Opinions

I noticed something pretty profound the past few weeks. I'm not sure when it happened, but I just noticed it recently.

For 11 years and 275 episodes, the denizens of the made-for-television bar “Cheers” welcomed barfly Norm Peterson with a loud round of “Norm!” And now, it is time we say goodbye to actor George Wendt with the same gusto. News broke Tuesday afternoon that the beloved actor had died.

Will the “Kansas” in the Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals ever become literal? Nobody seems to know right now. If anybody does know, nobody is saying anything substantial.

The selection of a new pope last week sparked a flood of memories for me. As an outsider, I know just enough about the conclave process to feed my interest in its importance to the world.

A few weeks ago, I hit a milestone that seems silly but gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. I reached my goal of closing all three of my fitness rings on my watch for 365 days in a row.

Guest Column Next Tuesday, voters in the Goddard School District will be asked to approve a bond issue to fund two new K-4 elementary schools and re-purpose Oak Street to an early childhood center, along with numerous other needed improvements to our existing district facilities. This question is in response to the recent demographic study showing approximately 50 new housing developments and more than 5,900 new living units to be built over the next 10 years.

From the Editor’s Files Is a picture really worth a thousand words? I think so. And in celebration of that possibility, I'm sharing a couple of pictures from my courtyard garden this week, and pruning – if you will – my words to go with those pictures.

The College of Health and Human Sciences at Kansas State University welcomes its 2025-2026 student ambassadors. Student ambassadors work on and off campus to promote the college to alumni, friends, prospective students, families and current K-State students.

Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about volunteer vacation programs? I’m a healthy, 60-year-old, single woman, and am interested in doing some solo traveling, but would like to tie it with something meaningful. Purposeful Traveler Dear Traveler, If you’re looking to do more on your next vacation than relax in the sun or go sightseeing, volunteer vacations – also known as voluntourism – which combine travel and volunteer work, are a great alternative for solo travelers and have become increasingly popular among older adults.

Kim and I spent this past weekend in a familiar locale – so familiar, in fact, that it feels like home. I'm talking about Anthony, Kan., where an old friend of mine has a comfortable lake house on the shores of Anthony City Lake, just a mile north of town.