Gatlinburg burning: eyewitness accounts

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The bustling mountain resort town of Gatlinburg was devastated Monday as wild fires ripped through town, reducing some areas to only ashes and rubble. Believed to have been started by hikers, the fire is being called “the perfect storm” as high winds and dry air created ideal conditions for this tragic event. Officials are now saying the so-called Chimney Tops fire has taken as many as seven lives, burned 17,000 acres, and destroyed more than 700 buildings. “It’s a horror movie,” posted Angie ‘Pinkie’ Harvel.

Unleash the Hounds (link roundup)

[Unleash the Hounds is a monthly feature that appears near the end of each month to round up stories of interest to our readers. We can’t cover it all so, as we say, “we unleash the hounds to round them up.” If you like this feature and would like to continue to see it every month, consider donating to The Wild Hunt. Each and every day, you will receive original content, news and commentary, with a focus on Pagans, Heathens and polytheists worldwide. Your support makes it happen.

Druid Christy Coleman’s run for the Williamson County School Board

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Druid Christy Coleman didn’t win a seat on school board, but she says she’s learned valuable lessons that she’ll use in for the next election. Coleman ran for the District 3 seat in Williamson county, TN. The District 3 race featured candidates; Christy Coleman, Kimberly Little, and Eliot Mitchell. Mitchell was elected to the seat with 477 votes, Little received 332, and Coleman came in with 236 votes.

Unleash the Hounds (Link Roundup)

There are lots of articles and essays of interest to modern Pagans and Heathens out there, sometimes more than our team can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up. 

ATLANTA, Ga. – On Monday, March 28, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal vetoed HB 757, a notorious state RFRA legislative bill. Deal said that it “contained language [that] could give rise to state-sanctioned discrimination.” He added, “I did have problems with that and made my concerns known as did many other individuals and organizations, including some within the faith-based community.”

Facing Violence in Chattanooga: Two Heathens Share their Experience

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee — At about 10:45 am Thursday, a driver in a silver convertible drove up next to the Armed Forces Career Center and opened fire. Almost 55 rounds were fired into glass front windows of the military recruiting station. Then, the driver sped off toward the Naval Reserve Center, just 7 miles away. Meanwhile, Jaden Craft was at work. He manages about 150 employees at a facility one mile from Chattanooga’s Naval Reserve Center. Married with two children, Craft is also a devoted Heathen.