Village Voices - We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks

In the first inning of their Regional opener at home against Milledgeville, the Stockton/Warren Warhawks were, well ... not in sync. A soft floater over second fell for a hit, a shot to left was misju...

The Lena-Winslow Panthers will always remember their Regional semi-final game against Eastland as "One that Got Away", while the Cougars will forever think of it as "The Cougar Come Back." But no matt...

Lena-Winslow head coach Nick Werhane had plenty of worries going into the Panther's Regional semi-final against Alden-Hebron, but all of them proved to be pointless as his squad played an excellent...

Both the Galena Pirates and Aquin Bulldogs came into their Regional semi-final with the same plan – save your ace pitcher to take on Lena-Winslow in the championship. But that meant that they both...

The Lena-Winslow Panthers were awarded the Regional title with their 3-2 victory and will compete in the Sectional Tournament, but anybody and everybody who witnessed the game against the Galena...

The senior prank stories keep coming in, and what I just heard took place at Aquin could be a classic … not by the students, but by the parents! You see, apparently, the seniors pulled a couple of...

Just when people were beginning to get excited about the upcoming Taste of Lena scheduled to be held on June 11th, a controversy suddenly erupted that prompted angry phone calls to our office. "How...

I need to begin by giving some kudos to the Lena-Winslow senior class. Apparently, they took my column about senior pranks to heart and pulled off a good one - listing the nice truck owned by...

I don't think we've ever had to suffer through a Spring season that was as uncooperative – in terms of weather – as this year. Whether it was the constant rain, the cold, or now the sudden heat...

My apologies to all area principals, but now that graduation is upon us and most seniors are out of school - I can do what seems to be turning into almost an annual column. The topic, if you...

Baseball 1. Lena-Winslow 13 – 4 Panthers have figured it out - strong pitching and a lineup that is murdering the ball right now. 2. Eastland 10 – 6 Big wins over both Forreston and...

A lot of stuff has been coming in recently in regard to Summer Camps, and that got me thinking about when I was a kid and going to YMCA camp. Every year my parents sent my brother, sister and I off...

It was like something out of a dream … There I was, in an Apache attack helicopter, flying over a vast wooded area. Sitting next to me, with one hand on my thigh, was none other than Michelle...

We got a much stronger response than we thought we would in regard to what things to cut from the paper. The puzzle page didn’t make it – best comment about it was that too much of it was geared...

Baseball 1. Forreston 7 – 0 Cardinals claim the top spot with Warhawks loss at Lena. Only team that is unblemished so far. 2. Warren/Stock 8 – 2 Warhawks just couldn't get the key hit against the...

Very few things can immediately instill a cold shiver down the spine, but in my household, the words “Stevens project” instantly creates that sense of impending doom. “Stevens Projects” got...

Concerns seem to be misplaced regarding recent actions voted upon by the Freeport Park District. Specifically, at their April 5 meeting, the Park Board voted to declare the two homes owned by the...

Ever feel like you’re a burden to your team? Normally, my evenings are spent covering a sporting event throughout the region. But that all changes in the Spring when Softball and Baseball tend to en...

Whenever people talk to me about other local newspapers in the region, a criticism I keep hearing is how, “It’s so thin, there’s nothing in it.” Well, by now, that same sentiment is probably...

Once again it's time for our All Area Boys Basketball team, but a major point needs to be made before I begin. As many who followed them throughout the season know, I was particularly enamored with...

It had been three years since the Stockton gym could present a theatrical performance, and the fans were obviously hungry for one as the gym was packed to capacity for their production of Footloose...

A long time ago, back when I was writing this column for a different publication, I did a piece on “Woman Speak” which somehow made it to the point where it came back at me several years later...

Once again, the question regarding Stephenson County's Walnut Acres nursing Home was on the agenda at the County Board Meeting Thursday night. Once again, several people showed up with their signs of...

What you are reading right now is both my greatest treasure, as well as the biggest bane of my existence. “I love your column!” If I had a dollar for every person who said that … well … I...

Sheriff Dave Snyders has already made it clear that he is leaving his office after his announcement not to run for another term. But even though he is on his way out, that apparently doesn’t mean...