Opinion

Resources for veterans

Attention veterans! Here are some websites with good information for veterans, family members and loved ones. Access and manage your VA benefits and healthcare: www.va.gov Find Department of Veteran Affairs facilities and services: www.usa.gov/agencies/u-s-department-of-veterans-affairs Veteran Crisis Line: 1-866-966-1020 Other resources for mental health: www.mentalhealth.va.gov Careers for veterans: vacareers.va.gov Burial allowances[Read More…]

Bovine pyroglyphics

The days of cattle barons and range wars are in the past, but cattle, sheep and brands remain. Brands are now registered statewide and are put on other livestock besides cattle. Instead of traditional branding, sheep are branded with a semi-permanent paint. Si-ro-mark sells sheep marking fluids in red, green,[Read More…]

EDITOR’S COLUMN: The art of grief

“You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” ~ Old Chinese Proverb Every time I think I’ve mastered the art of grief — and it is an art, in that it’s intensely personal and wildly[Read More…]

The fur-bearing trout

There has been an unconfirmed sighting of a rare fur-bearing trout this weekend at Lake Avery. This reporter accepted the story with a certain amount of skepticism. I consider all fish stories suspect unless accompanied by a catch or at least a photo of the catch. Tales of record-breaking fish[Read More…]

EDITOR’S COLUMN: Wrong

“Aristocrats don’t notice philosophical conundra. They just ignore them. Philosophy includes contemplating the possibility that you might be wrong, sir, and a real aristocrat knows that he is always right. It’s not vanity, you understand, it’s built-in absolute certainty. They may sometimes be as mad as a hatful of spoons,[Read More…]

April Fool’s Day

The origin of April Fool’s Day is not really known. In 18th century Britain, there was a two-day event that encouraged many of the jokes and pranks we still use for our April Fool’s Day. The first day was “Hunting the Gowk,” in which people were sent all over on[Read More…]

First bill signed into law

One of the top concerns that I hear from constituents is education, and as a former teacher myself, I have seen firsthand the state of our underfunded education system. In our rural schools, we struggle to fill open positions. The greatest impact of these open positions is on the students.[Read More…]