I recall a saying from my youth that went, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” This comes to mind reading reports of the mind-boggling welfare fraud megascandal that has been exposed in Minnesota. For perspective on the scope of the scandal, Assistant U.S. Attorney ...

Scene: the Midwest in midcentury. The Madison, Wisconsin, neighborhood lived through the 1930s and 1940s, depression, wartime and polio. President Franklin Roosevelt’s radio fireside chats built morale. My father’s mother, Marie, a widowed nurse with four children, never missed Eleanor ...

ORCHID: To Youngstown Mayor Derrick McDowell for filling each and every Cabinet position in his new administration before his inauguration as the city’s 52nd chief executive earlier this week. At first glance, his mix of seasoned city department heads with new and talented faces appears to ...

As our community, our state and our country stand at the starting gate to 2026, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, myriad opportunities abound. There are opportunities for deep reflection on the bedrock documents and principles that gave rise to the ongoing “great ...

As 2025 comes to an end, I want to thank my readers who have emailed me throughout the year with encouraging and kind words. I truly appreciate the thoughtfulness put into every message. Due to my teaching and grading load, I am not able to respond to every email, but I am deeply moved that ...

DEAR EDITOR: For over 40 years there was a very selfless, kind and very merry Santa, who has left us with heavy hearts. We lost Mike Watson, who has been Santa Claus in our Valley every Christmas season, listening to over 2,000 children’s requests for Santa’s presents every ...