Opinion
Make your resolutions stick  
New Year’s resolutions — they’re easy to make but easier to break. Why is it so hard to make the healthy changes that we know can help us feel better and live longer? And why is it so hard to make them last? Some of the most common New Year’s resolutions are losing weight, getting more physical activity, eating more nutritious foods, quitting cigarettes, reducing stress and sleeping better. But no matter which healthy resolution you choose, r...
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State Forest Service offering low-cost seedlings 
Even though winter begins this week, don’t let that stop you from thinking about spring and ordering conservation trees. The Kansas Forest Service is offering low-cost conservation tree and shrub seedlings for purchase again this year. These seedlings are to be used in conservation plantings, such as home/livestock windbreaks, living snow fences, Christmas tree plantations, firewood lots, habitats for game birds and wildlife, barriers to redu...
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View from the sports desk: My newest conspiracy theory
Sometimes, we turn on the television and see something so terrible, a series of decisions so horrific, that there is no rational way to explain them.¬†Utter sadness and despair for humanity is sometimes the only possible reaction to such stomach-churning events. I’m sure that’s how we all felt last weekend, watching the latest Kansas City Chiefs game. This tragic loss to the hapless Oakland Raiders somehow didn’t inspire the Chiefs’ ownership...
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Find other aspect of Irish culture to highlight
My given name is “Brian Patrick McDowell” because apparently my parents wanted me to grow up to be either an alcoholic or a leprechaun. Lately, I have been thinking about my Irish heritage and cultural identity since the University of Notre Dame clinched the top college football ranking and a spot in the BCS championship game. I read sports stories all the time about Native Americans complaining about negative stereotypes that surround sport...
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Cold weather clothing for farm safety
Fashion may not be foremost on the minds of most people when dressing for outdoor farm chores, but proper clothing is an important component of farm safety. As temperatures drop in the fall we automatically reach for warmer clothing and more layers. When dressing for cold weather chores, it’s important to think safety first. Inspect jackets, overcoats and insulated coveralls for loose hems, flapping sleeves or frayed edges that can become en...
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Costas: Find a more appropriate venue
I hope that no NFL players engage in misguided acts that lead to anyone’s death this weekend. I express this wish mainly because I aim to sit through the televised halftime show of the next Sunday night football game without being piously lectured by sports announcer Bob Costas about a bad decision that had nothing to do me. In response to the terrible murder/suicide involving Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher a couple of weeks ago, Costa...
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Holiday time flies when having fun
Less than two weeks till Christmas! Where did the month go? In fact, where has the year gone! I have heard that time goes faster as we age. So either I am getting very old or, more likely, we are just so busy planning fun programs and services here at the library that the other saying is true – time flies when you are having fun. Programs still to be held this month include food, stories, knitting, crafts, a movie, and some great conversation...
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Chanute comes together in times of need
It’s never easy when death and tragedy strike a small community. It seems even more difficult during this time of year, when we celebrate our thankfulness one month and Jesus’ birth the next. These are times when we are also celebrating our family and friends. So losing any of our family and friends during the holidays is particularly heart-wrenching. The events of these past few weeks have left very heavy hearts in so many people in Chanute...
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‘Community Councils’
“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.” -- Thomas Jefferson Last month in my column I discussed the “Checks and Balances” in our system. In other words, the need to assure that we are accountable to the general public who as taxpayers have expectations that the money they pay in taxes is managed appropriately, and I inadvertently left one of the most integral parts in...
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Census countdown begins for America’s farmers and ranchers¬†
Farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to make a positive impact on their communities by taking part in the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Census is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches and those who operate them.¬† It is important that all commodity growers and ranchers respond. Census information is...
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View from the Sports Desk: Enjoying the BCS chaos
Crashes are my favorite part of auto racing, fistfights are my favorite part of ice hockey, and sex scandals are my favorite part of politics. That’s just the type of person that I am; one that appreciates good messy entertainment. That is why I usually spend Saturdays watching college football, rooting for the kind of total chaos that only a system as flawed as the BCS can provide. This viewing habit has presented tantalizing possibilities f...
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Busy month at museum features tasting tea
The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum is again honored to host the annual 4-H International Tasting Tea from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9. This wonderful community service project is presented by the Neosho Valley Busy Bees 4-H Club under the guidance of Ann Neff. The featured country this year is Madagascar. Please join us for a free sampling of foods and show your support for these hard-working 4-Hers and their families!  On that same day...
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Letter
Let’s elect responsible leaders Before Kansas voters can decide who should represent them in the state Legislature, we must have accurate information. This is especially important when it comes to which candidates will make responsible decisions about how to improve our schools. Some campaign mailers and editorials claim that student achievement has improved and funding for Kansas schools has been drastically cut. Neither is true. To give the...
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Just level with the voters
The big election is Tuesday, so after this week, politicians will finally shut up and get back to ignoring what voters actually want them to do. I’m not going to make any endorsements or tell anyone who to vote for. I generally pay attention to politics the same way I watch NASCAR; I don’t root for any individual and just enjoy the fiery crashes.¬† I’m also not going to try to predict who is going to win this year, because none of us really ...
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Letters to editor
Orr’s bottom line: He cares I have known David Orr, on a business and personal level, since returning to Chanute in 1984. In our business dealings, he has always been fair, true to his word and has always been professional. Personally, I know him to be well-read, zealous and logical. He studies situations, attempts to see all sides and then, makes his decision. He has kept his business in Chanute because his roots are here and he believes dee...
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Chanute athletes solid ambassadors
There is a general public opinion that modern-day athletes are spoiled rotten people who inevitably become either criminals or tax evaders. However, this public perception doesn’t apply to the great majority of those who excel in sports at a high school level. Doing what I do for a living, it is nice to have an experience that reminds me that some athletes are truly dedicated to the love of whatever sport they play. ¬† I love being around hig...
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Checks and balances
Lately we have heard quite a bit about Medicaid and Medicare fraud and how rampant it is in our society. When most people think about Medicaid and Medicare fraud, the first thing they think of is the beneficiary; “Poor people taking advantage of the system.” That is not always the case though. For example, one of the most recent cases of fraud involved 91 people and over $430 million in fraudulent claims. What has caught most people off guar...
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Chiefs desperately need K-State’s Klein
If the Kansas City Chiefs were a race horse, the only merciful thing to do at this point would be to shoot it. It is both cruel and embarrassing to let this team compete in its current condition. The Chiefs roster currently includes two quarterbacks who can’t complete a pass, a receiving corps that can’t catch those passes, an offensive line that can’t protect these quarterbacks, and a defense so shabby that it makes the mediocre quarterbacks...
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View From The Sports Desk: Why is fast food so slow to come to Chanute?
The state championship season for fall sports is in full swing, which means that sports editors like me are busy getting to exotic locales like Emporia, Hesston, Salina and Wamego. First, I congratulate the local tennis players and golfers who already qualified for the state tournaments, and wish good luck to all those local runners, football and volleyball players who are still competing for a chance at the post-season. I love this time of y...
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October busy month at local library
October is the perfect month to visit the library more often. The weather is cooler, encouraging us all to get out, we have lots of great programs planned for all ages, and plenty of suggestions for books to read by yourself or with your family as well as movies to watch as the evenings get longer. For those in homework mode, we have lots of great resources as well as quiet study areas. And, for crafters, check us out for lots of great books ...
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