Last week, I looked out my classroom window at Morrison R. Waite High School and saw authentic education. Our brand-new welding teacher was outside with his class as Columbia Gas crews welded together parts to repair our broken heating system.
High school basketball teams are deep in their playoff runs right now, and it offers us the opportunity to reflect on what makes the high school basketball experience truly special in our area.
In this Presidents Day week, if we stop to think about the nation’s executives at all, it’s generally about Honest Abe and George’s apple tree. But one of the things that ties together so many of our nation’s greatest political leaders isn’t superhuman honesty — it’s the way personal tragedi…
This week, we observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Over the past week, many communities across the nation have held observances that make people feel better about the struggle for civil rights.
President Donald Trump complained to the thousands of supporters who turned out for Thursday night’s campaign rally in Toledo that, once again, he has been overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize.
As a former school superintendent, one of my most important, difficult, and frustrating responsibilities was trying to stay abreast of state and federal laws governing education. It was during this time that I had my eyes opened to how politics at the state and federal level really works. Su…
I’ve waited tables, delivered pizzas, unloaded semi-trucks, and spent over a decade in small-town retail. I’ve written for daily newspapers, I’ve been a boat crewman, I’ve stood radio watch, I’ve shot weddings and senior pictures.
I’m the type of airplane traveler who will make some polite chit chat, and that’s about it.
This weekend, young curlers from five states will gather at the Black Swamp Curling Center for the Great Lakes Curling Association’s Under-18 Regional Championships. It’s one of the purest displays of individual skill and trusting teamwork you’ll ever see.
Seventy-five years ago this week, the longest battle in the history of the United States Army ground to a close. It was preceded by the afterglow of the Normandy operations; it was followed by the climactic struggle of the Battle of the Bulge. Lost in the middle was this awful fight, in whic…
They ranged in age from young adults to their mid-90s, and came from all corners of the Netherlands to a cemetery at the edge of the small town of Margraten about a week and a half ago. There, they sat down with a handful of American high schoolers to share stories of men they’d never met.
Eleanor Boyle was born days after the First Battle of the Marne, and she died the day the Cold War shuddered to a halt, 30 years ago this week. Her lifetime personally encompassed the entire geopolitical arc of the 20th Century.
When I was in my 20s, I thought I was pretty smart. But if I’ve learned anything as I’ve grown older, it’s that I know less every day. The recent debates over the Bowling Green City Schools tax issue are reminding me that there’s a lot I don’t know.
The story’s pretty well known. Frederic Bartholdi designed the Statue of Liberty as a gift from the French people to the United States right around the time of the American centennial.
Everyone’s got an opinion on what’s wrong with American politics today. Talk radio’s to blame, or maybe the internet. Definitely, the other guy is to blame, every time. But what if the problem is that we just don’t know much anymore?
I’ve shaken hands with admirals, governors, a vice president of the United States, professional athletes. Once, I shook Captain America’s hand. But far and away the single most impressive handshake I ever was part of was with a retired letter carrier.
I’ve been reading a bunch of old newspapers recently, and in a Feb. 7, 1942 edition I came across a page three story: “Former Toledo Priest Wounded.” By the second paragraph, my attention was captured.
I’ve been mourning the end of summer for the past couple of weeks as I’ve prepared for the school year that started this week — a mix of melancholy for the good times that have come to an end, and excitement for this new school year.
Just a mile down Jerry City Road from Elmwood High School is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cemetery, nestled off a soft bend in the Portage River.
Nearly two months ago, the world’s eyes turned to the west coast of France for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in World War II. Many believe that single day was the battle of Normandy, that by June 7, 1944 the beachhead was secure and the war all but won.
June is National Homeownership Month. Homeownership provides many social and economic benefits, not just for the homeowner, but for the communities in which they live. One aspect of the American dream is to own a home.
A new exhibit at the Wood County Historical Museum is worth a visit. But be warned; you may shed some tears.
“Just move an E-minor down to the sixth fret,” Jean said to me, because God as my witness, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as an A-sharp, much less how to form it.
Ten days ago, 3 inches of rain poured from the skies over Wood County, and “that clinched it,” said Jim Bostdorff.
I love Cleveland sports, probably to a degree that isn’t entirely healthy. And when I meet another person who loves Cleveland sports, I embrace them.
It was raining on the last Sunday of April 1950 when dozens of Wood County residents gathered to dedicate the big, granite memorial to the county men who died in the two World Wars.
There is not just one solution to end the opioid epidemic. We need prevention, treatment, enforcement and recovery. And we need the health insurance industry to step up, and do its part to combat addiction.
Why are we plagued with all the school shootings? And other shootings? It's not about guns or mental problems. It is about behavior and lack of respect for others, among various other reasons. We, as a nation, have lost respect for the sanctity of life. We are so concerned with ourselves we …
As Ohio awaits approval of new requirements for many of its Medicaid recipients to work or volunteer in order to receive benefits, we must ensure the program is as meaningful as possible for those impacted.
Poltergeist is German for a noisy ghost, spirit or a supernatural entity that is responsible for physical disturbances such as levitation of items or destruction of objects. While skeptical investigators believe that most of these paranormal incidents are hoaxes, others including observers a…
I love the idea of the new year. It is symbolic of the turning of a page, taking a heavy weight off one's shoulder, shedding some old skin or just looking forward. I'm not much on making New Year's resolutions; it seems like nobody keeps them for more then three weeks anyway, so why bother i…
The new year is here, and many of us are thinking about resolutions that include working out, eating healthier and getting in shape.
Have we stopped teaching our children basic manners and how to behave as "ladies" and "gentlemen?" Where women (and girls) were treated kindly, and with respect by the male gender. Where there was not the constant competition between the genders on who was "better" or "stronger" than the oth…
In another life in Findlay, Ohio, I was married and a young mother of three children when my earlier bouts with depression, anxiety and panic attacks returned with a force that I could no longer deny or ignore. I was consumed with scary thoughts predicting all sorts of imaginative and negati…
"Always be humble and kind." -- Tim McGraw
With all the bad news we've seen, is there any hope for a better future? Hillary lost. Donald is still arrogant, (but he is our president). Numerous others are accused of sexual improprieties. Congress is at a standstill and can't get anything done. The world situation is under a dark cloud.…
"I sent my brother away. I gave him to the dark people passing. They taught him to wear his hair long, to glide about naked, drinking water from his hands, tether horses and follow the faint trail through bent grasses. I took my brother to the other side of the river, then swam back, and lef…
We all know these people who feel like their way is the best way of doing something. Just because they did something one way and it worked out great for them, now as far as they are concerned, it can only be done the way they did it. It can be anything from, raising kids, praying to God, wha…
As we approach the holiday season, let us reflect on the blessings in our lives. We have been blessed with many "things." Some of us, perhaps, more so than others. "Things" being material possessions, financial success and other obvious attributes. But "things" can also be not so obvious, he…
Our seasons can blend nostalgia and a longing for our childhood memories of family, home and tradition. Sometimes, the perfect timing of the Universe speaks to me, and for those who are willing to observe and listen, there are many reasons to be grateful for our abundance. If we are fortunat…
Anyone in advertising will tell us repetition sells. Why else do we see ads for the same product or service repeated so often in any form of communication? Magazines, newspapers, TV, the internet or billboards. Often the same exact ad. So, instead of constantly "fighting" HATE with hateful m…
"Our kids are not commodities; they are plants that require a protected environment, and care and feeding, but most basically an internal yearning to grow toward the sunlight." --- Ben Sasse
Taxes -- that nasty word which nobody likes, but everyone seems to talk about. Taxes -- what the governments at all levels rely on to support all the services they provide for its citizens. Taxes -- what always seem to keep going up with no let up in sight. Taxes -- what every bureaucracy ne…
What is with all the numerous groups wanting to get their way these days -- "demanding" everyone else think their way? This just shows how selfish and arrogant some of these groups have become. Making "demands" of other people isn't any way to live. Especially in a country that has, as its f…
As a young girl, growing up in Southern California, I can remember my dad talking to our neighbors about his concerns of living so close to Los Angeles. He feared that a large costal city might be a likely target for our enemies to attack.
As we celebrate the birth of our nation, with picnics, barbecues, baseball games and fireworks, let us take a moment to reflect on what our Founding Fathers gave us. They worked hard to give us a form of government called a republic. Our country is a republic, not a democracy. We are a natio…
My mother, Clara, and father, Cecil, were married in 1938 and resided in Findlay, Ohio. As the story goes, one day my father was working on the roof of their small home when he threw down his hammer and told my mom that they were moving to California. Dad was tired of Ohio winters and the la…
According to Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, beginning about age 65, we will experience an interesting stage of life that Erikson calls Integrity vs Despair. The onset of this stage is often triggered by loss, such as retirement, a terminal illness or loss of a spouse. This fin…
Super size verses economy size. Small, medium large or extra large? How many times have we heard, "Do you want to super size that?" Then we hear about the obesity problem. Is it any wonder why there is such a problem? Everything we do and buy must be "bigger" and "better." Bank accounts and …
The abortion debate reminds me of the death penalty debate. We sentence convicted criminals to death as a way to say that killing is wrong. By comparison, we obstruct women's health care as a way to penalize them for making choices that disagree with other people's moral standards.
A letter to my children and grandchildren:
