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

Some of you probably already know this, and many others may have heard through the grapevine, but for many more an explanation is needed for why this week’s paper is what I would term...

Birthdays must be good for you because statistics show that people who have the most, live the longest. (Anonymous) I like to write. I write this column, a church newsletter, plus a note on the back...

The holiday season is quickly approaching. And while that always brings out holiday decorations, Christmas Carols, lots of goodies, and trips to see relatives. The one thing it also tends to bring...

Silence is golden, unless you have kids, then silence is just really suspicious. Well, we made it through Thanksgiving which means all the pumpkins in front of the house can finally be disposed of....

Growing up on a 32 -cow dairy farm in Wisconsin, one of 10 children, working hard was a given. We all pitched in. We all did our part. I could not have been blessed with greater parents. There never...

A late-night bill to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act in Illinois, which was controversially passed through the General Assembly by Democrat legislative leaders late in October, has not yet...

My teeth were stained, so the dentist asked me, “Do you smoke or drink coffee?” I told him I drink it. Last week I had a funeral in Amboy, illinois. Amboy is exactly 83 miles from my house....

I admit it, cooking has never been one of my strengths. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Is this going to be another one of your stupid columns where you try and make excuses for yourself?” “Hi honey, nice...

I had a dilemma on my hands last weekend. I had a toothache. It started on Sunday night. It was just a low grade sensitive toothache but I knew what it would lead to. I’ve had them before. First...

Every November around this time of year my schedule gets nuts. This past weekend there were a pair of football playoff games to cover, Winter Sport teams getting set to tip off and the Aquin Bulldogs...

The second week of Veto Session was marred with partisan rancor over issues which the Democrats swung the pendulum, again, too far to the left due to overzealousness to their progressive ideals over...

My wife and I just returned home from a short vacation. The flight to Florida was without event. It was so uneventful I can hardly remember anything about it except that we sat in the very back seat...

“Is this Dan Stevens?” “Yeah.” “Well I’m gonna kick your ass. How can you possibly make that prediction?” “Which one was that?” “You think Dakota will beat Lena-Winslow in...

"Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country". In 1961 my typing class teacher, Mr. Walks, had us type that sentence over and over on our new Royal manual typewriters. The...

Ever go bike riding? When our children were growing up, my wife and I would take them bike riding. One trail we really liked was the Great River Trail along the Mississippi River. It’s a beautiful...

As the Lena-Winslow volleyball team began to assemble around me for the postgame interview following their incredible two game victory over a very powerful Dakota squad, I was feeling guilty for havin...

To say the Democrats “have taken Illinois families for granted in the past” is the understatement of the year. But now, they have openly declared war on families. Taxpayer funding of abortion was...

I was recently asked by someone who is preparing to teach a secular class on transgenderism, what our church’s views are on the topic. I had never been asked this before and although I have...

It’s Halloween – one of my favorite holidays – so for a long time I was struggling over what to write for my column. I mean, I had already told my personal Halloween stories of when I was a...

I had some goodwill items to drop off the other day. The goodwill place was a hub of activity when I arrived and I had to wait in line for a few minutes before I could make my drop. There was one guy...

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The other phrase that pops up is how “We are creatures of habit.” But last week, I ventured into new territory. You see, I needed a haircut. On a...

It seems that politicians often forget that the money they are spending comes from you, the hardworking families of Illinois. The process by which legislators negotiate how to spend finite taxpayer...