Cold-soothing chicken soup gets a vitamin C boost from roasted lemons

It seems that just about everyone I know has been eating soup. And I am pretty certain it's not because it's National Soup Month. Whether it's your grandma's chicken noodle or not, soup is comforting.

History center exhibit highlights 9 presidential visits to the county

The next time you drive down Bradford Street in Gainesville, or take a stroll around the square, look down.

Gainesville wildlife artist Jay Kemp to be honored at Charleston event

Lying on the ground in the northernmost part of the Rocky Mountains, Jay Kemp found what he was looking for.

Local churches offer course to help those in need of money management training

Several Gainesville churches are preaching a message of peace. That is, financial peace. Northside Family Worship Center, Northlake Baptist Church, Lakewood Baptist Church, all in Gainesville, are currently helping people learn to manage their finances with Financial Peace University. Other churches including Gainesville First United Methodist Church, Lanier Hills Church North Campus will be offering the course in the coming months. Financial Peace University is a nine-week course designed by personal money-management expert and radio ...

Lyman Hall students aim to help build wells for families in Africa

Most elementary students don't have to think about where they'll get water to drink; it's down the hall and comes out of the fountain.

Gainesville WWII veteran honored for his service during his 90th birthday celebration

At 90 years old, Frank Downing's class of peers is a small one. As a World War II veteran, the numbers become even more elite. For his recent birthday, Downing's children were on a mission to make this celebration the best yet by going to great lengths to ensure that his military service was properly recognized. Based on the happy tears glistening in his eyes throughout his party, one could speculate they made the Purple ...

Performance tackles the fear, challenge of battling cancer

Cassidy Elliott paused for a moment, took a deep breath and stood motionless as her muscles trembled. A tiny bead of sweat formed on her forehead. She only had one thing on her mind.

'Lincoln' tops Academy Award nominations

Around the Home: Off the menu and off the hips

Yes, it's possible to make smart dining out choices. Some restaurants now post nutritional information such as calorie content on their menus. More in-depth information is usually available in pamphlets at the location or on their websites. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offers these strategies that may help you make better choices: If you know what the healthier choices are, plan what you'll order before leaving for the restaurant. Then, if possible, order before ...

From soil to plate, minus the chemicals

Cooking with farm fresh ingredients isn't exactly a new idea. People have doing it for centuries.

Pediatrician offers ways parents can head off childhood obesity

New Year's resolutions aren't just for grown-ups; kids benefit from healthy changes, too.

Scholar with Gainesville family leads quest to decipher Rhode Island founder’s mysterious text

Lucas Mason-Brown has always had an interest in puzzles and mathematics. So it stands to reason the Brown University senior math major would be interested in joining a team of undergraduate students as they attempted to solve a centuries-old Rhode Island mystery. Mason-Brown is from Belmont, Mass. His father, Roger Brown Jr., grew up in Gainesville and graduated from Gainesville High School in 1974. The family returns to Gainesville several times a year to visit ...

Life for Haiti uses school bus as shipping container

Obviously, buses are great at transporting a lot of people at once, but they're pretty handy when it comes to transporting a lot of stuff, too.

Winter treats for visiting birds are a needed source of food

The birds at our house thrive on a gourmet diet - pretty much year-round. There's a meal worm feeder for bluebirds, nut feeder for woodpeckers, thistle feeder for finches, safflower feeder for cardinals and black oil sunflower seed feeder for everyone. Overripe blueberries, chopped apples, orange wedges and banana slices are placed in a fly-through feeder, and nut- and fruit-enhanced suet goes out when the temperatures drop into the 30s. All feeders are caged or ...

Churches burn away baggage and pray for the new year

Most people make New Year's resolutions that focus on improving the physical and material aspects of life.

Winners of Brenau barbecue contests will advance to world finals

Two teams competing in this year's Brenau Barbecue Championship will also be selling their pork to hungry visitors at the event. But it's almost by accident that either team exists.

Student council collects books for community library

Fifth-grader Heartley Twiggs loves to read fiction books and thinks kids are better off when they read books they enjoy.

Wedding bells, blues and venues

Brittany Evans wanted a storybook wedding but what she got was something more like a movie.

Couple conquers 70 years together

In 1940, C.W. Davis hitched a ride from a driver in a red Ford, ultimately securing a movie date with the woman behind the wheel.

Jehovah’s Witness experiences an influx of hope

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On the day the Boston Marathon bombing transfixed the world, Mark Watkins of suburban Kansas City, Mo., lay face to face with a crisis of life, death and faith.

Local students put their imagination to work on garden homes for gnomes

Gardens on Green hosted students from Riverbend Elementary on Tuesday for an exercise of creativity.

Better-for-you BBQ chicken

Barbecue chicken is one of my favorite summertime dishes. I like every part of it - the tomato-based sauce (the spicier the better), the crispy skin, even the bones.

Properly preparing a picnic

The school year is winding down and Memorial Day is just around the corner. Activities such as boating, camping and picnicking are fun ways to experience the great outdoors.

Ask cook: Correct way to cut lettuce

Question: It used to be forbidden to cut lettuce with a knife. Only tearing by hand or cutting with a plastic knife was acceptable. But now I see TV chefs regularly chopping lettuce with a regular knife. What is responsible for this change in thinking?

Singles meet and mingle

For 52-year-old Gina Sweet, it had been awhile since she hit the dating scene. Luckily for her, family members gave her the Cinderella treatment before she ventured out to Cocktails & Conversations, a brand-new speed-dating venture in Gainesville.

Racing to the front

JEFFERSON - It was anything but a regular school day for the 15 local middle schools students who participated in the Jackson Electric Membership Corporation Junior Solar Sprint competition May 3. Using one of the Earth's brightest resources, the sun, students put their hand-built solar sprinters to the test in a fast-paced race competition at Road Atlanta in Braselton.

Perfect pink present for mom

Editor's note: North Hall High School junior Catherine Sartain, 16, wrote this column for her journalism class about Mother's Day.

Her husband is her 'hero'

"It will be a blessed Mother's Day for my kids, my granddaughter, my wife," Grady Nolan said, his voice cracking slightly. "And for me."

Lay leaders lend a loving ear

BATH TOWNSHIP, Ohio - The Stephen Ministry is looking for compassionate men and women who want to help people who are hurting.

Diseases of the dogwood tree

Just the other day I was looking at a dogwood tree at the house and saw it was in pretty good shape overall. However, things can change and it is worth keeping an eye on the tree to see if it becomes infected.