Pinkeye, like a piece of gossip, can spread before the subject knows what's hit him.

Two Chattanooga men will likely become the first same-sex couple in the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee to receive a sanctioned blessing of their relationship.

Author tackles intelligent design in murder mystery.

• Rock Spring United Methodist Church, 3477 Peavine Road and Highway 95, Rock Spring, Ga.; 2 p.m. today; egg hunt by age groups through age 11 (plus crafts and snacks); 706-764-1404.

Varinia Maldonado-Fuller carries a tangible reminder of her faith high on her left thigh.

J.C. Smith didn't exactly hate "The Sound of Music" when he was convinced to mount it for his Closed Door Entertainment production company at the Colonnade in 2008, but he certainly wasn't wild about the stage production.

What's easier than climbing stairs or high-stepping through near-freezing water? Watching someone else do it.

Her month of language immersion in the Italian province of Sienna in 2011 was only somewhat successful, admits Chattanoogan Jennie Kueter.

There's no pretense it's a church service that offers everything to everybody.

Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia homeowners don't have it easy when it comes to lawn maintenance.

When Clay Dyer hears stories like the one he heard from a man at the Bassmaster Classic several weeks ago, he knows he's in the right place for the right reasons.

All too often, Gordon MacDonald says, pastors find themselves in a vicious circle.

• Brainerd High School, 1020 N. Moore Road; 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and 5 p.m. Sunday, March 24; faith-based play, "Choices: Breaking the Generational Curse"; $10 advance ($12 at door); 544-2208.

It's not even 10 on a Saturday morning, but the Korean Presbyterian Church is a beehive of activity.

The Colonnade bid goodbye to "Smoke on the Mountain" after 10 years of shows in 2011, but longtime cast member Gayle Carter heard the requests more than once in the past two years.

Earlier this week, Jim Gaffigan was shooting a pilot for CBS in which he'll play a happily married and harried father of five.

The poverty and simplicity of newly elected Argentinian Pope Francis was the first thing that struck the Rev. Paul D. Williams Jr., of the 10,000-member St. Joseph's Catholic Church of Dalton, Ga.

How's your bracketology? Who will be in the Final Four?

The word "Closed," emblazoned on the plywood planks over the sign at Westview Baptist Church, has alarmed some people in East Brainerd.

Since Easter is the highest attended Sunday in United States churches, according a recent study, it stands to reason area congregations would offer special services to pique the interest of those inclined to attend.

• Brainerd Crossroads (BX), 4011 Austin St.; 6-9 p.m. Monday, March 18, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 19; "A Night With Gail MacDonald" (Monday), led by the teacher and pastor's wife, geared as encouragement and fellowship dinner session for pastors' wives; "What's Holding You Back?" (Tuesday), a Generosity Trust- and Living Free-sponsored encouragement conference for pastors, features author, teacher and pastor Gordon MacDonald; $49 (both events), $15 (wives-only event); prepayment required; 266-5257 or www.holdingback.org.

Hearing life-altering news can cause our minds to race through a thousand thoughts at once, says Christy Gallo of Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga.

The two dozen people sniffing bottles and smelling each other's hands at St. Alban's Episcopal Church aren't involved in some sort of bizarre religious ritual.

Involved in his community, loved by friends and family, Bill Ensign touched lives in a meaningful way.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, who lives in the residence of the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville, left earlier this week to take his place as a papal elector for the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who retired on Thursday.

Chances are, a serious, philosophic Charlie Brown is your best friend. Or you work for a blustery, self-righteous boss like Lucy.

The clock had already ticked well past noon recently when the men's orders went in at the new Track's End Restaurant on Amnicola Highway.

A gymnastics teacher, painter and poet who is a year away from her degree in nursing, Taryn Laskey is also — wait for it — a Monster Jam driver.

As a woman in the male-dominated engineering field, Carnetta Davis understood well the plight of black artists trying to be recognized with their peers in other races.

As far back as Hebrew school, Jake Lemmerman says, he hoped to turn his education into a hands-on experience.

Dan Mouw says Union Fork Baptist Church has a great facility, a great location and great people.

• Catoosa County Colonnade, 264 Catoosa Circle, Ringgold, Ga.; 6 p.m. Saturday, March 2; fourth annual Center For Hope spring banquet features messages by Ridgeland High School football coach Mark Mariakis and Hutcheson Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Roger Forgey, music by Michael Lee Stancil and a silent auction; $75 or $500 for table of eight; 706-866-0917 or www.thecenterforhope.org.

Jack and John may have lost their way -- and then some.

Pearl Lindsey says the characters from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" always jumped off the television screen for her, so she hoped one day to bring the drama to the stage with an all-black cast.

Saturday nights in Irwin, Pa., in the 1950s were special, says Will Stern, because that was the one day his dad was off work from the steel mill.

To shake or not to shake, that is the question.

Matthew Weir had a little initial hesitation about becoming a cheerleader.

Writing a book, says Chattanoogan Michael Ringering, has been on his bucket list since the third grade.

Young Artemis Joukowsky III was floored to find out his grandparents were heroes, but nobody knew it.

Not quite 11 miles from the meanest streets of Chattanooga, where people fire weapons and kill people seemingly indiscriminately, a church will auction off "a small handful" of gift cards for guns at a sportsman's expo today.

• New Monumental Baptist Church, 901 Woodmore Lane; 7 p.m. Friday; black history observance, "Take a Walk Down Memory Lane," features addresses by the Rev. Ronald Harris of Second Missionary Baptist Church ("From the City Dump to City Hall and Beyond") and Virgil J. Caldwell, pastor emeritus of New Monumental Baptist Church ("From the Out House to the White House"), and entertainment by The Creative Underground Singers; reception follows; 899-2881, 344-5521 or www.newmonumental.org.

Shane Morrow says its important for today’s youth to embrace the past to have what they need for the struggle ahead.

Spike Lee, Frank Sinatra, Maya Angelou, Elvis Presley. Those artists and countless others were affected by the Harlem Renaissance.

Valentine’s Day desserts don’t have to be fancy to be delicious.

The sign says antiques, but there's ministry going on behind the doors at Trestle Side Antiques.

Erik Estrada is angry. If it's an act, he's laying it on pretty thick.

Lisa Burkhardt Worley's sportscasting career from WTVC-TV Channel 9 in Chattanooga to HBO and ESPN was full of thrills, but she's found her biggest thrill in serving Christ.

• Daisy United Methodist Church, 9508 Dayton Blvd., Soddy-Daisy, 6:30 p.m. • First-Centenary United Methodist Church, 419 McCallie Ave., 12:05 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.

Nora Helmer is trying to find herself.

A new devil may be coming to town, but he's up to the same old tricks.