The final sections of the Benchmarks edition for 2012 are inside today's newspaper.

A one-of-a-kind reference, the annual Benchmarks edition is designed to highlight many of the most important events during the past 12 to 14 months in Greeneville and Greene County.

Benchmarks is a six-section, keepsake-quality publication of The Greeneville Sun. Today's sections -- Section E, focusing on "Community," and Section F, "Perspectives" -- complete the annual edition.

This year's "Community" section, however, includes 10 pages titled "The Tornadoes," which focus entirely on the most important community event of the last 14 months: the devastating tornadoes of April 27-28 and the community's overwhelming response to them.

These 10 pages chronicle -- with pictures, reproductions of several actual front pages, news stories, and a special "Timeline" created by Staff Writer Amy Rose -- many facets of the impact of the worst known natural disaster in the county's history.

In addition to those pages, an article relating to the tornadoes' destructive impact on a Ducktown dairy farmer was included in Section C, "Agriculture," which was distributed March 23, and the first 10 pages of the "regular" "Community" section distributed today includes an article about the number and strength of the April 27-28 tornadoes and a story about the AIDNET volunteer organization, which has played a major role in helping tornado survivors.

The first 10 pages of the "Community" section today feature, among many other topics:

* the Greeneville Greene Devils' football team's winning a second-straight state high school football championship in December, giving a group of 22 seniors the remarkable accomplishment of winning 51 football games for GHS over their career.

* events that, locally, launched the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, including the Annual National Convention of Abraham Lincoln Presenters last April;

* the incredible year for The Band Perry, the trio of siblings that call Greeneville home.

In a year full of milestones and achievements, they performed at the White House, and reopened the "Mother Church of Country Music," the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, at a sold-out concert.

Among their many accolades, the group was named "Best New Artist of the Year" by both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM).

Their hit, "If I Die Young," written by Kimberly Perry, was named CMA "Single of the Year."

Another 10-page section today is "Perspectives," featuring interviews with mayors and top local school officials as they reflect on the past 12 to 14 months.

Some of the highlights in "Perspectives" are:

* interviews with Greene County Mayor Alan Broyles and Greeneville Mayor W.T. Daniels.

* interviews with Greene County Director of Schools Dr. Vicki Kirk and former Greeneville Director of Schools Dr. Lyle Ailshie, who on March 21, 2012, became Superintendent of Kingsport City Schools.

* interviews with Baileyton Mayor Tommy Casteel, Mosheim Mayor Billy Myers, and Tusculum Mayor John Foster, and an article written especially for "Perspectives" by Bulls Gap Mayor Bill Grubb.

Complete sets of Benchmarks 2012 will be available for $2 per set, while supplies last, at the Sun's circulation department.

In addition, copies of the complete set of the 2012 Benchmarks will be provided to the Greene County Partnership for distribution to anyone requesting information about the community.

Copies will also be placed in town halls of all Greene County municipalities for distribution to those seeking local information.

The complete Benchmarks edition will be available online at http://www.GreenevilleSun.com for the next 12 months.

The project editor for the editorial aspects of Benchmarks 2012 was Rich Jones; cover and page design for the edition was by Hala Watson.