Opinions

I was fortunate enough to be asked to write a series of articles on volunteerism in our community. The first one was “The Benefits of Volunteerism,” which outlined some of the advantages of choosing to volunteer. The second article, “Where Have All of the Good Volunteers Gone?

One of the most enduring images of the Old West is that of a great herd of Texas Longhorn cattle snaking its way north over the dusty Chisholm Trail to railroad stockyards at the end of the trail.

For the second time in about a year, the recycling center in Ellsworth is closed. The previous closure from December 2022 to March 2023 was temporary, and we certainly hope this one is also temporary.According to last week’s article, the closure will be until June 1, but it could be longer.

General Sheridan’s Winter Campaign to force the Indians out of Kansas was launched in November 1868. The most famous action of the campaign was the attack on Black Kettle’s camp by the Seventh Cavalry led by “Gen.” George Armstrong Custer. However, the entire campaign lasted until early spring 1869.

Ihaven’t been engaged with state and local politics as much as in the past. The constant race to get by is exhausting and leaves room for little else. The energy it takes to sustain a home, kids, bills and school takes everything. I know more people identify with that statement than not.

March. It comes in like a lion. So far, we haven’t been disappointed.There are a plethora of March-related sayings (“beware the ides of March”) and traditions (March Madness).

Railroad fever spread like a wild prairie fire across the Kansas plains in the early part of 1870. The Kansas Pacific Railway had just crossed the entire state from the Missouri River to the western border and was about to reach Denver.

Kansas newspapers grabbed international attention last summer with the police raid on the Marion County Record. While that story still rumbles along, fresh concerns have emerged.

Ellsworth in 1867 was as desperate a place as any on the plains. “A man for breakfast” was the morning’s oath, and by dinner, the oath was often satisfied.

Even though I officially aged out of Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program, I still get to attend the annual conference with my Collegiate Farm Bureau students.