Smith: Of grapes and wine

Since my college years at the University of Georgia, I have had a long-standing affinity for grapes. That’s when I first had an opportunity to partake in this extraordinary fruit.

Rich: The stories we own (part one)

Everyone has a story. Or many stories. Every person, uniquely, owns a piece of history. A cherished friend of mine was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Twice, his helicopter was shot down in the midst of battles. As it is recorded, that was a horrendously uncivilized war.

Smith: Jacques Bergerac

While I am not a pack rat, I tend to hang on to anything that can be filed away. Then I forget where I filed it or the name of the folder which has treasured flashback content.

Letter to the Editor: Mistreatment of dogs in commercial breeding facilities

Dear Editor, Did you know that there are over 2,000 USDA-licensed puppy mills across the United States where about a quarter of a million dogs and puppies are retained in almost total confinement in tiny, filthy cages?

Letter to the Editor: A call for comity

Dear Editor, On Thursday, July 20, Robert. F. Kennedy, Jr, currently a Democratic candidate for president, gave testimony before a House subcommittee entitled “Weaponization of the Federal Government,” investigating alleged censorship and politicization within the government.

Ridings: Local news is good for business

It’s no secret that recent years have been tough on small businesses and on newspapers. A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress, the Community News & Small Business Support Act, would offer relief to both newspapers and local businesses. For too many newspapers help can’t come soon enough.

Yarbrough: Open letter to public school teachers

I can’t believe I am writing a back-to-school letter to you in July. That’s because I can’t believe you are starting a new school year in July. Somehow, that doesn’t seem right.

Rich: The biscuits

In our family, no food is held in higher esteem than the biscuit. Cornbread runs a close second but there’s an art to making a biscuit that the easy-going, no-frills cornbread does not require.

Yarbrough: The Olympic Games, 27 years later

It has been 27 years since the Centennial Olympic Games began in Atlanta on a Friday evening, July 19, 1996, with the lighting of the cauldron by Muhammad Ali. Remember?

Letter to the Editor: A dream interrupted

Dear Editor, There are few things I find more infuriating than learning about someone who, while seemingly doing all the right things in the pursuit of the American dream, meets with a senseless death.