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Today's Opinions

  • Yes, I'm a journalist

    I’ve been seriously writing since I was 10 years old. I knew at 12 it’s what I wanted to do to earn a living.

    By the time I was 17 and poring over college catalogs, I knew I had to major in something besides romance novel writing because no one pays you right out of the chute to write bodice-ripping novels.

    That’s how I came to journalism and it’s where I’ve stayed almost my entire life, except for a brief stint as a property tax appraiser.

    Click here to read more...
  • City picks up the gauntlet

    Six months ago we challenged the city of Williston to take a little pride in its own properties before mandating its residents do the same.

    Over 60 years of weather and neglect marred the faces of two prominent city properties – city hall and its annex.

    Chipped, flaking paint; mildewed facades and the absence of landscaping created eyesores in our midst.

    Those of us who live here saw the deterioration day in and day out. We saw it so often, we soon became complacent about it and in time, immune to it.

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  • Holes left by the Cat Herder

    Have you ever known someone who, at times, you wanted to put your hands around their neck and shake them until their teeth rattled? BUT, there were times you wanted to hold that same person in a close embrace and not let go?

    That’s been my relationship for over eight years with Chiefland Citizen editor Lou Elliott Jones.

    Now that Lou is hanging up the pica pole and proportion wheel (only something old-time newspaper people will understand), I’ll be able to do a lot more of that embracing.

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  • It's time

    Just in case you have not heard, this is my final column as editor of the Chiefland Citizen and Cedar Key Beacon. I gave my notice in mid-November and have been telling people the good news since.

    I am out the door on Friday, Jan. 27. At 64 I am taking the opportunity to enjoy some of the things my present occupation does not allow. That would include:

    being home for and cooking dinner in the evening, going out of town without having to time it for when there are no assignments, and polishing my skills at herding cats.

    This is a short list.

    Click here to read more...
  • It's time

    Just in case you have not heard, this is my final column as editor of the Chiefland Citizen and Cedar Key Beacon. I gave my notice in mid-November and have been telling people the good news since.

    I am out the door on Friday, Jan. 27. At 64 I am taking the opportunity to enjoy some of the things my present occupation does not allow. That would include:

    being home for and cooking dinner in the evening, going out of town without having to time it for when there are no assignments, and polishing my skills at herding cats.

    This is a short list.

    Click here to read more...
  • As good as it gets

    I once kept a journal. I wrote in it every day, even if it was only a sentence that summarized the day.

    Then I had two babies under two years old, and the entries became less frequent.

    When those babies started school, I entered the workforce full-time and between home and work, there wasn't much time for writing – other than what I got paid for.

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  • If it's December then I'm already done-in

    It's only Dec. 5 and I'm ready to throw in the towel.

    Despite all my good intentions, time is getting away from me and there's no way to recoup what I've lost and no way to get ahead of what needs to be done.

    It all started back in November – Veterans Day to be exact.

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  • Counting my blessings

     A week from the time I am writing this, many of you will have overdosed on tryptophan, the amino acid in turkey that allegedly makes you sleepy or you've maxed out your credit cards or bank account on Black Friday deals.

    Either way, you've probably taken a minute – or 10 – to think about all those things that make you grateful.

    Last year, I told you what a difficult year it was and that I knew this year would be better.

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