Christine Otten

The belch heard ‘round the world | Mark’s Remarks

Our hospital in my hometown of Fairfield has been around for a long time.  It was always a mysterious building to me when I was little, mostly because I was…

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The liberal plan to destroy America | Ott Observations

A recent letter writer to this newspaper expressed her fear that a liberal left ideology, started early in the 20th century, has the purposeful intent to destroy our country.  Specifically,…

Top 9 at 9 | Mark’s Remarks

My hometown of Fairfield has a radio station called WFIW, which has been in our community since the early 1950s.   At one time, it had local announcers who actually…

Ten minutes only | Mark’s Remarks

One of my favorite parts of working at a well-known retail store was the intercom.   Somehow I finagled around and gained access, being allowed to do the “the time…

bill ott

Where’s the learning curve? | Ott Observations

One of the pillars of traditional Republican conservative thinking is to oppose “big government.” The concern is that government regulation unnecessarily burdens our economy with rules and costs. After the…

Family pix | Mark’s Remarks

It’s interesting to look back at old photos, especially of family.   I like looking at ones from way back, when a traveling photographer might come by the house and ask…

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Movie Review | Air

Affleck’s ‘Air’ a victorious romp and slam dunk From director Ben Affleck and screenwriter Alex Convery comes “Air,” easily one of the best films of the year.   Yes, I really…

Graham A. Colditz, MD, Deputy Director, Institute for Public Health, is photographed at FLTC on March 15, 2022. MATT MILLER/WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Spring toward wellness | For Your Health

By Dr. Graham A. Colditz Siteman Cancer Center A scientific paper recently looked at the links between the time of year and how physically active we are, finding that spring…

bill ott

Saving the children | Ott Observations

Virtually every issue we debate in our country has one common element. There are two different views about if and when government should insert itself into private citizens’ lives. Here…

Our dog story | Mark’s Remarks

People have been “hounding” me to tell you all our dog story from several weeks ago. Now that we are past the trauma and all ended well, I figure I’m…