It’s difficult to type this but here goes ... as this is being written I am celebrating my 50th anniversary in Kansas journalism. My first job was in 1972 with the Salina Journal. I came to Ellsworth in 1999 to start the Ellsworth County Independent with partner Sharon Montague, who now works in Topeka.

This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the Ellsworth Reporter, which merged with the Independent in 2001.

Given those two significant milestones, I decided late this past year that I would retire as editor/publisher of the I-R. My replacement will be Karen Bonar, former editor of the Northwest Kansas Register. She also has worked at the Hays Daily News and the Salina Journal. Karen is an excellent photographer and writer. She also is a great champion of small, rural communities.

I will not be leaving entirely. I still plan to write, something I don’t have nearly enough time to do, and fill in when needed. Vacations should be easier to schedule after I go to part-time in early April.

You will be hearing more about this as time goes on. Meanwhile, please welcome Karen — some of you met her at the recent annual meeting of Ellsworth County Economic Development. She will make a great addition to the I-R and the Ellsworth County community.

LMD

A huge thank you to the Salina Art Cinema for sponsoring a free showing of “24” about members of the Army’s all-Black 24th Infantry Regiment and their participation in a deadly riot in Houston in 1917.

The movie was directed by Kevin Willmott, a University of Kansas professor who received an Academy Award for his screenwriting. Willmott, a native of Junction City, holds a degree from Salina’s Marymount College.

Willmott was at the Salina Art Cinema to talk about “24” and his movies in general. A number of the “24” actors, including Trai Byers, were former students of Willmott.

The movie itself was quite an eye opener for a girl who was raised in an Indiana town that didn’t welcome its first black family until the mid to late 1960s.

See “24” if you have an opportunity. It offers important lessons in history and humanity.