Columnists

For nearly two decades I have written about small towns and the community members working hard to keep them and their traditions alive. And while many of them continue to experience the same difficulties what with shrinking populations, more restrictive utility regulations along with fewer and fewer people interested in serving in the necessary leadership…

Did you know that a mourning dove has 2,635 feathers? I found that statistic in a book written by John Madson, entitled “The Mourning Dove.” Madson is gone now, but he was a top-notch outdoor writer, one of the old-timers who actually grew up in the outdoors, unlike the suburban outdoor writers that dominate the…

One summer day years ago – maybe 1985 or 1986 – my mom drove into the driveway with me, my sister, and probably a kid or two she was babysitting. It was a hot day, and the vinyl seats in her 1970 model Chevy Malibu made sitting in the car feel something akin to resting…

Down at the pool hall when I was a kid I heard some front bench regulars talking about the funeral they had gone to. They said of the fellow being laid to rest that he was a guy who would give you the shirt off his back. I would have liked to think they would…

Have you ever been frustrated with digital technology? I have. Computers, phones, tablets – at some point each has compelled me to ask myself (but also aloud), ‘What am I doing wrong?!’ But I try to give tech its credit. I compose this column most weeks on a small notebook computer, where I typically sit…

With today being Sept. 11, I ask you take a few moments, even if only fleeting, to remember those Americans who tragically died on this morning 24 years ago in New York, the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field. I also ask you to remember the feeling in the days that came shortly after the…

“Yum-o” – Rachel Ray Growing up my sweet mama always had dinner on the table, or in our case, TV trays in the winter, our patio during the summer. Most of our meals consisted of two things: a protein and a can of something. One day we’d enjoy pan-fried pork chops and a can of…

The notion of quiet is one that carries several different – even conflicting – aspects with it. Quiet frequently holds great appeal to me. Life is loud. The television. A child’s video game. Cars and trucks on the road. If you see the sun in the sky, chances favor there being noises in our lives,…

Can you believe it? What just happened? School has started! I read the other day about a mom who went to the refrigerator to see if she would have enough milk for tomorrow morning’s breakfast. As she began to open the door, she stopped. “Oh yeah,” she thought, “the kids are now in school. Of…

Thirteen-year-old Wylie Williams killed a 420-pound black bear during the 2024 season on his father’s land. He had paid for all his tags and violated no laws. MDC agents came to the site two weeks after bear season opened and claimed they found bait there. Therefore they confiscated the bear’s pelt. If indeed they did…