Storm: Some shoes have a story

May 20, 2012 - 3:51am

My little dog Ollie has a fondness for shoes. No, I haven’t caught him browsing online for discount Hush Puppies (that would be kind of awesome, actually).

Grizzard: Campers will rough it at hotel

May 20, 2012 - 2:55am

I was at a church conference with my husband when I was shocked to hear one of the featured speakers say a four-letter word: camp.

Rutledge: Basketball ego deflated

May 19, 2012 - 3:50am

One of the first times I shot basketball on the back patio with my oldest daughter, I skunked her unmercifully in a game of HORSE.

Speller: Trying not to embarrass the kids

May 14, 2012 - 3:50am

My son recently asked me, “Momma, have you ever been embarrassed?” “Lots of times!” I told him. “Have you?

Clark: Book held Mother’s Day voices

May 13, 2012 - 3:51am

Kate Allen Clark, my grandmother, died when I was young. She was the only grandparent I ever knew and I was named for her and her mother.

Kirk: Hitting 40 hurts

May 13, 2012 - 2:55am

Earlier this year, I turned 40. I wasn’t really fazed by the milestone birthday, since it’s only a number.

Rutledge: Mother's Day back pay

May 12, 2012 - 3:50am

My wife has devised a solid method for ensuring that her maternal qualities are fully recognized and appreciated on Mother’s Day.

Burns: Election changes, stays the same

May 7, 2012 - 3:50am

Stuart Savage eyed me the first time I entered the Reflector newsroom.

Storm: Don't take words for 'granite'

May 6, 2012 - 3:53am

I make my living with the language, and despite the occasional reader who tells me I have no business doing so, I enjoy it.

Rutledge: Beating the church crowd

May 5, 2012 - 3:41am

Eating out after church was a special treat when I was growing up in Johnson City, Tenn., in the 1970s.

Speller: Spring fundraisers, concerts

April 30, 2012 - 3:50am

Birds aren’t alone bursting out in song during the spring. Local concerts and fundraising events also entertain with the sound of music.

Clark: Next page might just be the one

April 29, 2012 - 3:50am

I wrote a few months ago about my concern on the uncertainty now facing young people looking for careers, and I described how nearly 40 years ago I was worried, too, but optimistic.

Colligan: Endorsements encourage debate

April 29, 2012 - 3:05am

The Daily Reflector’s first recommendation for the primary election drew a familiar response from several readers, either in online comments or in phone calls to the office.

Rutledge: 'Oldest friend' a good read

April 28, 2012 - 3:50am

There are things I’d like to share with my oldest friend, John Schaut, who died last month just a few weeks after his 92nd birthday.

Burns: Get to know the candidates

April 23, 2012 - 3:50am

If you have questions about the upcoming election, reflector.com is a good place to look for answers.

Storm: When a lap dog runs laps

April 22, 2012 - 3:53am

In the last few years of his storied life, my dachshund Clifford was not exactly active.

Rutledge: Beauty from Alzheimer's

April 21, 2012 - 3:50am

Since the great University of Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summitt stepped down last week, there has been much talk about how she brings out the best in those around her.

Speller: Rally for Red Cross volunteers

April 16, 2012 - 3:50am

The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1.

Clark: Titanic still resonates

April 15, 2012 - 3:50am

Some of us might have grown tired of that song from the movie but not of the story of the oceanliner Titanic, which 100 years ago on this date struck an iceberg and sank in the cold North Atlantic off Newfoundland.

Guest Column: Keep students engaged

April 15, 2012 - 3:05am

More than two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet with First Gentleman Bob Eaves and hear him talk about a new program that he was piloting called Students@Work.

Hudson: Move reveals trove of stuff

April 15, 2012 - 2:50am

How many taper candles does one woman need?

Rutledge: Let the good times roll

April 14, 2012 - 3:50am

Operating a gasoline pump is just not fun anymore. Big Oil clearly needs to start thinking bigger.

Speller: Son will get room to grow

April 9, 2012 - 3:50am

My sister-in-law told me not long ago that when my daughter leaves for college in the fall my 10-year-old son will grow up fast.

Janet Storm: Beware the glare

April 8, 2012 - 3:53am

My mother was a formidable woman. Heading a household with five stubbornly independent children, there was never any doubt she was in charge.

Kelley Kirk: April ushers in festival season

April 8, 2012 - 2:56am

As the first weekend of April draws to a close, I’m readying myself for the rest of the month. And, wow, it’s a busy one.