Sam Venable

Sam Venable | For the Knoxville News-Sentinel A Knoxville couple, Bill and Jan Larson, recently completed a 58-year quest to visit all 3,144 counties in the United States.

Sam Venable For the Knoxville News Sentinel Aug. 6, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET

Sam Venable writes: A Tennessee bridge was renamed for Donald Trump, sparking controversy and angering the family it previously honored.

Sam Venable | For the Knoxville News Sentinel The Venable-Smith-Deaton-Hill families recently held their annual gathering at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

Sam Venable writes: An annual family vacation to Ocean Isle Beach turns into a not-so-scientific investigation regarding the ocean's horizon.

Sam Venable | For the Knoxville News Sentinel A flash flood created a temporary lake in the Commons area of Norris recently.

Sam Venable writes: A story about a temporary lake reminds brings to mind accidentally fishing in the remnants of a flash flood.

Sam Venable | For the Knoxville News Sentinal Jimbo Whaley let me in on a secret several hours before he and his band Greenbrier were to take the stage for Bluegrass Night at Wild Wings Café in Farragut.

Sam Venable writes: A generation of Americans has no memory of the unity that followed 9/11. Why that loss is a tragedy of its own.

Sam Venable | For the Knoxville News Sentinel The United States experienced national unity experienced in the days immediately following the 9/11 attacks in 2001..