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Guthals will be missed

Friday, May 17th, 2013 // By Grant McGee: Local columnist

Charles Guthals passed away a few weeks ago. I’m going to miss him.Lots of High Plains folks knew him far better than I did. To me, he was the guy who knew everything about plants and trees and...

In search of ponies: Funnels funny, but effective

Friday, May 17th, 2013 // By Sharna Johnson: Local columnist

The T-shirt had nothing to do with fashion; it was hiding something, or better yet, protecting it. Underneath the black cotton there was a shoulder wrapped in bandages which were holding gauze an...

Scaring Mom has potential to backfire

Friday, May 10th, 2013 // By Grant McGee: Local columnist

Mother’s Day is tomorrow. I’ll catch up with mom and see how she’s doing. I’ll tell her she’s “The Greatest Mom Ever” and how much I love her. I wish I k...

In search of ponies: Celebrate your pet this week, or month

Friday, May 10th, 2013 // By Sharna Johnson: Local columnist

Did you know it’s national pet week (or month depending on the source)? They made sure I did, which I suppose is a good thing since it’s not something I would normally even be aware o...

In search of ponies: Glowing sheep not so baaaa-d

Friday, May 3rd, 2013 // By Sharna Johnson: Local columnist

It’s long been understood that nature has balance and us humans have come to understand — usually about the time we realize we’ve destroyed an ecosystem — that here are reasons...

In search of ponies: Kicking bucket not always bad

Friday, April 26th, 2013 // By Sharna Johnson: Local columnist

When the youngsters became the proud owners of a new colt, they set out on a mission to bond with him.Teaching him tricks became part of the fun, as they coaxed him to interact and do things in exchan...

McGee: No more shuckin' and/or jivin' for me

Friday, April 26th, 2013 // By Grant McGee: Local columnist

Going through my record collection the other day I ran across a 1982 album by Willie Nelson and the late, great Waylon Jennings titled “WWII.” The first track on the LP is titled “Mr...

In search of ponies: Cicadas biblical in numbers, tasty with almost ev...

Friday, April 19th, 2013 // By Sharna Johnson: Local columnist

It isn’t every day the yard is covered in snacks. Crunchy on the outside, they have a nutty flavor, similar to peanuts or almonds, according to those who partake. Suspended inside vibrant c...

Perfect pot pie punctuates end of vacation

Friday, April 19th, 2013 // By Grant McGee: Local columnist

Vacation was over. There was one more thing to do. We were in search of the best chicken pot pie ever. And it was sold in the deli of a supermarket somewhere in L.A. (Lower Alabama).The Lady of t...

Being anti-social-network has mixed results

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 // By Kevin Wilson: CMI columnist

I told a friend why I decided on a new personal effort called Facebook-Free Friday. “It feels like the site is 90 percent bumper stickers, horizontal praying (praying at people and not to G...

In search of ponies: Marijuana or pills, be careful with medication

Friday, April 12th, 2013 // By Sharna Johnson: Local columnist

It’s funny enough alright.Staggering and woozy, a dog’s legs may each go in different directions, or, afraid to challenge the suddenly accelerated rotation of the planet, it may become a p...

McGee: Doing nothing requires planning

Friday, April 12th, 2013 // By Grant McGee: Local columnist

The Lady of the House and I had a difference of opinion as to what one does while on vacation.We recently took a few days off and visited the Gulf Coast.I had visions of lying around doing nothing, ma...

Division over backlog, VA leadership

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 //

With the backlog of compensation claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs having ballooned in recent years, one would expect major veterans’ service organizations to be among VA’s hars...

Denying equal rights is real issue

Saturday, April 6th, 2013 //

Those opposing equal rights for others inevitably find themselves on the wrong side of history. No one is more heterosexually macho than me, but I can think of no legitimate reason to deny gays t...

In search of ponies: Cats have ability to help; choice another matter

Friday, April 5th, 2013 // By Sharna Johnson: Local columnist

It’s hard to imagine them being capable of acts of heroism.First and foremost, even though they do come in larger sizes — tubby being the most likely — domestic cats just aren’...

McGee: Magic box 1, Grant 0

Friday, April 5th, 2013 // By Grant McGee: Local columnist

A vacation in Florida a couple of weeks ago gave The Lady of the House and I the opportunity to catch up on watching movies.Being out-of-towners we rented our DVDs from the red vending machine c...

Laws do no determine right and wrong

Thursday, April 4th, 2013 //

Should “wrong” be illegal? Telling lies is generally acknowledged to be wrong, so should it be illegal to tell your wife she doesn’t look fat in that dress when she does?...

Double standard makes government its own counterargument

Thursday, March 28th, 2013 // By Kent McManigal: Local columnist

Civilization depends on unwavering respect for property rights, and the recognition of the right to defend property. Without the ability to own property, use it as you see fit, and defend it from thos...

Spreading common sense on courts and in the kitchen

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013 // By Kevin Wilson

Here are three things I was thinking today. They’re not really related, except that they all address common sense, or the lack thereof:• My office pool is totally wrecked (thanks Lobos), bu...

My turn: Fortunate to have friends

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 //

My turn: Fortunate to have friends | patty, turn, epic, fortunate, friends

My turn: Spring is revitalizing

Monday, March 19th, 2012 //

My turn: Spring is revitalizing | shape, garden, spring, last, turn, really, year, revitalizing, rose, bad

Child Sense: Smoothing out the highs and lows of back-to-school time

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 // Priscilla J. Dunstan

Child Sense: Smoothing out the highs and lows of back-to-school time | school, sense, smoothing, child, time, highs, lows

How young is too young for Facebook?

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 // Daniel Vasquez August

How young is too young for Facebook? | facebook, users, young, friends, privacy, personalization, instant, parents, controls, information

Rite of passage: the busted wing

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 // Landon Hall

Rite of passage: the busted wing | broken, rite, learned, busted, wing, learning, daughter, actually, year, old

Building Resilience in Children: Contributing to the family and the co...

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 // Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, FAAP

Building Resilience in Children: Contributing to the family and the community | children, chores, child, don, help, resilience, need, turn, confidence, adults