Wendy Range

The benefits of shutting up | Mark’s Remarks

Back in school, there were very few days that I didn’t get in trouble for talking too much. I’m pretty sure my teachers mentioned that I visited too much in…

Cheese! | Mark’s Remarks

I think we put enormous pressure on ourselves as parents. Would you agree?   I blame Facebook. I blame society.  I blame misguided priorities. Somewhere along the line, people started…

bill ott

Take your party back, please | Ott Observations

My very first letter to the Republic-Times was an appeal to my Republican neighbors after the 2020 election.  I’d like to make another appeal. Please restore the Republican Party back…

The Great Bus Tirade | Mark’s Remarks

When I start thinking about how disrespectful and silly kids can be at school, and when I get to the almost nth degree of crazy, I think the Lord whispers…

A year of goodbyes? | Mark’s Remarks

When you read this, I will have completed my 33rd year of teaching.  Maybe not a big deal to you, but dang.   Time seems to have gone by at…

The-Little-Mermaid-1200

The Little Mermaid | Movie Review

After leaving the theater, I heard the phrase “I didn’t have high expectations” from reviewer after reviewer. Indeed, I would guess many of us felt the same way. After all,…

bill ott

Defying reason | Ott Observations

As I digest many current events, I find myself thinking about the word “reason.” The dictionary defines the word as “a cause, explanation or justification for an action or event,”…

Carol Burnett’s birthday | Mark’s Remarks

I was born in 1967, the same year Carol Burnett’s television show went on the air.  So you could say I sort of grew up watching her.  I remember being…

Lay off | Mark’s Remarks

I was having a great conversation with a group of folks the other day. Some were retired and some were close to retiring.   The truths spoken at this meeting…

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

When we eat can matter, too | For Your Health

By Dr. Graham A. Colditz Siteman Cancer Center It’s that time of year where the calendar still says “spring,” but the weather and the school and vacation schedules are quickly…