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There are many things asked of your local newspaper. Members of its staff are expected to give you fair coverage of what’s going on around your community. Readers want them to report about what’s happening with their city and village councils, county commissioners and other boards and organizations that are entrusted to run their governments and spend tax money. That transparency is a critical component of making sure there are checks on government actions. Police reporting ensures readers that the men and women who make up our law enforcement agencies are doing their jobs. ...

Last call for Christmas: Going … going … gone

Well, Christmas has come and Christmas has gone. It goes by way too fast, doesn’t it? All of the worrying we do. All of the preparation. We are constantly wondering what we should purchase for those who mean the most to us ... and then pray that it will be something they won’t want to return. We stress about how we are supposed to pay for it all … with money we don’t have and credit cards with no vacancy remaining. Then there is the time-consuming decorating that goes into creating our holiday displays … only to be taken down soon after everything is finally put ...

Standing among the best

Halls of fame are, by their very nature, meant to be exclusive. They’re designed to honor the top contributors in a community, a profession or some other category. While each has a specific set of criteria that inductees are supposed to be judged against, the subjective side of the equation means there always will be questions about who undoubtedly should be recognized, who a good case can be made for receiving the honor and who might seem to be a good fit for induction but who, for whatever reason, might not ever get the needed votes. There have been a couple of examples during ...

Guest column/Looking back at Christmas Eve on 1933

In the era of President-elect Donald J. Trump, many remain anxious about the coming new year. The nation’s capital is seen from the heartland like a 21st century Sodom and Gomorrah. But a step back in time captured in the 1971 TV Christmas special “The Homecoming,” set in the Great Depression on Christmas Eve 1933, introduced viewers to a family called the Waltons, with a brood of youngins including the oldest, John Boy, who aspired to be a newspaper writer, and the youngest of the boys wearing knickers sharing a story about squeezing a little duck. When families gathered to ...

Christmas will not be Christmas this year

We blinked, and now, it is Christmas. Although in my house, we are doing something a little different this year for the holiday. We aren’t having it. What I mean is that yes, we will be celebrating Christmas on Wednesday because, well because it’s Christmas. How can you not acknowledge Dec. 25 as the day in which Jesus was born? It’s the most precious moment there has ever been or ever will be, and no truer words will ever be said. But what I mean to say is that we will not be doing the whole Christmas-tradition thing we have always done before. And I am honestly ...

History in the Hills: Merry Christmas

I can’t believe that Christmas is right around the corner. These past few months have just raced by. It seems that as I get older, time moves even faster. Probably it has to do with having an active family. My son is in basketball and my daughter just finished dancing in the Nutcracker ballet through her studio. Each one of those activities requires a large time commitment. I don’t know how my wife manages to get everything done that needs to be completed before the holidays in addition to taking care of the kids and navigating these extra activities. From baking cookies, ...