Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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The headline is intriguing: What’s your state’s favorite Christmas cookie? The deck headline provides the source for the nationwide poll: Google shares unique holiday searches. According to the accompanying graphic, Nebraska’s favorite Christmas cookie is ... wait for it ... Christmas cookie fudge. What? Interesting ... especially since our neighbors to the south searched for M&M Christmas cookies, while Coloradoans, Wyomingites, South Dakotans and Iowagens searched for Keto Christmas cookie rec...
“Kids believe in Santa; adults believe in childhood.” Author Cate Kennedy hits the mark with that line from her short story collection, “Dark Roots.” Last week, while Scott, Elizabeth and I fulfilled Santa’s elf duty, stuffing toys, candy and fruit into brown paper sacks, visions from Christmases past reminded me of the good ol’ days and what days leading up to the holiday were like during the age of flower power and groovy, man. In Clay Center, Santa Claus made an appearance on Saturdays i...
Does American democracy survive without the backbone of independent local journalism? That question serves as the theme of the documentary, “Storm Lake,” airing recently on the PBS show, “Independent Lens.” The segment follows the daily ins and outs of Art Cullen and his family, who run the Storm Lake Times, which debuted in 1990. Initially, the paper printed weekly, with Friday distribution. Within three years, the Times began printing daily. A month later, another newspaper in Storm Lake st...
During a week when gratitude is at the forefront, it seems strange to be viewing and reading about toxic positivity. News about the psychological phrase is plastered everywhere, or so it seems. ICYMI: Toxic positivity is defined as an excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of an optimistic state. Toxic positivity creates a false narrative and minimizes interpersonal communication. The problem with always putting on a happy face is complicated and unhealthy. It's unnatural. Responding in...
When my writing career started more than 30 years ago, I spent months establishing a freelance career. After long days of teaching and coaching, I stayed up late at night, crafting query letters and sending them via snail mail, hoping to get a bite from local publications ... or a big break with a national news outlet. It seems amazing, considering it was in the dark ages - er, I mean pre-internet times. It was hard work, but I was determined to form partnerships with trusted publications and...
Six Saturdays of shopping remain until Christmas morning, which falls on the seventh Saturday from today. I haven't even started shopping. One of our kids told us no toys for the grandkids this year, please. "Get them something they need." Well, if we grandparents believe the kiddos need a LEGO set to work on for next year's 4-H project, they will, more than likely, get it. Or maybe they won't. I'm all about practical gifts, a necessity, a replacement, something you know you need but wouldn't ne...
When one thing goes awry, everything goes awry. At least that’s how it feels today. It’s seven-something Monday evening and technology does not want to cooperate. Excuse me, it’s almost deadline day. Work with me. I cannot accurately describe what I would like to do to this old and worn out MacBook, but patting the computer next to the keypad and coaxing her (yes, my laptop is a her ... and appropriately named Cordelia) is a huge fail. Actually, it’s showing me just how temperamental she has bec...
I've been thinking lately about a comment I hear others say repeatedly: "I'm not creative." Yeah, I'm bad about saying it, too. I'll look at a piece of artwork and wish I could paint or draw or whatever medium like those artists. I'm a painter of words. I've been known to tell others that a time or two. Usually, I end up saying my mom possessed the artist talent in our family and it's obvious Courtney inherited it. Somehow, it skipped my generation. Truth be told, everyone has creativity. It's...
This week’s poll question asked readers to share what they believe our rural communities need - business or service - if money to open said business or service started was not an issue. The question surfaced following a discussion in our office. We were comparing photos of main street of old with current-day status. The talk made me curious what vision readers have to grow our local economies and build stronger communities. Trust me, there isn’t a single-pronged approach. It’s a combi...
I will start by apologizing to my daughter Courtney. While I like the changing colors of fall and absolutely love football, I do not get excited about pumpkin spice everything. Sorry. I just can’t. With the exception of a pumpkin butter, laced with vanilla, I recently purchased, the thought of pumpkin invading every fall food and beverage choice is a turnoff. Maybe I need to clarify. I don’t mind a pumpkin spice latte with extra froth once or twice a season. Every single day from August unt...
The first newspaper article I wrote and sold, at age 16, was typed on a Smith and Corona manual typewriter. Dad kept the brown-gray piece of technology in a leather-zipped carrying case, stored underneath the wooden office desk in the den. Despite having precise handwriting, he typed everything: Return envelopes. Weekly missiles to his parents. Ticket requests to the University of Nebraska athletic office. Worksheets and pop quizzes for English classes. The young version of me watched the...
Admit it. Every time you open the refrigerator door, you hope and pray the jumbled mess of Rubbermaid containers filled with last week’s leftovers, cups of yogurt and not-completely-zipped Ziploc bags full of grapes don’t tumble into a mess on the kitchen floor. It’s okay. You can also admit when opening said door, you pray the 87 jars of partially-used condiments - the ones you know you’ll never empty - don’t shatter on the tile floor you finished mopping 10 minutes ago. Been there. Done that...
Where were you 50 years ago, on Thanksgiving, when two of the top college football programs battled it out in what is known as the game of the century? I was hoping for a repeat outcome Saturday, when Nebraska traveled to Norman, but like many games in recent Husker history, we did not capitalize on opportunities in the scarlet zone. Part of me says, “Take the moral victory against the (then) third-ranked team in the country.” Part of me says, “Oh no, here we go again.” I refuse to debate...
Words to live by: Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace. Easier said than done. My inner peace is on high alert, and honestly, if you live in Clearwater (or any place affected by the topic I am addressing), your inner peace should be rattled, too. For a while now, someone - or someones - have been vandalizing village property. Sand has been dumped in the restrooms in the park, clogging the sink. It’s not like someone uses the facility to rinse the grains of sand off the...
About 10 days ago, I started watching “One Day in America,” a National Geographic series about what I consider the darkest day in our nation’s history: the September 11 attacks. Watching the show has been an emotional journey, and even though the tears roll as I view an episode, I highly recommend the series. Scenes from the show brought back a deluge of memories. Like many of you, every detail of that day stands out, a slow-motion vignette filled with chaos, frustration, anger and despa...
I'm not sure who deserves credit for this line, but I want it emblazoned on a T-shirt: "I just love seeing people live their best lie-f on social media." Much like tabloid journalism, you can spin a lie into your own warped version of reality. Post away. Some people will rush to hit the like button or type a half-hearted response without contemplating the validity of the original statement. A quick scroll through social media proves this point. It doesn't matter if it's a half-truth, little...
An interesting question posed in church a few weeks ago has been on my mind lately. What do you want? It’s a simple question, but the answer isn’t. At age 20, I wanted it all: law school, a job on printer’s row in Chicago, a husband and children, the white picket fence surrounding the house. At age 60, wants look a lot different. Good health, family time, good friends, quality sleep time and a positive outlook seem satisfying. Somehow, I think pastor was seeking a different response, a more spir...
While I was reading Abby Ellin's New York Times piece, "I Was Powerless Over Diet Coke," I caught a glimpse of my life from nearly 20 years ago. Ellin outlines how she chugged three or four cans a day, for nearly 40 years, until she reached a point when nothing felt right. CT scans and ultrasounds led to a colonoscopy, which all came back clear. Still, Ellin had this nagging feeling her daily addiction to Diet Coke was making her ill. For years, my daily routine started with a glass of water, fo...
I'm in survival mode. I made it through fair week, personally and professionally, and am gearing up for week two of fair coverage. The Holt County Fair will be in full swing when this edition hits your mailbox. Some people may look forward to evening entertainment and think it makes or breaks the fair experience. Don't get me wrong - it's a lot of fun and I've seen a multitude of quality fair concerts, stock car races and rodeos that are memorable. As a former 4-H member, the fair experience alw...
Since the Advocate-Messenger's first edition hit your mailboxes on July 25, 2019, our newspaper has had a single mission: Bring community stories to the forefront. We've shared our region's success stories and we've covered the moments when we all have faced struggles. We share photos from sporting events, document engagements and weddings, promote area businesses and record community history. One of the biggest challenges we collectively have faced is the COVID-19 pandemic. As a small...
Madeline Tiger, a poet, wrote, "The instant of birth is exquisite. Pain and joy are one at this moment. Ever after, the dim recollection is so sweet that we speak to our children with a gratitude they never understand." After reading Leslie Jamison's "A Personal History of the C-Section," I contemplated Tiger's quote about the exact moment we usher a new life into the world and how the experience shapes our views. Jamison drives the point home while talking about undergoing a caesarean section,...
Volume three, number one. Man, woman and child: It felt good to type those numbers in the flag of this week's edition. Two years ago, Scott and I turned a vision into reality and founded the Advocate-Messenger and ColdType Publishing, LLC. It started like a whirlwind, and some days, it still feels like we're being carried from place to place via the wind, whether it's covering a community celebration, school event or a monthly board meeting. We look forward to telling the stories important to...
One of my favorite summer events - popping up like a leap year - begins in just over 10 days. Watching the summer Olympics, the pure joy of viewing the best of the best, has been a mainstay since I was young. I'll admit, the Olympic world feels a tad bit tilted this year, since the games are a year off, due to last year's cancellation because of the pandemic. I may have been only seven years old, but I still remember sitting in the living room with the 'rents, watching track and field...
There's something about a bad boy. For instance, my favorite literary character is MacBeth, Shakespeare's good-boy-gone-bad. In the beginning, MacBeth is kind, maybe even an overachiever. But once he tastes sweet success, the passion for power and ambition culminate in his undoing. My favorite character from a TV show is Tony Soprano, whose storyline in the David Chase-inspired show mirrors MacBeth. There's something lovable about Tony, but you wouldn't want to cross him or you may find...
The search for the truth should be a top priority for a journalist. It’s a journalist’s responsibility to present factual information in a clear and precise manner. Even when the reporter is nine years old. I’m intrigued with Apple TV’s series, “Home Before Dark.” It’s a fictionalized take of real-life reporter, Hilde Lysiak, who, at nine years old, broke a local murder case in her self-published newspaper. The show - part-mystery, part-drama, with a dose of comedy - shows Lysiak’s determination...
