Columns

Hapless warehouse burglars were easy to find

The thieves who broke into Captain Gerand Carriere’s warehouse in the steamboat town of Washington in October 1873 might get an A for effort but would surely flunk a basic burglary course. The warehouse was a tempting target. Carriere ran several successful businesses and was a wealthy man.

NASA stranded in mediocrity

International Space Station (ISS): Hello, Houston, Starliner crew Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams here. Any word on when we can return home? Houston: Hey, guys.

Thinking about old crushes on Valentine’s Day?

When I celebrate Valentine’s Day with my wife, I will be totally unapologetic if my mind wanders to my first crush. Here’s the backstory. When I was four or five years old, a neighbor lady gave me a box of old Valentines. My favorite was adorned with a little girl who looked like a bee.

Euphoria over Eagles turns sad over the loss of a life

Coming to within one game, one fanatical cheer, one breath of the Super Bowl is normally a beautiful thing. Especially for a Philadelphian.

Duck Dynasty gets another shot at TV fame

Have you heard the news? This is big. Really big. In just a matter of weeks, Duck Dynasty will return to TV on the A&E network.

Railroad came late to prairie settlement

The common assumption is that after the railroad crossed the Louisiana prairies in 1880, Southern Pacific went right to work recruiting settlers to provide travelers and cargoes for their trains. The railroad did push for immigrants to build new towns next to the rails.

We need Punxsutawney Phil

Hey, Punxsutawney Phil, we sure need some of your levity right now. It’s so cold, Republicans switched their slogan to “Make America Warm Again.” It’s so cold, Democrats have started lobbying for global warming. Three weeks ago, I wrote a column about my love of snow. That hasn’t aged well.

Is it time to stop making pennies?

In 1936 Bing Crosby entertained the nation by crooning “Pennies From Heaven,” but in 2025 it seems that pennies are The Coin From Hell.

Bishop uses her bully pulpit to lecture Trump

When Donald Trump and his family settled down for a prayer service last week as part of the presidential inaugural events, he very likely didn’t expect a lecture from a wannabe member of “The View.” But that’s what he got. Bishop Mariann Budde of the D.C.

Earning big bucks in state government!

How do you put a dollar value on the worth of a public official? Attorneys working full time for the state are often paid more than $400,000 a year. So how do you justify such large increases? The governor has a whole slew of people making $200,000 or more. How about this idea?