, Fla. (November 25, 2009)— Ron Hornaday and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Longhorn team went to Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway as the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champions. The race prior to that at Phoenix International Raceway, Hornaday became only the second driver in Truck Series history to clinch the championship before the final race, Greg Biffle clinched at Phoenix in 2000. Ironically, both Biffle and Hornaday clinched on Friday the 13th in their respective seasons. Even though the driver’s championship had been decided the No. 33 team still had some unfinished business to complete as they raced Kyle Busch and the No. 51 truck team for the owner’s championship. With a solid eighth-place finish Hornaday was able to hold off Busch who had tire trouble late in the race to win the driver and owner’s championship and become the first four-time Truck Series champion. “I just can’t believe it,” said Hornaday following the race. “This has been... (more...)

November 30, 2009 – The Brown Bag Green Book series sponsored by the Knox County Public Library and the City of Knoxville continues at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2, in the East Tennessee History Center Auditorium, 601 South Gay Street. Dr. Bill Shiell, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, will lead a discussion of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell. “Cheap addresses our need for more stuff by challenging our assumptions about discounts,” said Dr. Shiell. “The book says that just because something is on sale does not make it a good value. During the shopping season, this book asks us to look beyond the sale price and examine how our purchases reflect our values. ” Shell tackles more than just discount culture in this wide-ranging book that argues that the American drive toward bargain-hunting and low-price goods has a hidden cost in lower wages for workers and reduced quality... (more...)

Vegetable Salad for Dinner Author: Nayan Choure A lot of people are becoming health conscious already. They prefer to prepare their own food to make sure they are eating just healthy foods. They would not know what ingredients are used in commercial foods. Then again, many of us are busy with our works and personal lives. It is often easier to resort to buying food outside rather than go to the ordeal of preparing our own food in the kitchen. Good thing though that there are now many quick recipes that will only take around 10 minutes to do. These are easy to make and promises to be very healthy. You could also adapt a few tips on how to make preparations much easier and quicker. The first tip is to use all the possible convenient products available to you. It could be frozen mixed veggies, pasta sauces and many more. It requires little cooking. You could toss them up together in a matter of few minutes with hardly any cooking needed. Ready the ingredients beforehand if you are thinking... (more...)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 30) – The Great Smoky Mountain Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) celebrated National Philanthropy Day on Nov. 12 with an awards luncheon honoring local volunteers and philanthropists. The local AFP chapter presented three awards at the celebration, which was held at Rothchild Catering and Conference Center in Knoxville. U.S. Cellular received the Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist award. Nominated by Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, U.S. Cellular has contributed more than $200,000 to the organization’s programming since 2003. Over the past five years, U.S. Cellular has contributed more than $1.1 million to Tennessee schools and nonprofit organizations, and local company associates have volunteered more than 1,600 hours over the past three years. Jack Brundige, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Tennessee, accepted the award on behalf of the company. In 2009-2010, U.S.... (more...)

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about how my TV remote control devices must be secretly breeding at night. They mysteriously appear throughout the cabin loaded with different shaped and colored buttons with mind-boggling labels: “aux, live, action, r-tune, zero, angle, enter, lock, counter reset… and on and on. Out of curiosity I have cautiously pressed a few of the more exotic sounding buttons, but Barney Fife still looked exactly the same. Mathematical research has determined that just two of my many remotes have a total of 98 buttons and all of them allegedly impact the viewing experience. Do I really need 100 control buttons to watch championship poker or those crazy guys catching crabs? Just last week my wife anxiously called to me asking how to turn up the volume. I instinctively shifted to a defensive posture because somehow the whole remote control monkey business has landed squarely on my shoulders.... (more...)

Above all else- Good food Author: Fred Newtz Good food like event companies are hard to come by. Private party catering is a tricky business as companies often try to skim the client with food that is below par. Truth be told it often happens guests will smile and eat while thinking to themselves, “God, this awful”. So when planning an event, private party catering is by far the most challenging problem facing a prospective host. Does one shop around and pray he is lucky? Or should you the client get exactly what it is you’re looking for? The answer is in the food itself and sometimes by word of mouth. Companies that have established reputations within private party catering will tell you success ultimately lies in the client. Make him or her happy and tomorrow you will have another party. This is the formula that established event companies have tried and tested. Every guest is a prospective client and its companies that understand this concept that will more often then not be successful.... (more...)

The Smoky Mountains Jam will begin the season on Saturday, November 27th at 4pm against the Salem Mustangs.  Also, don’t miss the Smoky Mountains Jam vs The Kentucky Bisons on Friday, December 4th at 7pm and The Georgia Prowl on Saturday, December 5th at 7pm.  Adminision is FREE for Sevier County residents.  All games are played at Catlettsburg Elementary School.  For more information visit http://smokymountainsjam.com, call 865-680-7369 or email smokymountainjam@gmail.com.  Read More →

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Harry C. Gill Memorial Award was presented to former Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) board president and Certified Sports Field Manager (CSFM) Bob Campbell from the University of Tennessee. The award was presented at the organization’s 20th annual convention held in San Jose, Calif., on Jan. 13-17. The Gill Award recognizes an individual for their hard work in the sports turf industry and acknowledges their dedication and service to the STMA. Campbell was honored for his extraordinary commitment to the profession. His sports field management practices have raised the bar for all sports turf managers, and he is lauded as a mentor to many in the industry. His leadership helped to navigate STMA through turbulent times, and it is through his leadership that the association is strong and vibrant today. The STMA presents four awards named after the founders of the STMA: Dick Ericson, Dr. William H. Daniel, George Toma, and Harry Gill. Each award... (more...)

On Thursday, Dec. 10, the Airport Hilton will feature a fashion runway, as Foothills Weight Loss Specialists and the Blount Memorial Weight Management Center host their Seventh Annual Bariatric Fashion Show to celebrate seven years of bariatric surgery and more than 50,000 pounds lost. In addition to a fashion show featuring post-weight loss surgery models, the celebration includes weight loss surgery success stories and a salute to surgeons Mark Colquitt and Jonathan Ray of Foothills Weight Loss Specialists for their services to hundreds of patients. “By modeling their former fat clothes, our models show the dramatic amount of weight lost following bariatric surgery,” said Colquitt. “At last year’s fashion show, the seven participants had lost a total of 746.5 pounds.” Mark A. Colquitt, MD, FACS Medical Director and Bariatric Surgeon Foothills Weight Loss Specialists Colquitt also pointed out that the testimonials and fashion show serve as an encouragement to other post-surgical... (more...)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Riding a four-game winning streak, the Tennessee Titans (4-6) return home this week to play the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals (7-3). The Nov. 29 contest at LP Field (capacity 69,143) kicks off at 3:15 p.m. CST. The time was recently changed from its originally-scheduled noon kickoff. • Download Team Releases: Titans | Cardinals Prior to the game, fans are encouraged to participate in the annual Titans Foundation Coat Drive. New and used coats can be dropped off at one of several collection sites around LP Field. The donated coats subsequently will be delivered to Middle Tennessee non-profit agencies. THE BROADCAST This Sunday’s game will be televised regionally on FOX, including Nashville affiliate WZTV FOX-17. Sam Rosen will handle play-by-play duties, while Tim Ryan will provide color commentary. The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 103.3-WKDF, will broadcast the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike... (more...)