Letter to the Editor: Pay attention to local elected officials/government

Dear Editor, As a concerned citizen, I am writing to emphasize the importance of redirecting our attention and focus toward local and state government affairs rather than federal.

Rich: The photo of back then

There is a photo that I discovered a couple of years ago and immediately I put it on the refrigerator, so I’d never forget who I am. Who I really am. It is a color photo made with a Kodak Instamatic camera. Remember those? The little silver box with a flash cube that snapped on top.

Chancey: Biblical intake makes big difference in life

Recently, our young adults spent their Winter Retreat focused on reading the Bible together aloud. No special speaker, no DVD teaching. They simply gathered and read as much of the New Testament as possible over the weekend. They read through I Corinthians, completing 149 chapters.

Letter to the Editor: In praise of Public Works

Dear Editor, A double thumbs up to Anthony Frazier, Ms. Rindi Daniel, and the entire staff employed by the Putnam County Public Works Department. It seems when there is new home construction and/ or a lengthy holiday period, plenty of trash lands on Spivey Road.

Yarbrough: Fulton County DA finds herself in ‘fine mess’

When something went awry in one of their old slapstick movies, Oliver Hardy would declare to the hapless Stan Laurel, “This is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into.

Crane: Salute to Saban

Seeking a brief respite from this bitter cold snap, and the flaming rhetoric of the national political scene, I offer a warm and genuine salute to a man of intelligence, ability, and leadership ... even though he leads a team I do not support toward victories which I almost universally oppose.

Rich: When the good ones leave

Over the past few years, I’ve lost too many loved ones who meandered out of this life and crossed the River Jordan. “I don’t know why the Lord keeps taking the good ones and leaving the bad ones,” I complained to a friend, recently widowed. Her husband had been a celebrated legend of the ages.

Yarbrough: Voters, not courts, should decide presidential choices

In case you haven’t noticed, there is an election scheduled for this November to choose the Leader of the Free World. As of this writing, the choice is between two candidates that a majority of the American people don’t particularly care for.

Smith: Taking the high road

After the seconds had evaporated from the scoreboard clock at Mercedes-Benz Stadium a little more than a month ago, I watched Kirby Smart, bitterly disappointed, stride across the playing field with measured alacrity to congratulate Alabama’s Nick Saban on his victory.

Rich: The river birch trees

Three river birch trees surround our home. I planted them three years after I built this house. River birches are pretty trees. They grow long, toward the sky, and spread a beautiful canopy of shade. The trunks are interesting and artistic as the bark is constantly curling into pieces.