opinions
Old Trees And Memories — By John Reed
Old Trees And Memories I’ve written before about the remnants we leave behind. Friends and family keep memories of us, our “digital presence” lives on. Facebook still reminds me of birthdays of long-dead students I taught: a little creepy. Another remembrance of past generations shows up in plants. Drive down any country road. If you…
Read MoreCity Needs More Employees — By Tommy Purser
The City of Hazlehurst needs more employees in the Streets and Sanitation Department. That fact is obvious to anyone who takes a critical look at the downtown area where the city’s work force simply cannot keep up with all the work that needs to be done, especially in the summer when grass and weeds become…
Read MoreBetting The Odds — By John Reed
Betting The Odds Professional gamblers make a science of betting. Whether it’s cards, horses, or whatever, the most successful gamblers know their odds of success before they ever lay down their money. People who bet with their hearts instead of their brains usually lose. My weekly poker game has a wide variety of players, and…
Read MoreProtecting The Public’s Right To Know — By Tommy Purser
Kudos to Council Members Eric Griffin and John Ramay for standing up for the public’s right to know at last Thursday’s called meeting of the Hazlehurst City Council. According to the article on the meeting written by freelance writer Mary Ann Anderson, Mayor Bayne Stone wanted to discuss the recent audit of city finances. But…
Read MoreThe Price Of Progress — By John Reed
The Price Of Progress Looking around town, there are signs of progress everywhere. New businesses opening, new sidewalks, a new overpass. The word “progress” implies Good Things. Improvements. A Better Future For All. And so when we hear about people calling themselves “progressives” we tend to associate them with those qualities. But progress comes at…
Read MoreMiscellaneous — By Tommy Purser
A few things I learned while looking for something else: There are 15 Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles crisscrossing the United States each year. They take people on rides, hang out at grocery stores handing out Wiener Whistles and coupons, chat with people, take photos, attend events, do media interviews and otherwise promote the company. The word…
Read MoreGardens And Neighbors — By John Reed
Much has been written about the difference between city people and country folks. Those living in small towns are considered more neighborly, friendlier, more likely to help those in need. I’m sure there are lots of reasons for this, but I’m betting at least one comes from the activities people did as kids growing up…
Read MoreJack Of All Trades — By Tommy Purser
It’s been a little over seven years since Olen Googe died at the age of 80. For newcomers to our community, Olen Googe is the namesake of Googes, Inc. Before his sons took over the operation of the convenience store, it was called Googe’s Superette. Notice that Googe’s in Googe’s Superette is singular and Googes,…
Read MorePray For Our Farmers — By Tommy Purser
I’m looking forward to the rest of this week because, if the weather reports are accurate, we’re in for some rain and cooler temperatures. The temperatures in May and the early days of June felt more like July and August. And if July and August are, as usual, hotter than May, we’re in for some…
Read MoreThere’s A Mouse In Our House — By John Reed
There’s A Mouse In Our House So Disney and others want to show their displeasure with Georgia’s abortion stance by moving their film productions elsewhere. I haven’t seen such hypocrisy since I last heard the words “civil rights“ out of the mouth of a Democrat. Even a quick perusal of shooting locations that Disney has…
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