Category Archives: Opinions
Letters to the Editor
Open letter to county council member Wes Hendricks
Dear Councilman Hendricks,
My name is Margaret McGuinness, and I am a resident of Pickens. I attended the Pickens County Planning Commission meeting on Monday, June 12, specifically to hear about the agenda item concerning the development near Glassy Mountain.
I waited a few weeks to write about my concerns with how the commission handled this specific agenda item. I left the meeting disappointed and
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Show me the way to go home
While in Fayetteville, Ark., I learned some things about getting around in the city. My duties were simple. I was to keep the children alive and get 
them where they were supposed to go on time. Each morning, we’d all rise to greet the day — some more cheerfully than others — and eat breakfast together.
After a few mornings tasks, we’d all drive to the university and drop Laura off for her classes. Then home again, lunch, snack prep and a run to camp to drop the children off at 1 o’clock for their theater class. Then back to the university to pick Laura up at 2 o’clock, then home then back to camp at
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Social Security benefit increase on the way?
Cross your fingers: We’re likely to get a 2.2 percent increase in Social Security benefits for 2018. With the average monthly benefit of $1,360, the 
increase would average $29.92 per month.
This is quite a jump, considering the pitiful increases of the past few years: 1.7 percent in 2012, 1.5 percent in 2013, 1.7 percent in 2014, 0.0 percent in 2015 and 0.3 percent in 2016. While 2011 was a big 3.6 percent, it followed two straight
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Letters to the Editor
In the best interest of the nation
Dear Editor,
“In the best interest of the nation.” There’s a phrase that makes one think that whatever it refers to must be a good thing for the nation. More often than not, it’s used to describe being for some legislation debated in Congress. Of course, on the other side of the coin is another group claiming it’s not, so they offer their own version of “best interest of the nation.” It has
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It was a bitter pill to swallow
Our Chihuahua, Toby Lee Fowler, is a piece of work. He is disobedient, headstrong, high-strung and a light sleeper. He is also one of the smartest and most manipulative dogs on the place.
It has always been a challenge to get him to swallow any kind of pill. At least that’s what I always thought until Boomer, our boxer puppy, contracted a mysterious illness. It was an inflammatory condition. Our vet prescribed prednisone in tablet form, and it took care of the problem. Every morning, I’d wrap the pill up in a small piece of American cheese, the slice kind, and give it to him. He’d gobble it right up.
One morning, I took the wrapped pill out as usual. Toby Lee went with me. I popped the pill into Boomer’s mouth, but this time he
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Courier Letters to the Editor
Example of a systemic problem
Dear Editor,
This is in response to the July 6 front-page story “Humane Society on the brink.” I am not sure “who” or “why” this article was titled the way it was, but the title of this article says a lot, especially about relationships.
When we ask for something and receive it, we are grateful. But over time, when we
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New scam targets your home security system
If you have a home security system — and especially if you have signs in the yard or stickers on the door that say so — you could become the victim of a scam.
Here’s how it works: Scammers will spot your security warning signs and show up at your door. (In many cases these will be college students hired for the summer.) They’ll say that your security company has gone out of business and that you need to sign a contract for new service with their company. They’ll ask you to give personal information as part of signing up for the new service, but any equipment they give you will be fake.
If this happens to you, don’t rush to sign up. There are steps you need to take first.
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A-bowling we will go
Bowling was never my strong suit. And it would be a complete waste of time to claim prowess at the game, because it would be a complete misrepresentation of the facts.
Nevertheless, a-bowling I did go. Last week was spent in Fayetteville, Ark., with my niece and her dear family. The visit was of a 10-day duration, and once again the experience was wonderful.
Brooke Olivia, my namesake, now 11, has started her own business on Instagram. She makes a product called slime and charges $2 for about 4 ounces. It’s a complicated process, but she is already filling orders
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Letters to the Editor
Old-school meteorology
Dear Editor,
We have TV meteorologists today to tell us how the weather is going to be. If you have a phone with internet, you can check out the weather radar. Back in the day, we did our own predicting.
When I was a child, we had what was called a water bucket. The water bucket was usually metal — tin or aluminum — with rare cases plastic.
We all drank from the same bucket with the aid of a thing called a dipper. The dipper
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Avoiding falls at home
When a senior falls, it can be the first step in physical decline. A hospital stay or time in rehab might be required, which can result in overall weakness and fear of a second fall. That fear can lead to cautious movement, which leads to more physical weakness.
We don’t need to start down that path. There are a number of steps we can take to reduce the chance of falling — and staying independent.
• The first and biggest step is to declutter the floor. This means rerouting electrical cords, moving furniture and removing
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