The Nashville Way: Racial Etiquette and the Struggle for Social Justice in a Southern City , by Benjamin Houston, is the winner of the 2012 Tennessee History Book Award, presented annually by the Tennessee Library Association and the Tennessee Historical Commission.  Published by the University of Georgia Press, the well-written history gives a new perspective on race relations ... (click for more)

First Contact   The first Europeans to encounter the Indians of Tennessee, of course, were the Spanish would-be conquistadors of the 16 th century.  The expedition of Hernando de Soto passed through both ends of Tennessee in 1540 and 1541.  That of Tristan de Luna came northwest in support of their allies from Coosa into the Chattanooga area.  Juan Pardo ... (click for more)

Wade Hinton, who led Mayor Andy Berke's transition team, has been chosen as city attorney. It is a joint appointment with the City Council, and the move was endorsed by a number of council members who appeared with the mayor at a press conference on Friday morning. Mayor Berke did not retain Mike McMahan, the longtime city attorney. He passed over Phil Noblett, a longtime ... (click for more)

A man convicted of smuggling his young first cousin into Chattanooga and having sex with her has been sentenced to serve 15 years and six months in federal prison. German Rolando Vicente-Sapon, 41, of Guatemala, was sentenced by Judge Curtis Collier. Following a three-day trial, a jury convicted Vicente-Sapon in November 2012 for transporting a minor across the Mexican ... (click for more)

Memorial Day is the time for Americans to reconnect with their history and the core values that make this country great by honoring those who gave their lives for the ideals we cherish. Soldiers are people who come from all walks of life, from every corner of this great land of ours. They are our fathers, our sons, our mothers and our daughters, our friends, and our neighbors.  ... (click for more)

I’ve gotten hundreds of jokes since Tuesday when I wrote about feeling a little puny lately and expressing my belief that laughter is the best medicine. After breaking some bones in my arm as I slept last week and having no idea there were already some other fractures, it looked pretty certain I had a case of “The Big C.” I’ve always felt that stands for “courage” but the medical ... (click for more)