Recent Columns


Otto: A glimpse of life 'Up North'

Make no mistake, I’m a big fan of our local natural areas.

Holinger: Feeling thoughtful? It must be fall

Ever wonder how important you are in the Grand Scheme of Things?

DuBose: Surviving the first round of H1N1 vaccinations

Sick of dispensing antibacterial wipes, I decided to have my kids vaccinated against the H1N1 virus on Monday and I wasn’t about to let anything stand in my way. 

Grace: Pink socks celebrate a team effort toward a cure

Twelve-year-old Tanner Robertsen dashed toward the end zone in his muddy green football uniform on Saturday, flanked by his Elburn Lions teammates, adding the final touch to what was to be a victory that propelled the Lions to a first-place finish in the Aurora Superstars Youth Tackle Football League.

Otto: Little Miss Muffet wouldn't have liked this neighbor either

We had a Little Miss Muffet moment the other day here at the Pottawatomie Community Center. No, it didn’t involve a tuffet (which I understand is some sort of footstool), nor were there any curds or whey. But there was a spider. Man, was there a spider.

Grace: To each his own when it comes to Halloween antics

I celebrated Halloween sporadically as a kid.

Grace: Tradition? Tastes like year-old wedding cake

We've all heard of day-old pizza – a wonderful treat, especially cold – but year-old cake?

DuBose: By third-grade standards – not your 'normal' parent

My daughter’s third-grade teacher at H.C. Storm Elementary School in Batavia had each of his students complete a 15-question survey about their likes and dislikes. The parents were to be quizzed on curriculum night, all in good fun, and my little girl, Holly, couldn’t wait for me to take it.

Otto: The bugs are back

So this week I was going to write about the amazing wildlife I saw while on vacation last week in Wisconsin’s Northwoods – tales of places where grouse hunters roam and deer and otters play. There was even a bear in a grocery store’s beer cooler. But those stories will have to wait because here on the home front we have a much more immediate concern: The bugs are back in town.

DuBose: An ark with no passenger on board

The room was pitch black, except for the eerie green glow from the monitor. On the screen was a sea of black nothingness, except for a ghostly, jagged semicircle. It looked like an ark, where our little baby was supposed to be. 

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