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

Old Jake (02/06/10)
At times you just know that things happen for a reason. Old dog Jake, the German shorthair, was heading for his 13th year. I knew somewhere in the near future he wouldn't be with me. I'd been out of town all of last week and as usual the neighbor boy just up the hill tended to the three dogs while I was away. ...

Weather -- take a guess (02/06/10)
Hi neighbors. You probably already know Phil the groundhog saw his shadow. That is supposed to mean six more weeks of bad weather. On the other tip of the country General Beauregard Lee of Georgia did not see his shadow, so I guess that part of the country is going to have more spring like weather early...

The Rip Van Winkle chronicles (02/06/10)
For some months now, I've come to believe I'm now -- and have been since I retired from teaching, some six years ago -- living in a new world. Not quite, mind you, a "brave new" world, like Aldous Huxley's drug-altered landscape in the mid-1930s, but a changed one to which I've got to get accustomed, nonetheless...

I have no idea (02/05/10)
Every now and then, the planets align themselves, and I have an epiphany. That is a two dollar word that has many meanings, but for the purpose of this article, let's define it to mean a revelation or insight. It is not a coincidence that I am using a word like this. It has everything to do with the message I am trying to develop for this article. It has to do in particular with the changes I am seeing in our civilization, and the general puzzlement these adaptations cause me to experience...

I'm on a national register for geese (02/04/10)
I know it is no surprise for those of you who know me, to find out that I am on a goose register. But I'll bet even you didn't think I would go national For some reason, in this cold season, our farm pond or lawn side lake (the same place, it depends on who I am trying to impress what I call it!) has become a haven for many geese. ...

Crowder College awarded Community Betterment Award (02/03/10)
It was about 25 or 30 years ago when Warren Hargus, area community development specialist, recognized a need for a community junior college for Vernon County. He saw a real need for an education program after high school. The concept that the Hargus felt was needed in the area never developed, but, a few years later Crowder College located a campus in Nevada. This campus met a need for many students in this area looking for an opportunity to take college courses...

Thanks Ted (01/29/10)
If anyone ever deserved a Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, my list would include Ted Turner. Ted is of course famous for many different accomplishments, but for me his single greatest achievement was the creation of "Turner Classic Movies." Like many of you, movies have been an important part of my life as far back as I can remember. Movies have shaped for me, and millions of others, the way we view life and ourselves...

Generational opinions change (01/28/10)
When I was a student at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., war was declared. (Not the Civil War, but World War II). Student life changed quickly. All extra curricular activities were held immediately after school since no lights could show after dark. The football games began shortly before the 3:00 p.m. school day ended and the last quarter was played in dimming light...

Wayne Neal business award presented to Cottey College (01/27/10)
It is appropriate for one of the Pacesetter Awards recently presented at the Nevada/Vernon County Chamber of Commerce awards luncheon to be named in honor of the late Wayne Neal. He served as city manager and had a major impact on the community. Although any of the businesses nominated for this award were deserving of the special recognition, chamber of commerce members selected Cottey College as the 2009 recipient. ...

School board appreciation week (01/21/10)
Dear Editor: On behalf of the Nevada R-5 School District, our Community Teachers' Association and our staff, please let me take the time to recognize the members of the R-5 School Board during School Board Appreciation Week (Jan. 24-30). This week is set aside each year to appreciate and applaud the incredible efforts of these dedicated men and women on behalf of our students and our community. ...

Hello Darlin' (01/21/10)
If this column sounds familiar to you, it might be because I have written similar ones before. I couldn't find one that I wrote for the paper, but I know I have included these thoughts in many e-mails and conversations I have had in the past few years...

Save the old Baptist Church building (01/19/10)
Dear Editor: I'm writing this after reading that the old First Baptist Church might be demolished. What a mistake this would be. This is a beautiful, old, one of a kind, brick building standing at Hunter and Main. Nearly in the center of our town. It holds many memories, many happy, many sad, but precious one that touch many people in Nevada and surrounding counties...

Hold it! (01/14/10)
There is a song with words saying something about knowing when to hold and when to fold. I'm not a poker player so I probably wouldn't know which to do if I played a game. But I have certainly been told many times lately to "please hold." These telephone moments when we are waiting for action are bad enough if we are just sitting there quietly by ourselves. ...