Marion County’s two largest cities don’t have the luxury of not collaborating to thrive. Hillsboro and Marion must treat each other not just as neighbors but almost as one entity to survive and thrive. Reading Lou Thurston’s report below makes me happy. Both cities have collaborated in the past on many issues. Both mayors talk the talk, too. It was […]

I recently looked up the word “collaboration” on my computer. I found that Google provides two very distinct meanings for this word; The action of working with someone to produce or create something. Traitorous cooperation with an enemy. The first of these seems like an admirable and even virtuous action and the other seems, well, pretty bad. I was thinking […]

Because words matter; sometimes actions speak louder than words, and sometimes they don’t. Because men (and women) are of God, and borders are of man. Because people are people, no matter what they look like or where they are from. Because being louder doesn’t make one righter. Because, historically, 25 percent of Kansas are responsible for making decisions that affect […]

Whenever I hear an old song, or see somebody who looks similar to a friend I once knew, I begin reminiscing about other people who I’ve lost touch with, and who meant so much to me at different stages of my life. When I was growing up, my parents didn’t stay in one place too long. Born in Atchison, we […]

This is a bit crazy but the other day I thought my underwear was imported from Germany or Russia. I looked down at the label and it read like this: Then I discovered that they were just inside out. ◼ When I get my new eyeglasses next month I will be over the moon. If you see me walking around […]

“Everything in this newspaper is important to someone.” It’s become something of a mantra for me, in recent years. Weekly community newspapers are eclectic, to say the least. We publish photos of ribbons being cut at bakeries, and donations being dropped off at local food pantries. We print the school honor roll, the court report, and in-depth stories on decisions […]

Editor’s Note: This is a guest editorial appearing as a part of National Newspaper Week next week, Oct. 7-13. Nicole Haffely of Hillsboro will be inducted into a bowling hall of fame later this year. We know this because she was featured in a front-page feature story in the Hillsboro Banner. In Mayville, the Riverwood Addition development site is nearly […]

Writer’s block; something that every writer in history has had to struggle with and try to overcome. The official definition of this awful time when your brain turns to mush is “when a writer loses the ability to produce new work, or experiences a creative slowdown”. Well here I am on this Sunday afternoon, the day before I need to […]

If my mom were still alive she would be 103 this Wednesday Oct. 3. It kind of puts things in perspective for me. Some­times she was 30 years older and sometimes 31 years older. I am quite certain now that I won’t make it to 103 but I know where I am headed one of these days. There is no […]

It has come to my attention that there are people who have taken notice to some of the coverage changes in the Free Press over the last few weeks. The changes have made some happy and some sad, and we understand that. While I haven’t received one complaint in person or through e-mail, some staff members have. I just thought […]