Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

Everyone should do it at least once in their life. Speak on the radio, I mean. While promoting my new book (search for my name on Amazon if you’re curious), I had the honor of being interviewed l...

I am definitely a product of the great American melting pot, but on both sides of the family, a Scots-Irish ancestry is prominent (Some distant cousin with too much time on his hands traced my...

I’m heartbroken that cartoonist Scott Adams recently self-destructed -- but hold the presses! This big, beautiful world still has plenty of comic strips to tickle our funny bones. Don’t believe me?...

I just heard about a local business losing a major customer over a trivial misunderstanding. Most of us hate change and maintain loyalty to a brand or retailer through thick and thin. True, this...

I was saddened to hear of the death of Dr. Glenn Himebaugh, co-founder of the journalism department at my alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University. Although I hadn’t kept in touch with Dr. H...

Who needs forensics and gunfire? My wife and I have been catching up on episodes of “The Mysteries of Laura,” the 2014-2016 NBC series starring Debra Messing. Forget murders and chases. The real rea...

Let’s face it: not everyone does Valentine’s Day well. A significant number of people are too unromantic, lazy, cheap or unimaginative to make the best of the occasion. Don’t despair if you fall...

Middle-class philanthropy may be dying. Citing a study released by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, “National Review” magazine says the share of American households don...

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the demand for older models in the fashion and cosmetics industries is exploding. Sorry. Perhaps “exploding” is a trigger word. It might give som...

It’s an amenity that most consumers take for granted. It’s an amenity that most retailers/professionals grudgingly accept as a cost of doing business. But I simply must salute those bus...

“Time Enough at Last.” The new year reminds me of that classic “Twilight Zone” episode starring Burgess Meredith as a put-upon bookworm. (No, he wasn’t reading on the wing of an airplane! Get your...

I won’t hazard a guess as to whether it achieves immortality like “grassy knoll” or “hanging chads,” but surely the phrase “bomb cyclone storm” will remain in the public consciousness of those who...

As I write this year-end essay about 2022 trends in food and dining, I must confess that I’m playing catch-up. I have obligations and hobbies, so I wasn’t TECHNICALLY paying attention (i.e., giv...

When writing advertising copy, I sometimes find myself desperately searching for a zinger of a tag line --and settling for trite admonitions such as “Make this the best hunting season ever” or “Make t...

Saint Nick wasn’t the only man in a red suit that magical Christmas season 50 years ago. On Saturday December 23, 1972, I walked from my house to Sharp’s Drive-In Market and splurged on four 20-cent c...

It has been years since my family last dealt with the “pictures with Santa” pageantry, but Saint Nick impersonators remain an integral part of Christmas for Americans. Parents feel compelled to hon...

“Do you mind if we have leftovers?” When my wife poses that question, I always answer, “No, that’s fine,” because (a) I genuinely enjoy leftovers, (b) I don’t want to cause extra trouble for her and...

Please pardon me, but I am always overcome by mawkish sentimentality at this time of year. I cannot contain my gratitude. I am thankful for a paycheck and sunsets and modern plumbing and mobility and...

My cousin’s husband owns a funeral home, so I’m anxious to hear his take on a front-page article from the November 4 “Wall Street Journal.” According to the article, morticians are innovating ways to...

Murphy’s Law being what it is, whether you’re talking about a surprise party, a romantic getaway or visiting an acquaintance in the hospital, good intentions don’t always pan out. The same goes for th...

I’m proud of my son Gideon for doing his civic duty and casting a vote for the first time. (This comes mere months after he did his civic duty and signed up for Selective Service. And, would you belie...

“Were you raised in a barn?” I never had the legendary Mrs. Montgomery as a teacher; but she was a senior class adviser and I needed her input on a school program script, so I made the rookie mis...

I didn’t watch all of them from the very beginning, but several significant TV shows debuted in the fall of 1972. “The Bob Newhart Show” starred Bob Newhart (who turned 93 on September 5) as psych...

When does a 500th anniversary require an asterisk? If you’re a fan of trivia and myth-busting, you’ve doubtless heard umpteen repetitions of “George Washington didn’t really have wooden teeth,...

Believe it or not, August 31 is the 25th anniversary of the traffic accident that robbed the world of the effervescent Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana was a distant, distant cousin (my great-great...