Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 05 March 2013 14:22

The snow last Mon­day night was cause for concern. Not because it was supposed to pile up and blow. More because Dish wasn’t working and the KU-Iowa State game was about to begin.

I was beginning to panic about it, but then we were talking with Amy and I thought we could do FaceTime and she could show me the game from their TV in Atlanta on our iPad. Luckily, the signal finally came back on, even though it was only in standard definition. Small concession, as that is how we used to watch all TV shows before HD came into being.

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Kudos to the city crews for their excellent work cleaning up the mess from the Monday night through Tuesday morning snow storm. By afternoon all of the roads were almost clear from the sun and its hefty...

Read more: We dodged a second snow bullet

Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 26 February 2013 11:50

We lucked out last week with the big snow not delaying delivery of the Free Press.

We may not be as lucky this week, according to the forecast I have been hearing about over the weekend. My frame of mind is: I will believe it when I see it.

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I am continually amazed at the power of the sun in clearing off the snow—even when the temperature is well below freezing. If the sun comes out, all is well. The main highways were dry by Friday afternoon.

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I was sitting in an Applebee’s in Wichita Friday night and decided to see what Siri could find for Applebee’s restaurants.

She found about seven of them, except the one I was sitting in at the time. Maybe she thinks I am smart enough to know I was already in one and didn’t need...

Read more: Snow has not delayed us...yet

Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 19 February 2013 13:39

It is a rare privilege to meet someone like Michele Longabaugh, a cancer survivor and one of the most upbeat and inspirational people I have ever met. And you, too, will have the opportunity to meet her as well this Sunday night at the Hillsboro United Methodist church in a program where she will share her story.

You will come away with hope and understanding of how you or your family or someone you know can get through a similar situation.

We at the Free Press have come to know and appreciate Michele since we have worked with her in publishing her book, “If You’re Not Laughing, You’re Dying.” The book is a compilation of her blogs written over nearly a two-year period while she battled Stage 4 cancer. She has since had us help...

Read more: Survivor has a key story to tell

Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:53

During a discussion in our office the other day about full-service gas stations, I realized that all but the oldest staffers, like me, had never experienced full service at the gas station. Most had grown up pumping their own gas.

I mentioned we still have Jost Service here in Hillsboro, a full-service gas station. I said a few cents a gallon higher than self-serve (1,000 gallons x $.02 = $20) was a small price to pay to have a place where people who need it can receive some assistance with their refueling needs.

Some folks will remember the Wiens & Jost station in downtown Hillsboro where they would wash your windshield, check your oil and the air in your tires and even vacuum your floor boards.

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The post office’s...

Read more: Full-service stations fill a need