Nevada Daily Mail: Opinion

Columnists

- Pros and Cons by Richard Carpenter - Pros and Cons
- ... but it's a dry heat by Jennifer Hancock
- Then and Now by Patrick Brophy
- Fort Scott Community College by Dick Hedges
- The Way It Was by (Daily staff)
- Leonard At Large by Leonard Ernsbarger
- The Third Cup by Nancy Malcom
- Through A Glass Darkly by Steve Moyer
- At Random by Charles C. Nash
- Nuzum Sports by Scott Nuzum
- Battlefield Dispatches by Arnold W. Schofield
- News and Views by U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton
- Middle Age Plus by Carolyn Gray Thornton
- Outdoor Living by Ken White

Pit bulls running loose at local park (03/19/10)
Dear Editor, I have walked dogs for years at both parks in Nevada. Many dog lovers take their dogs to these parks and it has been without incident. Since Nevada does not have a leash law, many dog owners find this convenient for their dogs to enjoy their time at the park. Most owners will always attach a leash if they see other dogs approaching for safety purposes...

'Fury' was the star (03/19/10)
Last weekend, "Baby Boomers" lost another legend from our collective past. Actor Peter Graves passed away from a heart attack, at age 83. His most famous role was on the television show, "Mission Impossible," but for many people my age, we remember him fondly, portraying the ranch owner, Jim Newton, on the Saturday morning kids series, "Fury."...

Sleepless in Vernon County (03/19/10)
Have you ever lain awake at night for an hour or two? That seems to be one of the pluses of being middle age plus. More of us in this category seem to have some wakeful times at night. If you have a roommate it can happen more often, because if one person is restless the other person usually catches the condition as well...

The Treadmill (03/13/10)
Recently my treadmill gave up. It said "dead sensor." It had been purchased some years ago in Kansas City and I attempted to find someone who could repair it. I called three numbers and all three were out of business. I asked my brother in Kansas City to see if he could find where I needed to go. He came up with a number along with his comment that he thought I was using the treadmill for a clothes rack, because every time he came down here there were clothes hanging on it...

Made where? (03/13/10)
Hi neighbors. Have you noticed changes in some of the larger stores around? If something isn't a big seller, they stop carrying it. Of course, that "something" is always the one thing you really want often enough that you miss it when it is no longer available...

Step up with Missouri 4-H (03/10/10)
It seems like it has only been a short time, but it has been several years since the Teen 4-H conference first started. While there are a number of events available for older 4-H members, the teen conference was started for pre-teen age members, to introduce them to a stat- wide conference and to acquaint them with events that will be available to them in the future...

Vacant apartment -- tenants wanted (03/06/10)
We often talk about things that come out of the blue as something that we didn't expect. In my case I came home to find a beautiful martin house on the deck with a short note from a friend explaining he made the martin house in his workshop and he wanted to give it to me. It not only was a two story work of art, freshly painted, but done in the Fort Scott Tiger colors of red and white. How much better can it get...

Before I forget... (03/06/10)
Hi neighbors. Didn't I tell you we would have nice weather again sooner or later? Let's hope there's more where this came from. One of my favorite things to collect is trivia. Few people know more about less than I do. When I hear some fact that is more or less pretty useless, I remember it...

The boy dragon (03/05/10)
One of my favorite new shows on television is "NCIS Los Angeles." In a strange episode this week, the show's script, delved into a real life political and population issue. The show looked at one fictional family from China, who had their lives changed forever by the "one-child" policy of the People's Republic of China...

Don't forget to write! (03/04/10)
Many of our western stories laud the bravery of our ancestors who went west to seek their fortune or to establish their new homes. Those of us who enjoy living in Vernon County are possibly descendants of a person, or a couple, who left their families and security "back east" to find new land. I am grateful to them for settling here eventually and have no desire to push further west...

Congressman Skelton -- our township roads need repairs (03/02/10)
Congressman Ike Skelton 2206 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman Skelton, State Sen. Pearce and I would like to alert you to a potential tragedy that we fear is becoming more likely everyday. Primarily, because of the recent winter weather, many township roads in both Bates and Vernon counties have become virtually impassable. ...

Tractors are better than underwear (02/27/10)
My 6-year-old grandson from Garnett was here for Christmas and spent a lot of time playing with a toy John Deere tractor at the house. His family was getting ready to leave and he said to me, "Grandpa, if that tractor was at my house, I would play with it all the time." I replied, "Well I guess you're going to have to keep coming down here because I'm going to keep it." His 7th birthday came in the middle of February and the more I thought about it, he is the only one that plays with the tractor. ...

What day is it? (02/27/10)
Hi neighbors. Another month is coming to a close. How are you doing with those New Year's resolutions? How often have you written the "0" for the year (as in 2009) then remembered it is 2010 and had to stop yourself and slip the "1" in before the 0?...

How many more snows this winter? (02/25/10)
Dear Editor: My father used to tell me when I was a child that whatever day the first snow fell that was deep enough to track a rabbit, we would get that many snows that winter. That was a long time ago, as I am nearly 86 years old and that old saying seems pretty true this winter...

Wasteful government spending (02/25/10)
Editor: At Fort Benning, Ga,, there is a "school" that is a perfect example of wasteful government spending. Not widely known to the U.S. public, this "school" is called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. It was once simply called The School of the Americas...

Visits to the past (02/25/10)
I was recovering from a bad cold for several days last week. I didn't have too many responsibilities and the weather wasn't inviting to be outside, so I decided to really take good care of myself and stay inside and rest. I was disappointed that I didn't have any good books to read as I had neglected to pick up some from the library, so I turned to the TV for entertainment...

Two generations of Millers participated in national contest (02/24/10)
One of the teaching methods recommended in 4-H is judging. Judging may be included in almost any project and it is an important event in some of the 4-H projects. The major reason to include judging in projects is that it helps members learn to make decisions. Decision making is a life skill that is enhanced as result of participating in judging. It is more than just learning subject matter, which is learned as result of judging...

I have an opinion too! (02/20/10)
Hi neighbors. Although I find the news depressing most of the time and take days off when I don't watch national political news, once in a while my Yahoo page will have a headline I can't ignore. The Supreme Court has come up with a ruling that says the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections...

Wisdom, unexpected but welcome (02/20/10)
Dear Ediitor: In today's world, we hear, see, read the opinions of many persons as they offer what seems to them wisdom. The problem is their ideas are so varied it is difficult to sort through them to find a pearl of great value. Such a pearl was found in the Feb. ...

Suppport the children's theater (02/20/10)
Dear Editor: I am writing this letter to encourage Nevada to support a new youth outreach. Mr. Tony Wagner has recently started a children's theater here in Nevada located on the Square at 114 N. Cedar, where Daylight Donuts used to be. The production, "Narnia" started this week. For any young person interested in doing some acting, this is a great opportunity!...