Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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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...
Michael Connelly wrote, “A newspaper is the center of a community, it’s one of the tent poles of the community, and that’s not going to be replaced by websites and blogs.” The best-selling author and I are on the same page. A printed paper will be archived and preserved for future use. A website, well, that’s not always a permanent form of history. Neither is social media, which I have written about previously. I’ve had multiple conversations lately, with friends and colleagues, about prese...
Emily Dickinson wrote, “Hold dear to your parents for it is a scary and confusing world without them.” So true. I’ve been sentimental lately, tears have flowed fairly steadily, as Father’s Day nears. I cannot count the number of times, since the new year started, I would be watching a Husker basketball or baseball game and think, “I need to call Dad and remind him the Huskers are playing.” I cannot count the number of times I hear some song pop on the radio and I am transported to Clay Center...
“Someone is going to die.” Naturally, this sentence piqued my attention. I wasn’t eavesdropping on the conversation where the above-mentioned line was uttered. Oh, contrare. It was said during a public gathering, by an individual sitting next to Scott and me. In fact, several comments from this person and the group he/she was with caught my attention. I was making a mental note to speak with them privately about their concerns, when one of the group members told about an incident they witne...
Wow, what a weekend in Ewing. One hundred fifty years, plus one, definitely looks good on you. It took a lot of planning and quite a number of people were involved in pulling off a weekend filled with family, friends and fun. Cool temperatures and threatening rain could have slowed Friday evening activities, but that didn’t deter those wanting to kick off summer. Our staff, along with Josh Napier, had a great time overseeing the road rally. Some questions stumped participants; others were a b...
I’m not sure who first said this, but it’s true: You can’t have a million-dollar dream on a minimum wage work ethic. I know it’s true. Teaching and freelancing both required a high level of energy, with long and unpredictable hours. The news cycle, along with business owner responsibilities, exist 24/7, and like my father-in-law told me, “You work twice as hard when you’re responsible to earn your own living.” P.S. I’m not a millionaire … not yet (wink, wink) … and my million-dollar drea...
The best laid plans don’t always work out. Last week, the graduation section kept me busy, but a great column was brewing and I began penning it Wednesday. I added a bit more over the next few days. It was a doozy. Trust me. And then, Monday happened. My Mac desktop decided not to cooperate, even after attempting to install the new operating system. Five completed pages of the paper were lost. This is one of the pages currently inaccessible until Apple Support and I work through the issue. I’ve...
I’m taking a break this week, trying to catch my breath and recoup energy. This week’s edition of the Advocate-Messenger includes eight pages of graduation coverage, including senior photos and future plans, valedictorian and salutatorian speeches and a collage of memorable moments captured on my SD card. I also hope all the mothers who read this had a special day. Scott whisked me away from work for a few hours and took me to one of my favorite spots for a lazy Sunday afternoon drive. Spo...
