View From Hickory Heights Recently when my daughter, my granddaughter, and I were at an antique shop my daughter told her daughter that is the way she grew up. She was right. When our children were young we often took a Sunday ride that took us to some antique store. One Sunday we would ...
As a seasonal resident along the Allegheny River for over 40 years, first as a cabin renter, then as the owner of a RV, and now as a cabin owner, I’ve taken innumerable canoe and kayak trips on the river. Inevitably, there have been a number of trying times during these excursions. Some ...
Our new neighbor moved in just last month. I didn’t read about the real estate transaction in the newspaper because she did not purchase her small home. She’s a squatter. We don’t take kindly to squatters in this neighborhood. I did feel a little sorry for her because she must have ...
I think you’d like “Edsie”. He’s a buddy from college days; I’ve known him for more than 50 years. We still get together from time to time. He was a high school teacher for about 35 years. He was married for about 25 before losing his beloved wife to cancer. He finished raising ...
Dear Editor, Like most Americans, especially those who voted for Donald Trump, I have puzzled over the determined effort of democratic leadership to thwart Republican fulfillment of the agenda pledged by the president. The degree of obstruction has gone beyond reasonable boundaries. Example: ...
Dear Editor, After World War I, the flower became the accepted symbol for commemorating those who had fallen during the war. Many American citizens felt the best way to honor both the dead and disabled veterans was to assist those who came home bearing the scars of war. The idea of selling ...
Dear Editor, This letter is not intended for the remaining 33% of Americans who support my President. It would only upset and possibly confuse them. President Trump’s recent suggestion that legal immigrants be required to speak English before entering the USA belies the fact that ...
A package of emergency funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs was approved by the U.S. Senate this week. It includes $2.1 billion for a special program to ensure veterans are not kept waiting for health care treatment at VA facilities. Meanwhile, the agency continues to spend in some ...
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is well aware of the powerlessness of leaders in this country and others upset about his ongoing repression of his own people. Despite enormous oil reserves, Venezuela’s economy is a shambles and Maduro’s regime is in the process of making liberty no more ...
The realities of politics and human behavior being what they are, it is time for U.S. senators — and President Donald Trump — to take a break from attempts to reform health insurance. Emotions are running far too high to expect that holding lawmakers’ noses to the grindstone would result ...
Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, has become the “gift” that keeps on taking. It has made obtaining health insurance more difficult and more expensive for millions of Americans. It is choking many already stressed state budgets. And it has locked in a federal deficit of ...
Little Charlie Gard may have passed away by the time you read this. The 11-month-old British child, center of an international controversy for weeks, was moved to a hospice, where doctors planned to turn off life-support equipment. What if Charlie’s life could have been saved before he ...
Once, there was a little rabbit who had soft pink ears, bright red eyes, and a short, fluffy tail. Insomuch as features in line with stereotypical species-related body expectations is a legitimate criteria for a working definition of the subjective measure of “cute,” he was, indeed, such a ...
A “fun fact” showed up on Facebook describing how racecar drivers can lose 10 pounds during a single race. It’s all about the heat, exertion, sweating, maybe spontaneous, fear-induced discharges…. Anyway, it brought back my experiences with races. It was when I was a rookie ...
Earlier in my junior school year, I was nominated for The Washington Journalism & Media Conference. It was a very competitive process to be accepted. I had to have a good academic standing; with a minimum 3.5 GPA, a demonstrated interest in journalism; and a willingness to represent my ...
When I was growing up there were just a few car manufacturers. Each car brand was distinctive so you could pick all of them out. I remember in the years that I traveled with Grandma and Grandpa and my mother I counted types of cars to pass the time as we drove along. Now there are so many ...
Once upon a time, a man came to talk to Tim about work. I didn't much care for him so I kept busy in the other room. Tim talked with him about the kind of work he could do. I listened as the man talked about what a hard worker he was. “A very hard worker, unlike some”...and before you knew ...
Dear Editor, Let’s say you worked at a steel mill. Good wage. Great benefits. Solid pension. Along comes a dealmaker. We need your pension to buy the company so you can keep your job. A win-win for you. Not long after the books don’t look so good. The company is sold. Pension gone. Job ...
Dear Editor, In light of the GOP’s persistent efforts to enact healthcare legislation which would prove devastating for tens of millions of Americans, you will likely be hearing more voices calling for serious consideration of a single-payer/”Medicare for All” system, which is being ...
Dear Editor, I would like to thank the person who found my lost car keys at Betts Park and was kind enough to turn them in to the police. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated. Patricia Brown, Warren