On Monday, NBA center Jason Collins publicly announced that he is gay. He is the first athlete in one of the four "big sports" - NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB - in the United States to come out of the closet.
When you toss those items in the recycling bin, do you ever wonder how much difference that water bottle or aluminum can will make?
His name is Charles Almerin Tinker, and he was the great-great-grandfather of my beloved. "Charlie Tinker," I sometimes hear my husband say as he passes the large framed photo. "You're spinning in your grave. Your picture is hanging in the home of a Confederate." The stunningly clear portrait is of four distinguished, gray-whiskered men dressed in suits with vests, ties and winged-collar white shirts gathered around a heavy, round mahogany table. Three are seated and ...
U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., has a tough road ahead of him, make no mistake about it. Getting elected to any statewide office requires everything an individual has to offer, plus some. Just ask those who have committed to running on the ballot in Georgia's 159 counties.
Some of my fondest memories of growing up in coastal Georgia are of going fishing with my dad.
RING! RING! "Hello, this is Teya Ryan, president of Georgia Public Broadcasting. I am calling to ask you to consider a donation to GPB. If you donate $250, we will send you a talking frog." KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! "Please excuse me a moment. Yes, Wanda? What is it?" "Ms. Ryan, sorry to bother you but there is someone at the door dressed like Big Bird and he - or it - insists on seeing you ...
The easy way becomes the hard way It seems to me that a lot of young people have it easy. Too many kids in high school and college are shielded from work and not taught the importance of money or earning it. It seems to me that this is a major default in the education of life. If you don't know the worth of a dollar or what it takes to earn that dollar, how ...
April 22 is the date for the annual international celebration for Earth Day - and last Monday, we did celebrate.
By the time this column makes it into print, my daughter's first birthday party already will have gone down in history as a resounding success - I hope. The Saturday soiree (which was yesterday if you're reading this Sunday) has kept me busy for weeks, sending out invitations, making shopping lists for party food and decorations, tidying up my house, scheduling a landscaper and a carpet steam cleaner, selecting the perfect dress for Reese - ...
The most recent round of BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) occurred in 2005. The Department of Defense is planning another round in 2015. It's a matter of looking at the outcomes of the 2005 process to anticipate possible consequences from the upcoming round.
As a community, we could not be more proud to play host to a major military installation. We have been blessed to have members of one of the Army's finest divisions as neighbors and friends. We should never take this opportunity for granted.
On Monday, 1,500 air-traffic controllers - 10 percent of the total - were furloughed for the day pursuant to a budget deal Congress agreed on last August that none of the lawmakers or its author - President Obama - thought would ever come to pass.
Editor, The ninth annual Scholarship Golf Tournament on April 13 was the culmination of several events hosted this year by the Liberty County Dr. M.L. King Jr. Observance Association.
With the formal release of President Obama's budget, the pieces finally are in place for a reprise of the Washington drama we've all come to know.
Buried somewhere in my parents' house in Watkinsville is a stack of aged newspapers - copies of the Athens Banner-Herald, The Oconee Enterprise and the dearly departed Athens Observer.
I'm finding it hard not to compare my child to others her age. Reese is healthy, communicative, active and right where she needs to be developmentally. At her 1-year checkup, our pediatrician was pleased with her growth and progress. He assured me she is hitting all of her milestones right on target. That news was music to my ears because, just like every parent on the planet, all I want is for my little girl to live a long, healthy, happy life.
MOULTRIE - Most of us have seen the Chick-fil-A signs that urge us to "eat more chicken." So would you ever expect to see one that says, "eat more crickets?"
Editor, I would like to extend my heartfelt apologies to those citizens who had planned to conduct business before the Midway City Council, others who were in attendance and to the citizens of Midway for the unprofessional conduct of the mayor pro tem and another Midway councilman at the May 13 council meeting. These two elected officials left the meeting in protest over a legitimate request for an oral reading of previous council minutes as ...
Editor, Midway Councilman Levern Clancy Jr. and Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Roberts Sr. should resign immediately from the Midway City Council. I was at the monthly council meeting Monday when past council meeting minutes were due to be read, which is the procedure according to "Robert's Rules of Order" - the rules that govern Midway's meeting procedures.
Editor note: This is the second of a three-part series. It is not running three consecutive weeks but over a four-week period.
Editor, Parents should be able to send their children to school with the peace of mind that they will remain safe and healthy. Given that today's children face more chronic health illnesses - asthma, diabetes, food allergies, etc. - than ever before, I take my role as a licensed, professional school nurse very seriously. I am grateful for the teachers, administrators and professional support staff with whom I work each day. They help to create ...
State Sen. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) deserves thanks for taking a stand against the issuance of another wastewater permit to King America Finishing, the Screven County manufacturer believed to be responsible for the largest fish kill in the Ogeechee River in memory.
Last week, the Environmental Protection Division held a public hearing to solicit comments on the draft wastewater permit for King American Finishing in Screven County. The hearing was held at Effingham County High School in Springfield and, although I was not there, I understand it was well-attended.
David Pennington, the mayor of Dalton, is making noises about challenging incumbent Gov. Nathan Deal in the 2014 Republican primary.
The Ogeechee River is in southern Georgia, just south of Savannah, where it expands majestically into the ocean near Fort McAllister.
Have you ever tried to figure out a maze? You travel down a path and find yourself at a dead end, forcing you to backtrack to find another way out. Well, Midway is in that maze right now - it's called the city charter.
Mama was stubborn. "Set in her ways," is what country folks call it and boy, was she. When she made up her mind, nothing stopped her. Especially when she set her jaw and punctuated her declaration with a firm nod of her head. If she also threw that crooked forefinger in your direction, you knew that it was set in stone. Destined to be.
Columbus lost a huge one in court this week, and it wasn't even close. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that a 2012 Muscogee County Superior Court decision protecting trees along Georgia rights-of-way is invalid.
Congratulations to Hinesville for placing among the top-10 cities in its category for the 2013 National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation sponsored by the Wyland Foundation.
Editor, Saturday, May 11, was the birthday of well-known Hinesville entrepreneur and philanthropist Gary W. Dodd. I'd like to thank my dear friend and Kirk Healing Center for the Homeless co-founder for all he has done for Hinesville and, especially, for the homeless men and women we serve.