In April of last year I moved to Florence from Alabama. The few months before that had been a whirlwind of excitement. Even though I was not sure of what would come with a new city, I was never nervous. My spouse and I found a house to rent and once our

With over 5 million cases diagnosed in the United States each year, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Fortunately, skin cancer is also one of the most preventable forms of cancer. About 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers and

Right before I started college, I started wearing glasses. I go and get my yearly eye exam in case my prescription changes. Eye health is very important. Your eyes are an important part of your health. There are many things you can do to keep them health

On Friday the winds were blowing and some of the traffic lights around town lost power. Usually when the traffic lights are out you treat the intersection as a four-way stop. To be honest, that night I think I was the only one who knew that. When we get o

As much as I love writing stories each week to entertain and inform, sometimes life can throw you a curve ball. Being a pet lover is a blessing and a curse. We get to laugh and play with them and they in return give us their unconditional love, but we als

I grew up in South Alabama, about 30-45 minutes from the beach. Every spring break and summer vacation was spent around Gulf Shores, Alabama. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I got to experience what it was like to be in the mountains.

Psychologists have purposed lots of different ‘vehicles’ over the years, words that we use as an engine to keep going, words like grit, optimism, passions, inspiration, etc. All of these are important, however, one in particular is undervalued and underap

I cannot believe that we are already a fourth of the way through 2019. Welcome to April! Lent will soon be over with the arrival of Easter. On the rainy, dreary days you will often hear the phrase “April showers bring May flowers” to bring somewhat of a s

When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing you do? Hit snooze? Start a pot of coffee? Or do you grab your phone, and check social media? If the latter was your response, don’t feel bad you are not alone. The use of social media apps like Face

Today is the first day of Spring. The yellow hue on our cars and driveways can only mean one thing: the flowers and trees are starting to bloom. If you are one of the millions of people, like me, who have seasonal allergies, it also means sneezing, conges

“Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona!” No, that isn’t gibberish. That is how you say ‘Happy St. Patrick’s Day’ in Irish, or Gaelic. St. Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of St. Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration dating back to the death date of St. Patrick, t

It’s that time of year again. Finally, we have some extra afternoon sunlight to actually get some things done like gardening, yard work, taking walks, and playing with our kids and dogs. Even though we lose an hour of sleep, it is worth the extra sunlight

Taking this job has come with some creative outlets. Growing up I never really liked English and creative writing classes. When I got to high school and college, they seemed to come easier to me. For my first editorial I was stumped on what I should write

This will be my last editorial as the Editor of The News Journal. It has been a great experience being Editor these past few months. I have enjoyed getting to meet with all sorts of different people in the community. I have learned so much about Florence

While we know Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day of the year, there is plenty more to the holiday than just that. After the Roman Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage, Saint Valentine continued to marry men and women in secret. Even then, it was tr