Rich: The tears that wouldn’t fall

Massive tears pooled in my eyes, but, amazingly, for 15 minutes, they did not fall.They were stoic.Just like my friend, John Jarrard.Sitting at a table in a sequined dress for a black-tie event, I watched the video that honored that wonderful man.

Smith: Atlanta’s evolution

On the west side of the 22nd floor of the J.W. Marriott in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, I stand at an expansive window that frames a view of a downtown showcasing imposing skyscrapers, tall and erect, at daybreak.

Yarbrough: Attention all fathers

I have been called many things in my long life, not all flattering. A few years back, I was referred to as an “Obama bed-wetting liberal” and a “racist redneck.” Both in the same week. Go figure.What I like being called most of all, however, is “Dad,” as well as “Pa.

Rich: Celebrating good folks, especially fathers

A friend of mine and I were talking once about a crook we both know. As my Daddy would say, “He wouldn’t know the truth if it hit him between the eyes.”The stories about this crook are endless. It seems like almost everyone has a story about a lie, an illegal transaction, or some such.

Letter to the Editor: Concerned about Congressman Collins

Dear Editor,A South Korean company with technology developed in partnership with Georgia Tech has received federal funding for a new semiconductor materials factory in Covington thanks to Biden’s CHIPS & Science Act. Passed in 2022, the act aims to boost domestic semiconductor production.

Letter to the Editor: Scottish service coverage appreciated

Dear Editor,Thank you so much for the great coverage of our special day at First Presbyterian. We are a small church, and we are trying to be something more than “the church next to the post office.”Ms.

Letter to the Editor: Dueling directive about Biden

Dear Editor,In his (letter to the editor) in last week’s Lake Oconee News, Mr. Pandina presents a one-sided assessment of the Biden Administration. We are still feeling the aftermath of Biden’s socialistic giveaway programs in the form of record-setting inflation. Has Mr.

Smith: All-American qualities of Alan Kinder

There are so many all-American qualities about Alan Kinder, who grew up on the opposite side of the country but says “Y’all” with the best of Georgia locals, most of whom would not know of Kinder’s patriotic past without disclosure from the media.

Yarbrough: An opinion on Okefenokee ‘no opinion’

Dear Congressman Buddy Carter,Your appearance a couple of weeks ago before the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries subcommittee in Washington, of which you are not a member but were allowed to question a witness panel about our Okefenokee, was, shall we say, a bit out of the ordinary.

Rich: The Hydrangea

About 16 years ago, a famous man dug up part of a famous plant in his world-renowned garden and gave it to me."Don't put it where it'll get the hot afternoon sun; plant it in the gentle sun," he explained. "If the leaves wilt, it's from lack of hydration.