Here in my car

Greetings from Atlanta. The traffic indicator on my Android map turned a shade of red I'd never seen before.

Viva Mr. ZIP

Today's top story

Area Man Secretly Still Thinks Big Mouth Billy Bass Is Pretty Funny

Name game

"The Applebee's chain was started by Bill and T. J. Palmer who opened their first restaurant, T.J. Applebee’s Rx for Edibles & Elixirs ..."

YES!

"In 1986, the name of the concept was changed to Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar ..."

Whyyyyy ...

My new pal

How do you like it

When I was a kid, I regularly ate at chain steakhouses like Western Sizzlin and Quincy's, the kind of places where you grab a piece of lemon pie in a cafeteria line. Which is why I still say a steak ought to come with a plastic tab stuck in it indicating doneness.

Hitting the road with Ray

Here's my Mountain Press profile of Paula Michelle, the Sevier County singer who toured with Ray Charles. "Charles was 'hard, difficult,' Michelle said. 'It was stressful.' Still, she notes, she learned a lot about the music business from him."