Yarbrough: Reflections on a grandson gone too soon

My oldest grandson, Zachary Earl Wansley, died 15 years ago this past week while on a training run for a marathon. He was 21 years old. I am not sure what he would be doing today were he here, but I am positive whatever it might be, he would be a success. He always was.

Smith: Behind the lens with Cassie Wright

A book with photography being critical to its success brings about a need for creative handiwork on the part of the artist behind the lens.

Rich: Tink’s accidental stardom

Quite by accident, I have made Tink a star. I, without thought, have done what the biggest stars in Hollywood could not do. Mary Tyler Moore didn’t do it. Neither did Bruce Paltrow (who, by the way, I mourn that I never met. He died too young.). Mark Harmon. Denzel Washington. Will and Jada Smith.

Letter to the Editor: Too little, too late?

Dear Editor, As the temperature of political engagement heats up with the next presidential election less than 14 months from now, Republicans and Democrats are identifying bedrock issues and policies, both domestic and foreign, that will translate into votes for their party’s nominee.

Smith: Scattering cotton

This time of the year, I always relate everything to hurricanes, football, cotton picking, and the 1951 playoff game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants.

Rich: Nicole’s wisdom

“In so much as it is within your control in a situation, be kind.” My niece, Nicole, was telling me about a family meeting that she and her husband, Jay, had recently conducted with their five children. That commandment was the meeting’s foundation.

Op-Ed: Public vs. private education funding not a simple equation

I am opposed to the unproven idea of “let the money follow the child” as described in the bill passed by the Georgia Senate but rejected by the House. The one proven legal path out of poverty has been public education. This idea narrows that pathway.

Smith: Washington (not DC)

It would be difficult to find a more attractive small town than the seat of Wilkes County which was once the site of Georgia’s capital. Not many know that factoid. In those Revolutionary War days, its name was “Heard’s Fort.

Kemp’s increasing political influence

A few short years ago Brian Kemp was one of our most underrated and understated governors. Not anymore. Today, he is a power to be reckoned with, both in the state and nationally. Who saw it coming? I didn’t. Former Lt. Gov.

Rich: The photo and the Bible

It happened 15 years ago yet the memory sticks to me like cotton candy to a child’s hand. I still puzzle over it. Paducah, Kentucky, was a stop on a Mississippi riverboat cruise for which I had been hired as a storyteller. When the boat docked, I strolled down the picturesque streets.