The Resilient Farmer Fund benefit concert at the Paramount Theatre almost didn't happen. A city sewage malfunction threatened to shut down the venue before the first note could sound, before the first dollar could be raised for the farmers still digging sand out of fields that Hurricane Helene had rendered useless.    But the crowd—attendees, musicians, organizers, farmers, and sponsors alike—made a pact: hold it or use the restrooms elsewhere, but keep the doors open and let the music play....

Why Appalachian workers and students pay the steepest price for this national delusion     There is a specific, haunting vibe to the Monday after Daylight Saving Time (DST). It feels less like a calendar event and more like a low-grade, collective hangover. It is a ritualistic act of self-harm where 330 million people simultaneously decide to sacrifice an hour of sleep to a policy that is over a century old, scientifically indefensible and, to put it mildly, really stupid.  We treat DST like...

Co-authored and images by Raylee McKenzie Thousands of Northeast Tennesseans gathered on West State of Franklin Road on Oct. 18 for the "No Kings 2.0" protest against "executive overreach” and “perceived threats to democratic norms.” The Johnson City demonstration was part of a coordinated nationwide effort that organizers estimate involved nearly 7 million Americans. It was echoed locally by simultaneous sister protests in Bristol and Kingsport. Held on a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon, the...