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The Mandalorian adventure

My first movie theater experience happened when my three older sisters let me tag along to see the flick Yours, Mine and Ours. Not the 2005 version starring Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo. I may have been a late bloomer, but I wasn’t that late. I mean the movie that featured silver screen legends Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball. That flick premiered in 1968, which means that I was 10 years old. My iPhone calculator tells me that this was 58 years ago. I can’t be that old! Besides, my wife is constantly saying that I act like a juvenile. Yours, Mine and Ours is the story of a widower ...

Favors returned

Memorial Day weekend, and the unofficial start of summer, more and more finds me on the move. As friends’ kids grow up, graduate, get married, and my own — a bit younger — find themselves loose for summer; our activities shift, our travels increase, and the era of spending three days and ...

We must not let go

There are a lot of conversations/writings about the surge of AI technology in today's society. Let it be noted right away that I'm not a fan of this technology. Yes, I have a bunch to learn about it, and my feelings are maybe a bit immature at this time. However, I'm a proponent of individual thinking based on primary research. That research and thinking connects each of us as a human being. I believe AI, as neat as it can be, reduces our human connections. Rather than going into a library to dig through historic and current information (Yes, that can be done online, too). AI wants ...

Ask a Trooper

Question: In my community and on my daily commute I encounter two roundabouts each morning, others that I work with will encounter three roundabouts in less than five minutes. Please use your platform to remind drivers how to safely and properly use a roundabout. I see, almost on a daily basis, drivers physically stop their vehicle for other drivers that have not even entered the roundabout. They'll allow multiple vehicles to traverse the roundabout before they even attempt to enter the roundabout. This creates a very dangerous situation as my assumption is that the vehicle will slow to ...

New downtown merchant dealing his cards

I remember not too long ago on my way home home from the Independent office each evening walking past the RLC office building on Fifth Street and noticing lots of activity. People walking in and out of the entrance on many evenings. I could see through the windows along the suite occupied by ...

Our doors always open to veterans

When you look at the calendar, it seems like time is flying — not only in weeks and months, but definitely in years. This September will mark twenty-five years since the terrorist attacks on 9/11, a day that reshaped our nation and the lives of countless service members and families. In our work serving veterans in this area, the passing of time becomes very real. We are still meeting a surprising number of Vietnam Veterans who have either not been to the office for many years or have never stepped into the VA system at all. It amazes us because so much help is available, and it ...