OK, sports fans, just thought I would let you in on some inside information: Summer, the season that is the favorite for many of you, is almost here. As for my little neck of the woods in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains, we have had summer-like weather for about a week now.

Most of us would agree there is a lot of difference between a grizzly bear and a chicken hawk.

Well, it's finally over, and boy am I glad! "What is finally over?" you may ask.

Tim Morgan wasn't overwhelmed with worry. The grand poobah of enticing financially rewarding sports events to our city knows Chattanooga's greatest strengths, beginning with its citizens.

Brian Reynolds had never been to Chattanooga before this past weekend. But after winning Sunday's Sunbelt Bakery Ironman 70.3 in a time of 4:07.55, the 33-year-old Richland, Michigan, resident said he'd like to defend his title next year.

The return of the Sunbelt Bakery Ironman 70.3 Sunday after a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic means street closures and heavy traffic for drivers in the downtown area and along the route.

If a mask mandate was keeping spectators from witnessing Sunday's Sunbelt Bakery IRONMAN 70.3 in and around Chattanooga, that's no longer an excuse.

Part of me wanted to keep going. Part of me said: "What the heck are you trying to prove? Stop and take a break, you dummy!"

The return of athletic events in Chattanooga will include the most grueling of endeavors.

I wanted to go back to the old days. I was driving down a back road in Virginia, tired and footsore and feeling sorry for myself.

It's 6 a.m. and I am prying myself into an airplane seat somewhere in Illinois. I think there is no way the airline could have downsized these seats since I was here about a week ago, but it is a tight fit.

Who isn't ready for spring after the long, hard winter we just had?

I don't want to start off on a negative note, but I really do not believe all that stuff about the groundhog.

A long time ago, in what is now southwestern West Virginia and Logan County, there were herds of wapiti. We are told that is what the Shawnee Indians called them; we call them elk.

So it seems that March is upon us. Now what are you going to do?

Our readers have spoken. Loud and clear.

As hunters, fishermen and those who trod the trackless wastes, we feel we must be strong in the face of the arctic blasts.

The basic drill for the Squirrel Master Classic is this: Have a squirrel hunt in a fun competition atmosphere.

In the outdoors and hunting world, maybe no animal draws as much controversy as the coyote.

OK, can we just decide here and now that 2021 is going to be better than last year?

Hey there. You don't know me yet, but I hope you will. I only heard about you a few months ago. There is much excitement and anticipation as the family prepares to meet you.

When we are in the spring of our lives, everything is fresh and new. We have the energy to do seemingly anything, but we don't know it.

I love Christmas. If only for a short while, people treat each other a little nicer.