Opinion & Editorial

Oldtimer in newspaper work offers a few generalizations

By Phil Hudgins         People are interesting, and every one of them has a story.         That’s the first thing I learned as a young newspaper reporter several decades ago. I enjoyed my first interview—with a guy who won a national soap box derby contest—when I was just shy of 16 years old.

Happy Birthday to this Great Land

By Ronda Rich         Across the rippling creek and over the bridge with its rusty rails, I followed Mama, who was carrying a warm chocolate cake. As any four-year-old would do, I stopped at the center of the bridge, admiring the lazy water bubbling toward the Chattahoochee.

Happy 250th birthday, America!

By Dink NeSmith         Sometimes we remember. Other times, we need to be reminded.        That’s why a rusted MI917 Brodie helmet is perched on the top of the piano by our back door. You can’t come in or out without seeing George Washington Shirah Jr.’s World War I helmet.

OUR VIEW: Nation, White County set to celebrate 250th 

The U.S., and White County, are celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary this year by going bigger on July 4th for Independence Day.Americans will celebrate two and a half centuries of freedom this July 4th, the nation's uniquely bold summer holiday that commemorates the signing of the...

God’s hand in the founding and preservation of our freedoms

On June 28, 1787, there had been little progress made during four  or 5 five weeks of “close attendance and continual reasoning with each other” among the delegates at the Constitutional Convention.

Fly Fishing in Downtown Helen

By Bill Hager Here’s a true confession: I actually like fishing on the Chattahoochee River in downtown Helen.  Why not?

Surprise at Starlight

By Ivy Rutzky On an early Thursday morning, Jimmie Tinius looked out her kitchen window. A hot-air balloon was sitting on the lawn. She lives at Starlight in the Nacoochee Valley. Jimmie walked out onto her front porch and waved hello.

Black-and-white photo triggers link to old stories

By Dink NeSmith         How do you step back 40 years in time?        For me, it was “stumbling.”I stumbled across an old black-and-white photograph—circa 1986—that led to an old poster. And that time-yellowed poster is tied to another story that goes back another 30 years.        First story first.

The World Cup’s real MVP? Social media!

By Carly Henderson  I'll be honest: I'm not the biggest soccer fan, but the 2026 World Cup is all I can think about.The tournament began June 11, prompting fans from around the world to travel to the United States, Canada and Mexico to watch their favorite teams. Like I said, I'm not a soccer fan.

Mama used to say

By Ronda Rich         The last few years of her life, Mama said, “This family’s really going to miss me when I’m gone. None of ‘uns have any ‘idee’ how much I do.”        When her refrain did not receive the appropriate sympathy, she forged on. “I mean it.” She’d pointed her crooked forefinger.