When you get down to it, most public laws and ordinances grow out a lack of thoughtfulness and common courtesy between citizens. When one citizen disregards the reasonable wishes of a neighbor, the legal authority eventually steps in to require courtesy under the threat of fine or punishment. As a result, we have laws to guard the most reasonable human […]

County needs jobs more than roads Any hopes of addressing the deeper, real issues facing the Marion County economy were dashed when the Marion County Board of Commissioners defined the condition of roads as of No. 1 importance in the county. The Marion County commission continues to be another tragic failure in Kansas county governance. To be sure, potholes and […]

I own books. I also own a Kindle electronic reader. Each has its particular strengths, and each has obvious weaknesses. I believe they can coexist in the modern world. Obviously, books were here first. Once Johannes Gutenberg developed movable type, the printed word took off. From the Bible to “Fifty Shades of Grey,” books have affected human lives in profound […]

“Lately I’ve been feeling I don’t need so many things. I must: simplify, simplify, simplify. Then I thought if I were really into simplifying, I wouldn’t say simplify three times. I’d say simplify. Or “simp.”—Karen Salmansohn “To do nothing and have it count for something.”—Regina Brett It all kicked off with some kitchen utensils. To be exact, it was a […]

Does anyone remember when you could buy a gallon of gas in Hillsboro for 22¢ and have your oil checked and the front floor mats vacuumed to boot? I did in 1965. There was no such thing as self-service and gas was always available on Sundays because the stations took turns being open on Sunday so people could fill their […]

◼ Recreating. A lot is going on in Hillsboro this June. Our city recreation programs are in full swing: Blast Ball; T-ball; Machine Pitch; baseball; softball; swim team; tennis camp; drama camp; golf camp; baseball clinic; summer volleyball camp; youth volleyball league; Pitch, Hit & Run; Summer Craft Camp and finally STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Camp are all […]

There were quite a number of years when I was younger that I wouldn’t eat cherry pie, despite always having loved it. My last piece before my break with the dessert was while sitting at my grandparents’ dining room table. “You know,” my cousins told me, “those aren’t cherries. Those are baby animal hearts.” I immediately dismissed them as liars, […]

One doesn’t realize just how big the Kansas Track & Field State Cham­pionships has become until he or she arrives around mid-day Saturday and looks for a parking spot relatively close to Cessna Stadium at Wichita State University. Trust us, you won’t find one. With more than 3,300 athletes from all six classifications competing, you only can imagine how many […]

HHS columnist’s piece was stellar Kudos to Hillsboro High’s journalism department and all students who participated in the Kansas State Press Association’s competition. You all earned that state title. I want to especially single out Maddy Daniels, whose editorial in the May 30 Free Press was stellar. Maddy, your “report” in the paper held my attention throughout, and I eagerly […]

Life is a journey with small and large potholes that can be easy or hard to navigate. But in the final analysis, and for purposes of this column, I would like to put it in terms of “gossip.” Engaging in gossip can be a good thing. In fact, researchers suggest it was the way people in groups learned to communicate […]