Purely personal point of view
Your OE has been out of town recently, going to the mountains, museums, races, and such at Ruidoso, N.M. Great trip that it was, with too many hours at the wheel, it's good to be back home in the Cottonwood Valley of Kansas. New Mexico has thousands of miles serving little purpose, a cow could starve between bites, but the scenery is majestic.
The OE's comment, last week, about Peter Hinueber — and wondering what happened to the young man who changed his mind — brought results. A curious reader used the Internet for answers. Peter has done OK for himself at Carrollton, Texas, where his wife, Carrie, is a mixed doubles tennis star at Brookhaven Country Club and was in the USTA sanctioned tournament. The OE wonders what might have happened if Peter had turned on U.S.-50 and K-150 to Marion instead of continuing down the Kansas Turnpike at Emporia and eventually to Dallas.
A reader who canceled her Marion County Record subscription said she did so because she was sick and tired of the landfill issue. It was explained to her that the landfill now is a dead issue in Marion County. The money is going to Harper County instead. Of course Marion County still has the old "county dump" closing to consider, plus paying for the transfer station to gather trash to be hauled to an as yet disclosed location provided and paid for by us
Folks get upset at the OE for reporting news they don't like to read.
The OE didn't make it clear, last week, that VFW "Voice of Democracy" contest entries must be written before being audio taped. Writing for the eye is vastly different from writing for the ear. Both are important. The OE has a high regard for the VFW contests (both written and taped) which have "discovered" much talent over the years. There was no implication that winners of taped contests are illiterate. The problem is that too many don't participate by reading what the students write; because they can't.
The OE also heard from teachers (names not for publication, they insisted) who regretfully report that many are graduating from high school without the ability to read.
On a more pleasant note, your OE has been selected as grand marshal for this year's Old Settlers' Day parade. That should attract a crowd if all attend who at one time or another have wanted to see him tarred, feathered, and rode out of town on a rail.
— BILL MEYER
