The news that the hate group from Kansas, which calls itself Westboro Baptist Church, would be picketing in Huntsville, claiming that our “Cheerleaders died for Tennessee’s sins,” sent shockwaves throughout a community already racked with grief. Having just suffered the worst traffic accident in the history of our county, the idea that any group — [...]

William Paul Phillips, District Attorney General, 8th Judicial District Dr. Bruce Coffey Dr. William Hardy Michael (Mike) Swain, Chairman of First National Bank of Oneida William (Bill) Swain, former Chairman of the Board of First National Bank of Oneida The late James (Jim) Barna, founder of Barna Log Homes Don Stansberry Howard Baker George Taylor, [...]

[Update 10/22/08: We received a response from Becky Ruppe yesterday.  Click here to read and/or discuss Ruppe's response.] Absent a response from 12th District State Senate candidate Becky Ruppe to our question about why Democrats — especially liberal ones — should vote for her on November 4, the administrators of Scott County Liberals & Friends [...]

[Join the discussion of this post on our Forum.] A few weeks ago, we published a profile of Morgan County Executive Becky Ruppe, Democratic candidate for the Tennessee State Senate from District 12. (Twelve is your State Senate district if you live in Scott, Fentress, Morgan, Campbell, Roane, or Rhea County.) Ruppe offered an impressive [...]

Incumbent U.S. Senators of either major party are notoriously difficult to unseat. Consider Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the longest-serving U.S. Senator in history at 49 years (and counting). Ted Kennedy has weathered controversy, tragedy, and a malignant brain tumor in his 45 years of Senate service for the state of Massachusetts. “Independent” Senator [...]

Thanks to Google Alerts, which lets me know whenever someone is blogging about Scott County, I found a post about us today on a blog called Dine-o-meter: Finding Unique Restaurants. It was less than flattering, to say the least. The author, who hails from Chattanooga, apparently got pulled for speeding on her way through Scott [...]

In last night’s broadcast (Sunday, August 31st) Boyatt continued his political commentary, though he stopped short at specifically mentioning the presidential race this time. He talked about freedom of speech, and how terrible it is that he can take a bible into a jailhouse and preach, but can’t take one into a schoolhouse. If he [...]

[Read the article, then join the discussion here!] Gary Boyatt preaches hate — plain & simple. He calls his program, which airs Sunday evenings at 8:30 on WBNT / OCV, “The Bible Believer’s Broadcast” but it might as well be “The Bible Thumper’s Broadcast.” He is Scott County’s very own Jerry Falwell. During one of [...]

Last Sunday morning, Terry Lay of Robbins, Tennessee was awakened in the middle of the night by barking dogs. What he found when he looked outside was a terrifying symbol of hate — a burning cross, planted upside down in his yard. The Lay family moved to the Elgin community of Robbins nine years ago [...]

1. Scott County Seceded from the State of Tennessee In 1861, members of the County Court, who were Union sympathizers, voted unanimously to declare Scott County free and independent from the State of Tennessee which had seceded from the Union, and to become known as the Free & Independent State of Scott. In 1986, county [...]