Columns

Jill Pertler “Slices of Life” As of this writing, at least 251 million people in at least 30 states, 81 counties, 15 cities, and one U.S. territory are living the reality of a stay-at-home directive. A month ago, hardly any of us had contemplated the concept of a stay-at-home directive. I’d never even heard the…

By Jean Matua “From the Heart” How many times a day do we hear (or say) that these are strange and challenging times? They are indeed. It’s impossible to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of daily life. And trying to do so will make you crazy. Weekly community newspapers – especially those in small…

Leanne McCrate, RD, LD, CNSC Dear Readers This past week I attended the funeral of my best friend’s brother who died suddenly of a massive heart attack. He was only 49. You don’t realize how many lives one life touches until you attend a funeral. The exchange of love and support between friends and family,…

We are all in a brand-new place, facing challenges we never could have imagined. Since the terrain is constantly changing, there is no road map to get us through it. First, here are some encouraging thoughts: • None of us is alone in this. The entire world is in the same basket. Because the United…

Jim Zachary, Guest Editorial Far from being the enemy of the people, day in and day out we take our role as the Fourth Estate seriously and work hard to protect your right to know, making public records requests and attending public meetings to keep you informed. Why? Because we believe all the business government…

Jean Matua “From the Heart” No one in “the media” has told anyone to rush out and buy up all the toilet paper and hand sanitizer! And certainly no one told investors in the stock market to sell everything and cause two record plummets within a week. And every news outlet I’ve seen has specifically…

Jill Pertler “Slices of Life” When it comes to parenting, I’ve been around the block a time or two. Heck, I’ve practically worn out the course. My husband and I have even transitioned to the next generation of parenting, which is so great it can be described as “grand.” Our daughter and son-in-law are parents…

Jean Matua “From the Heart” It’s not often that I quote a Facebook meme here in the paper, but I’ll make an exception this week. I would certainly add to it: “and stay home if you’re sick.” The statistics about COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that threatens to become a pandemic, change moment to moment. At…

Jill Pertler “Slices of Life” It’s the American dream: A home, job, spouse, two-car garage, dog, cat, and 2.5 kids. Or maybe not. Millennials, it seems, want it all – except for maybe the kids. If you don’t believe me, do the Google. There are at least a dozen articles online that tout the reasons…

Comes every four years, has unusual traditions By Tom Emery, Historian Saturday (Feb. 29) is Leap Year, a day that comes every four years and is an oddity on the calendar. Its traditions are equally unusual. Ostensibly, an extra day is stuck at the end of February to compensate for the fact that Earth orbits…