As Father’s Day approaches, and as my last column in this newspaper before I change careers, I’d like to share one of my favorite poems by Dee Groberg.
“Man is a creature of hope and invention, both of which belie the idea that things cannot be changed.” — Author Tom Clancy
Under command of Captain Briggs, the ship Mary Celeste docked on New York City’s East River on November 5, 1872, and took on board a cargo of 1,701 barrels of commercial alcohol. The spirits were intended for fortifying wine in Italy.
When I was young, a teacher gave me a three-ring binder that contained assignment projects.
May 14, 1988, marks the anniversary of the Carrollton bus crash that killed 27 people when a drunk driver went the wrong way down Interstate 71 and struck a church bus. Twenty-four of the victims were children.
I was recently shopping at a local small business where the owners have a sign posted that says, “Masks required,” with a footnote explaining that they are trying to protect at-risk staff and customers.
On a windy, rainy day a few years ago my wife and I found paper money smearing across the windshield of our vehicle.
In 2002, American writer Margaret J. Wheatley wrote, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about... In our daily life, we encounter people who are angry, deceitful, intent only on satisfying their own needs. There is so much anger, distrust, greed and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together.”
When I was young, an author named L. Tom Perry shared a story that later played a role in my choices about giving and taking offense.
On this Easter morning Christians around the world celebrate what some hoped would be forgotten.
Two men were out on the ocean in a boat.
Finding and Making the Good has recognized Brian Randal, owner of Leap of Faith Tattoo, for “consistently giving of himself to those in need in our community.”
I’d like to personally congratulate Prescott fifth-grader Aliyah Alpert for winning the 75th annual Yavapai County Spelling Bee for the third year in a row.
One of the most powerful ways to stop an injustice is to let people witness it with their own eyes and feel it with their own emotions.
A number of years ago there was a man who worked at my office that everyone loved. For this story I’ll call him James.
Health officials at Yavapai County Community Health Services said they are encouraged to receive 9,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for next week.
Because of a shortage of Moderna vaccine doses, no vaccination appointments are currently available at local, large Points of Distribution or POD sites.
Last week we published a story by Courier reporter Nanci Hutson about a local family that opened their home and their hearts to become foster parents to a 4-day-old newborn baby girl....
I was recently asked why I do not write columns about politics or politicians. The fact is I do, but not in a traditional manner.
I was not a very honest child. I can confess it now, but at the time I thought I was clever when I cheated on book reports. I fooled teachers for years — but at what price?
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Earlier this year, the One Voice Children’s Choir (featured on America’s Got Talent, Season 9) released a cover of the Maroon 5 song, “Memories.”
Thanksgiving 2020 may taste bittersweet for many of us who have been impacted by the pandemic or felt distressed by violence, racism, political tensions and what feels like a growing lack of civility.
When I was a young boy my grandfather Ralph told me a story — a story he had told my mother when she was young, which my mother also repeated to me on several occasions.
Kind Defined, whose mission motto is, “A small act of kindness can make a world of difference,” is bringing the quad-city community a whole new holiday festival from Nov. 13 through 22 — the Festival of Trees 2020.
When I was a young man, I joined the military a few years after high school.
Mortimer Farms Pumpkin Fest and Corn Maze has become a Halloween season tradition for many area families.
I recently came across a screenshot of a social media post that told of an interesting high school classroom teaching experience.
There’s something special about this symbol of the United States that swells far beyond our borders. Even when America may be the target of criticism and ridicule, the U.S. flag rises above the clamor.
A man feared his wife wasn’t hearing as well as she used to, and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to discuss the problem. The doctor told him there is a simple, informal test the husband could perform to give the doctor a better idea about her hearing loss.
During this election cycle there has been an increase in the propagation of conspiracy theories designed to embed doubt, spread fear and influence voters.
The story is told of Samuel Shapira, a distinguished rabbi who lived in the Polish village of Prochnik in the 1930s. Rabbi Shapira was in the habit of taking long walks into the countryside each morning. Throughout his life, the rabbi tried to be loving and compassionate. He made it a point to greet everyone he met with a kind “hello,” “good morning” or “good evening.”
This week, my wife and I took two of our grandchildren and one of our sons to see the Healing Field in Prescott Valley. They had never visited the field, and now I hope they will never forget what they saw and felt.
The extremely popular Empty Bowls fundraising event usually takes place each September in downtown Prescott. And while the pandemic may be changing the process, residents can still purchase a unique handcrafted bowl made by local artisans and support a worthy cause.
While waiting in a fast food drive-thru lane with a friend Tuesday night, a 29-year-old man stopped breathing from an apparent drug overdose. A single dose of NARCAN given by first responders gave him back the breath of life.
Like many of you, I am growing ever more disappointed by the divisiveness that permeates our society, elevated by bad behavior from certain politicians, commentators, leaders and the people who support them.
As the fire spread and smoke filled the home on Walnut Drive the residents were able to escape, but their cats were trapped and choking to death.
Two goats came face-to-face while crossing a narrow bridge. “Let me pass,” said one of them. “Never, you get out of my way,” said the other goat.
Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, my wife and I attended a virtual, live-streamed funeral of a friend, a lovely older woman from Dewey who died from COVID-19.
In the grim darkness of the night, during a heavy rainstorm many years ago, a ship was discovered in distress just off the coast of Holland. A rowboat went out to rescue the crew. The waves were enormous, and each of the men at the oars had to give all his strength and energy to reach the unfortunate sailors.
The City of Prescott held a “Topping Out” ceremony Monday for the new Prescott Regional Airport terminal currently under construction.
Last week I received a letter from a retired caregiver who lives in Prescott. She was a practicing, registered nurse for 50 years. Oh, the stories she could tell.
On August 10, 1628, the Swedish warship Vasa set sail on her maiden voyage. At the time, she was the most powerfully armed warship in the world, carrying 64 bronze cannons on two gun decks. The wooden warship was a breathtaking sight.
The story is told of a Hindu merchant who dreamed one night that he had died. To his bewilderment, he found himself standing in a large room, entirely bare of furnishings.
A Chino Valley resident who allegedly committed a series of cold-case rapes in California has been arrested following a coordinated, interstate law enforcement effort.
During the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, American rifle shooter Matt Emmons was about to use his last bullet and win his second gold medal of the games.
Years ago, when I was running another Arizona newspaper, we published a story about a boy who lost half his hand playing with fireworks.
There was once a wise Chinese man who had one son, one horse, and one acre of ground on which he made his living. One day his son went out to feed the horse and left the gate open...
“This too shall pass.” This proverb has no doubt been repeated millions of times in many different languages since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The sentiment may be difficult to accept amidst so many hardships from lost jobs, lost businesses and lost lives.
