“Antiques Roadshow” has been must-see TV on Monday nights in my home for years. I’m fascinated by the junk people bring in and their stories behind those pieces.

Republican Hamilton County sheriff candidate Jim Hammond said Tuesday he would consider letting a private company run the county jail.

For those who loved country before Music Row smothered it in studio laquerwork or who are just fans of flavorful southern music with short attention spans, here’s the skinny on singer/songwriter Justin Townes Earle’s studio debut “The Good LIfe”: as soon as it hits shelves March 25, pick it up.

It may come to no surprise to you that I consider myself a “folkie,” defined as a fan of Folk music. I love a song that means something to somebody, a song that is worth singing if nothing more than for the sheer joy of doing so.

This week in the column I track a few new trends and stories I’ve been following, including the never ending Yahoo Microsoft soap opera.

Here are my thoughts on the Times Free Press holiday recipe contest. They’re three good reasons to send your recipe in.

Another year is almost gone for high school athletes. The seniors, most of them anyway, have graduated and the Spring Fling, Tennessee’s state high school championship series for spring sports, is all that stands between us and the shelf for the 2007-08 high school seasons.

Tony Stewart is off to a flying start with Stewart-Haas Racing, proving the soon-to-be owner/driver won’t be in over his head in 2009.

Friday’s recap: John Hester’s one-out single to left-center off Sean Watson in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Gerardo Parra and saddled Chattanooga (12-16) with the setback.

Large, hungry members of the sports media will convene near Birmingham today for SEC Media Days. And not just for the luncheon. SEC Media Days signal the commencement of SEC football in 2008 and plenty of news and features, so let’s get started with 10 questions:

They lined up along Faculty Drive late Wednesday afternoon, four and five deep, quite possibly more folks than Davidson College’s 1,700 total students.