No matter where you look, you can't escape it.

"Pray for Trump. Psalm 109:8."

When the college re-opened Jan. 2 after winter break, my email contained a donation request for our Career Closet at Dalton State College. It made me think about the new year. As we are all reflecting on ways to improve our community and bring meaning to our lives in 2019, I thought this is …

The partial shutdown of the federal government wrapped up its fourth week just as the Georgia General Assembly completed its first week of action in 2019. One imagines the shutdown will end before state legislators finish their annual work sometime in early spring, but one never knows.

Sometimes in this business, it isn’t so much what you know as it is who you know.

Shining the light on the Georgia General Assembly under the Golden Dome

"We lost a Christmas ornament bin when it fell off of our trailer. A young man from Murray County, Chris Harton, who is a photographer, found it. He researched our name and location and delivered the bin to our home. The bin contained 54 years of precious memories for our family. We are so t…

"Trump has ordered furloughed government employees back to work without pay. While working they're not eligible to file for unemployment even though they have no income. Forced labor under threat from the government doesn't sound like something conservatives ought to support, but I'm sure th…

"Thank you to everyone in our community who donated items for our Homeless Care Kit project. We were able to make 80 adult kits, 23 girl and 23 boy kits, plus we had several boxes of clothing and blankets that wouldn't fit in the kits! The City of Refuge is distributing them for us. Sincerel…

We'll celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and legacy next week. In these angry and divisive times, we all could benefit by reminding ourselves of his words' truth, civility and wisdom.

"Gillette insults men then expects them to buy their razors and blades. They are crazy."

"We know he's doing the best job he can. That's the problem."

On Dec. 11, President Trump said he would be "proud to shut down the government."

"Folks, let's compare apples to apples. The Great Wall of China was built more than 1,000 years ago. Its purpose was to protect China from marauding nomadic hordes and was manned by an army with authority to shoot to kill. It was also built across mountaintops to increase its effectiveness. …

"I've said all year for the whole football season that if Alabama ever had any competition in their conference they wouldn't look so good. I guess last Monday night proved it. They got wiped out by the ACC."

Shining the light on the Georgia General Assembly under the dome

If for some strange reason you didn't already know how much the liberal media hates President Trump, you found out this week.

Brian Kemp takes office this week as Georgia's 83rd governor, and the difference in atmosphere compared to his predecessor’s inauguration could hardly be greater.

"Ever since Trump got elected he has exhibited unpresidential and even possibly impeachable behavior. That’s why people have been clamoring for his removal from office. Republicans weren’t 'steadfast' on getting Obama impeached because his terms were scandal-free. Almost the same as Friday’s…

A few weeks ago United Way of Northwest Georgia President Amanda Burt asked if I would write a January guest column in place of her monthly “Amanda column” for our local newspaper. My answer was of course yes — I rarely say no — so here goes.

If you passed Max Acuna on the street or on your way to work, or any one of those hundreds of places where people cross paths every day, you wouldn't give the smartly dressed 30-year-old a second look.

"My son and I want to thank the young man and lady who paid for our meal at Steak 'n Shake this past Saturday evening. May God bless them and may the kindness come back to them."

"I think Thomas Jefferson would be all for the government shutdown. He would want it shut down and the government restarted in the way our Founding Fathers designed. Limited, restricted in power and controlled by the individual."

On New Year's Eve, The Washington Post published a shockingly biased (even as measured in the current shoddy journalism era) op-ed piece. Titled "The Demographic Time Bomb that Could Hit America," the commentary reflects columnist Catherine Rampell's opinion that declining population would r…

WASHINGTON -- It was a perfect post-Christmas day, as I watched tourists move in concentric circles around the Jefferson Memorial at the far edge of the National Mall.

"Georgia is a winner again — not. Along with six other Southern states it’s in the top 10 worst states to raise a family. I wish conservative Republicans would move away and stop ruining our state.

"To the person that had to pay 30 cents for the cup of ice water at the McDonald's on Walnut Avenue, well for another 30 cents you could have gotten a pack of ketchup and made yourself some tomato soup."

"To the caller who asked about the pianist/organist at Church on the Hill, that's Dr. Lynn Murphy. He's a retired professor from Dalton State College and also a phenomenal musician."

"I was at a funeral at Church on the Hill (previously Evangelical Methodist) Friday. The pianist/organist who played was terrific. Does anyone know who he is?"

Way back in 2017, the Washington Post was outraged that hospitals were trying to make a profit. Like most stories involving reporters, economics and health care it was both wildly inaccurate and agenda-driven.

The federal government’s recent shutdown had many people wondering if Washington can ever return to functioning properly. In fact, this is a feature of our system, not a bug: Congress holds the power of the purse, and it’s well within its rights to withhold funding when at loggerheads with t…

Shining the light on the Georgia General Assembly under the Gold Dome 

As the 116th Congress convenes in Washington this past week, one of the more interesting spectacles to take place will be the seating of Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

"Please don't complain about the roosters crowing. My alarm clock is broken and I have one that wakes me up at 7:30 every morning, so let the rooster crow."

What's with Mitt Romney, the newly minted Republican senator from the great red state of Utah?

America is the greatest country in the world! This belief is widespread beyond our citizenry and is evidenced by the thousands of people who come to this country every year with the hope of finding their American dream.

"Pelosi said some of the first items she was going to address as speaker of the House were income inequality and insurance coverage for everyone. Does this mean we will all be paid what the members of Congress are paid and have the same insurance program they do? I don't think so. She thinks…

"Have most of you noticed that since the Democrats took back the House of Representatives that the Republicans aren’t out protesting, rioting and looting everywhere?"

"I haven’t been to a county rec park since way back when volunteers did most of the work. I’m wondering what percentage of taxpayers visit the rec facilities compared to the amount of tax money spent for recreation."

Celebrating the holidays with friends and family the past few weeks was great, but I'm tired, bloated and crabby.

"Dalton will be a great place for a minor league soccer team, especially since it's so close to the parent club in Chattanooga. I don't watch or even like soccer, but a lot of people here do. I think it will be a net gain for the community."

The 12 days of Christmas continue this week, and so do my dozen good ideas for Georgia in 2019. (To find the first six, please refer to last week’s column.)