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Sitting with the Stars

Local Columns

The world around us seems to be changing every day. This makes us appreciate life’s constants even more. One of those near constants is the Grand Ol’ Opry. The weekly radio broadcast from Nashville began nearly a century ago on November 28, 1925. Thanks to cable, satellite and streaming television it is possible to watch the Grand Ol' Opry on television each week. Of course, you can still listen to the Grand Ol’ Opry on WSM Radio. I discovered the Grand Ol’ Opry on the family’s old console radio as a kid. My first full-time job was at a radio station in north central Iowa ...

Henry Dodge was a monument of a good man

Local Columns

Every time I walk through our neighborhood, I’m impressed by the care shown in the maintenance of it; from mowing and trimming to the variety of trees and shrubs. It is truly a restful, peaceful place. The beauty of the stones and monuments are equally amazing. It got me wondering about ...

Woman of the Year, Season 2

Local Columns

Our last episode saw Daily Freeman-Journal Interim Editor Jane Curtis simultaneously move from the driver’s seat and, in a surprise development, be completely blindsided – in a good way – by those wily women of Beta Sigma Phi, the social, educational and service sorority. The local chapter, knowing her penchant for expressing an opinion, invited Curtis to speak at its April 24 Founder’s Day dinner. The Woman of the Year award was a complete surprise. Well, here’s another surprise: She’s back. Which means I can move to the first-person tense here. I am back. Those of ...

COUNTRY ROADS: Keeping it simple, sweetheart

Local Columns

Years ago, I came across a little acronym that helps me almost daily: K.I.S.S. It stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” How much easier life would be if everyone just kept things simple. Someone, or something, always seems to come along and complicate things. I remember a time years ...