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Last call...
Posted Wednesday, August 2, 2017, at 12:00 AMIf my life continues on its intended path, this will be the last time I write a story as a professional journalist. It's odd to think in those terms, but I think reality is finally starting to set in. Today, I'm having to consider the impact my decision will have not just on myself but also my family as well as others in this community... -
Time to put on our 'A' game
Posted Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at 12:00 AMLater this week, Mountain Home will once again play host to one of southern Idaho's largest public events. About the only exception will be the solar eclipse on Aug. 21 that's expected to — pardon the pun — overshadow anything we've seen to date in terms of expected crowds... -
Annual Idaho State Police report offers some mixed news for county
Posted Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at 12:00 AMIn light of the national media's non-stop, 24/7 bashing of our president over the past several months, I felt it was a better use of my time to pause and reflect on something that's much closer to home. After all, anyone who thinks that this political nonsense is going to stop anytime soon is probably fooling themselves... -
Community Canvas effort made significant difference
Posted Wednesday, July 12, 2017, at 12:00 AMOne of my favorite artists of all time was a Renaissance man by the name of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Often referred to by his first name in the history books I studied, Michelangelo was a sculptor, painter, architect and poet whose work greatly influence the development of Western art... -
Law enforcement must train to confront very evil people
Posted Wednesday, July 5, 2017, at 12:00 AMOrlando... Virginia Tech... Sandy Hook... Columbine... To date, these four areas represent the sites of some of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history. These and others like them normally involved a common thread — it took one person with a loaded firearm to claim the lives of dozens of innocent bystanders... -
Independence Day coming so don't get complacent
Posted Wednesday, June 28, 2017, at 12:00 AMI thought I was fully prepared to deal with anything Mother Nature threw at me. After all, I'd already dealt my fair share of tornadoes, typhoons, earthquakes, sand storms and floods before my family and I moved to southern Idaho 11 years ago... -
Angry rhetoric must stop
Posted Wednesday, June 21, 2017, at 12:00 AMJust when I thought things couldn't get any worse regarding the political turmoil in the United States, I was proven wrong... again. I turned on the television that morning expecting to see what's become the status quo in the daily news reports, all of which are focused on either tearing down President Donald Trump or defending his actions... -
Two noble events support two very important causes
Posted Wednesday, June 7, 2017, at 12:00 AMThe Mountain Home community is fortunate because it plays host to a number of events throughout the year that seek to bring people together for some very noble causes. Many times, these events also draw attention to some often-overlooked issues that directly affect those living here... -
Be 'fire wise' this summer
Posted Wednesday, May 31, 2017, at 12:00 AMThose who know me best understand that I tend to get a bit on edge around this time of year. I know it's just a matter of time when I get the call — the one that has me dropping everything and scrambling out the door with my camera in hand... -
Congratulations, graduates
Posted Tuesday, May 23, 2017, at 4:43 PMI wanted to take time this week to extend my personal congratulations to all of the students representing the Class of 2017. Regardless of where you received your diploma, each of these individuals have reached a major milestone in their lives and have earned something no one can take away from them... -
Nerds of the world unite!
Posted Wednesday, May 17, 2017, at 12:00 AMI wanted to start off this week by simply saying I am a nerd. And I'm proud to be one. You see, when I was in school, I was the nonconformist. I wasn't a jock. I wasn't one of the popular kids. I wasn't involved in band or choir. I didn't fit in with the preppies, and I certainly wasn't a stoner... -
Tomorrow's generation has tremendous potential
Posted Wednesday, May 10, 2017, at 12:00 AMThere are times during the week when I read something that has me genuinely worried about today's generation. A lot of it stems from the attitude I get from the millennials I deal with on a regular basis. Many times, I wonder where some of them get the idea that they're entitled to anything they want simply because they exist on this planet. ... -
Please don't feed the trolls
Posted Wednesday, May 3, 2017, at 12:00 AMThere are times during the day when I dread having to look through the latest posts on the Internet, including social media. However, in my line of work, it becomes a daily necessity to see if I have a possible news lead or if I'm going to end up performing "damage control" after someone posts inaccurate or misleading information... -
What part of the word 'stop' don't drivers understand?
Posted Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at 12:00 AMIn the past three weeks, two of my daughters have had some very close calls with cars and trucks in this community. Unfortunately, my family has just two vehicles right now, although four of us work on completely opposite ends of town... -
High school student talent shone during yearly event
Posted Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at 12:00 AMOne of the perks of being a photojournalist is that I have the unique privilege of getting a front-row seat to seeing our community at its finest. It's those shining moments that remind me why I chose to remain in this profession after 32 years... -
Children should never face the threat of abuse, neglect
Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2017, at 4:21 PMCall it a gut feeling, but I knew something seriously wrong had happened. As I listened to the initial reports coming over the police scanner in my office, something in the deep recesses of my mind told me this was far more serious than it appeared... -
Transportation bill means roads get needed attention
Posted Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at 4:31 PMI guess all it took was a record-setting winter to convince our state lawmakers that maybe they needed to dig a bit deeper into the state's "wallet" to find some money. With Idaho still reeling from all the snow and subsequent flooding, it was obvious they needed to do something — anything — to fix all the damage these roads and bridges have suffered... -
State capitol isn't a church so stop treating it like one
Posted Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at 2:35 PMAfter everything I've read over the past several days, I'm convinced that many of our state lawmakers needed to pack their bags and go home sooner versus later. At least they would've stopped creating more problems than they were expected to resolve... -
Be a responsible pet owner, have your animals 'chipped
Posted Tuesday, March 21, 2017, at 2:13 PMI can always tell when something is wrong whenever any of my children suddenly dash outside to investigate something unusual going on around our home. The most recent incident happened just a week ago when my oldest daughter hastily threw on a pair of slippers and darted out the front door to investigate something that caught her eye around the living room window... -
Let this nation never forget sacrifices of Vietnam vets
Posted Tuesday, March 14, 2017, at 11:59 AM"Do you understand?" I figured the question was ambiguous enough that it would stump the two young women I chatted with following last week's ceremony at American Legion Post 26. I was convinced that their answer was going to be a very simple "no," figuring the events of the evening were something they likely couldn't fully comprehend. ...
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