Grindstaff Vote Raises Questions About Planning Commission Role, Compensation and County Insurance
What exactly did the Johnson County Commission approve for former Commissioner Jerry Grindstaff—and what will it cost taxpayers? The $200-a-month arrangement was reportedly approved unanimously, but key questions about procedure, authority and possible health-insurance benefits remain unanswered. The Johnson County Line is seeking the records to find out, and asking you what you think.
A Trail to Somewhere
Johnson County Trails Association sees an interconnected trail system as more than recreation—it could generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in new revenue and create opportunities for locally owned businesses.
The Storm Is Past. The Recovery Is Now.
The Johnson County Long Term Recovery Group is still helping families recover and rebuild from Hurricane Helene. They want the county to know the work is far from finished, and help is needed.
Questions Mount as Johnson County 911 Audit Trail Remains Incomplete
Editor’s Note — Updated September 10, 2026: This article has been updated to clarify the insurance status of an E-911 employee facing a serious illness. The employee has not yet lost her primary medical coverage. She says that coverage was threatened with termination at the end of August but was extended through September while she…
50,000 Pounds and Counting: Watauga Lake Cleanup Returns
Put on those mud boots, grab a bag, and join your friends and neighbors for the 16th Annual Watauga Lake Cleanup on Saturday, September 19. Sponsored by the Watauga Watershed Alliance, Keep Carter County Beautiful, and Boots Off Hostel and Campground, this annual event has removed 50,000 pounds of trash from Watauga Lake over the…
Bigger Than the Storm: A Home, a Blessing and a New Beginning
The dedication of the first home rebuilt by the Amish volunteers in Johnson County blessed everyone who attended.
She sings like a bird and she writes like a poet.
This morning dawns a little differently than yesterday. It’s the first day in a world without Dolly Parton, and as crazy as those words are staring back at me from the page, I can’t help but think it’s actually, really, a thing. I came in from mowing yesterday, and that’s when I heard the news.…
They Came Because We Needed Them: Come Meet the Amish Volunteers Helping to Rebuild Johnson County.
The Amish volunteers rebuilding homes in Johnson County, need a home for themselves.
Who Gets a Slice of Ribfest?
Barbecue, live music, community, and firefighters? What could go wrong? Chad Greever takes a deep dive into the controversy surrounding the upcoming Ribfest at Chamber Park.
Raising Awareness of the Dangers of Drug Overdoses Is the Focus of A.C.T.I.O.N. Coalition Event at Ralph Stout Park on Friday, August 21
Driven largely by the spread of illicit fentanyl into the drug supply, overdose deaths surged in Tennessee beginning in 2020, rising from 2,089 deaths in 2019 to more than 3,800 in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, Tennessee recorded more than 3,600 overdose deaths, with fentanyl involved in more than 75% of them. Since then, the…
Municipal Elections Yield Further Questions
There was something larger than the candidates on the ballot: who gets to define a Republican in Johnson County—and who gets to decide what kind of county Johnson County will become.
