Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 1355 - 1379 of 1862
Jam and jelly season is in full swing with rhubarb, strawberries and blueberries already ripe and apricots, peaches and blackberries soon to follow. Jams and jellies are some of the easiest preserving tasks to accomplish, if, you have a good recipe. I have heard from several people who have purchased Sure-jell powdered pectin packages that are missing the instruction sheet. The omission seems to be random and not isolated to any one area or store. Accurate measuring of ingredients is the most important step in jam and jelly m...
This past week wheat markets experienced a bit of a rally from their recent lows. Winter wheat harvest moved past the halfway mark and now stands at about 70% complete nationwide. More times than not that signals a rally in the wheat market. This year is no exception; the question is how high. Fundamentally, support also came from good recent export sales, particularly from China. I do not think it was a coincidence that China came when they did. They also know when the seasonal lows of a market typically occur. They might...
I've always been pretty good at arithmetic. Not a whiz, you understand, but pretty good. Once beyond arithmetic and into math, however, all bets are off. But I've been thinking lately about one of the phrases from the past. I'm not sure how old I was, but I remember a light bulb going on in my brain when I understood what "the lowest common denominator" was. I really love it when the bulb goes on. I wish it would happen more frequently. In fact, I wish it would happen right no...
Each year at this time thousands of tourists embark on cruises along Alaska’s stunning coastal waters. If they are lucky, the tourists experience dry weather, relatively calm seas, and breathtaking vistas. In some places the ships can get up close and personal to dramatic scenes of glaciers "calving" ice that breaks off and falls into the ocean. Although I've hiked up to glaciers in the Rockies and walked across them, I've never seen them entering the sea. I'd like to do that and have the notion recorded on my "bucket l...
Research into early reading shows numerous elements that help children become readers. Teachers know these factors; and if parents know also, they can support their children at home with some of the same information. I comment on some of them in no particular order. One, exposing children to books and literature from infancy, maybe even before birth, helps them as readers when they go to school. The town library has an excellent elementary collection of books that parents can use all year long, in addition to the elementary...
To the Editor: We are so proud of the 14 Odessa High School students who participated in the National FBLA Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Calif. this month. Four of the students took first place in the nation in their category, and three placed sixth. Outstanding! All 14 students, their advisor Terri King and chaperones did a terrific job representing themselves, the school, the community, and the state. Once again, this is more proof that small, rural schools offer an excellent educational program. Duane and Jonnie...
To the Editor: “Five years and counting” [title of the editorial in last week’s Record] is so true, as social media is making it hard for small-town newspapers to continue giving us current news. What keeps me subscribing to The Record is that I keep hoping to see something in the history section about my great grandparents, grandmother and maybe my mother, aunt and uncle. My great grandparents owned the Irby Hotel, which they bought around 1904. They came to Irby by train from Hebron, North Dakota. I remember my grand...
Common Core is the most recent version of a five-decade long reform movement, which has stressed over and over that public schools are failing. It all started with Sputnik. In 2012, McDonnell and Weatherford, professors at UC-Santa Barbara, examined the connection of Common Core, policy, and politics. Contrary to common perception, public schools were not failing. They discovered that politics determined the definitions of what makes up “research” in order to support policy decisions concerning the Common Core State Standards...
In June of this year, the editors and publishers of The Odessa Record celebrated the fifth anniversary of having purchased the newspaper from the estate of former editor and publisher Don Walter. The time has absolutely flown by, and it is hard to believe that we ourselves are fast approaching retirement age. We have made some progress over the past five years in clearing away some of the debt that saddled the newspaper when we bought it. We are no longer paying off a Staples credit card, and we do not have a huge backlog...
It shouldn't surprise me, but why in the world would the I.R.S. penalize people for getting married. I know that Obama has a value system that is unique compared to the majority of Christians, as his decisions clearly have indicated that, even before he became president. The marriage penalty needs to be studied as it affects a couple more if they both work. If only one is the main bread winner it is quite different. If you study the tax table that applies for married vs. non-married, I hazard a speculation of needing to have...
The USDA’s Grain Stocks and Planting Intentions Report, which came out last Friday, was quite a shock to the market. After all the excessive rains the Midwest and corn belt experienced this spring, causing flooding and planting delays, the question was how many acres were lost. Well the answer, according to the report, was none. In fact acres were gained. Corn acres came in at 97.38 million vs. 97.28 million in the March 1st Stocks report. That represents the highest corn acreage since 1936. The market had been expecting a 2-...
It’s Independence Day. Or the 4th of July, as we usually call it. But (as of this morning) I’ve decided to go back to calling it Independence Day. I have great plans for this day (also as of this morning.) I know I’ve talked before about my habit of measuring myself and my progress (or lack thereof) on particular days, such as New Year’s Day and my birthday. Well, Independence Day is going to join the ranks of those milestone days. It’s just not ever, EVER going to become li...
I’m never quite sure how to respond when the focus of the national media shines briefly on the region where I live – usually described as a “remote” part of the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in eastern Washington State and have lived most of my adult life here, so it hardly seems remote to me. But when reporters from national media outlets make the trip to the region I call home, they invariably emphasize how far it is from parts of the country that are more populated. Earlier...
You know, I’ve always thought of myself as a basically honest person. In fact, I like to think of myself as above average in that regard. When I find paper money on the street, I attempt to find its owner. Usually, when something is my fault, I confess. I don’t steal. I don’t lie, unless it doesn't matter. “Aha!” you say. “There she goes, down that slippery slope of making God-like decisions.” For who am I to decide what matters? But that’s a bit off track. The lies I’ve b...
Salads, desserts head this barbecue season menu Picnic and barbeque weather has finally arrived. Time for summer menu items. Broccoli salads of various varieties have gained in popularity over the last decade. This recipe for Broccoli Salad was attributed to Dorothy of Coulee Dam in the spring issue of the Sage Country Quilters Newsletter. It is an easy recipe using ingredients basic to the average pantry, but adapts well to substitutions. Broccoli Salad Salad: 2 bunches fresh broccoli, cut in bite size pieces (about 6 cups)...
To the Editor: The unidentified audience member in the May 30, 2013 edition of the Odessa Record is Greg Mundt, Spokane, WA, veteran of Viet Nam, honoring the veterans of WWI, WWII and Korea who are buried in the Bohemian Cemetery. Greg is a family friend of the Totusek, Wraspir, Ott, Iksic, Droz and Schaefer veterans. Thank you. Ruth Ott Droz Schaefer Spokane, WA...
To the Editor: The President and his family have decided to visit Africa. When asked the purpose of the trip the White House has, as of now, had no answer. He probably wants to see his birthplace. The Secret Service in charge of the President’s safety has spared no money. It has been estimated the trip will cost 100 million dollars. According to the Washington Post, “Military cargo planes will airlift in 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines and three trucks loaded with sheets of bulletproof glass to cover the wind...
To the Editor: I saw in The Odessa Record, Saturday, will be 2013 Alumni Banquet being held at the Community Center, June 15, 2013. Even though I was a graduate of Odessa High School in 1966, I never received any notice of this happening. I wish someone had notified me about this event. I would have loved to attend and seen the high school alumni. Who do I contact to let them know where they can contact me when this event comes up again? I’m sure there is a fee and how much is it? I enjoy getting The Odessa Record. It k...
Late in the last century scientists published reams of data about Earth's climate derived from ice cores taken from Greenland and Antarctic. By drilling down into the polar ice with hollow bits, workers were able to pull columns of ice up to the surface. The material brought to light in this way was very special for several reasons. First, the ice cores show annual layers going back in time. That means scientists can count backwards through time from the surface downward, a...
To the Editor: Many thousands of college graduates are looking for jobs so that they can start responsible lives supporting themselves. Many of these are faced with paying off their share of the trillion dollars that students have borrowed while they were pursuing that degree. Many have been assured that a sheepskin was all they needed. Using the excuse that this country faces a shortage of “skilled labor” our government allowed 65,000 non-U.S. citizens with advanced degrees to enter the U.S. workforce under the H-1B Vis...
How to get boys to read Reading a book for the summer is not high on most boys’ to-do lists for the summer, as most parents of boys can attest. How then to get a boy to read? One important way to do this is to capitalize on the boy’s interests. And since boys have plenty of time to pursue their interests during the summer, it is also a great time to connect to the things they like and want to do. If a boy likes baseball, find books on baseball for him to read. Include the sports page of the newspaper and sports mag...
"People cannot learn by having information pressed into their brains. Knowledge has to be sucked into the brain, not pushed in. First, one must create a state of mind that craves interest and wonder. "You can teach only by creating an urge to know." Victor Weisskopf (1908-2002) As this school year comes to a close, I look bakc upon my 42 years of teaching. It's been an interesting journey, to say the least. I began in what was then the largest high school in Georgia with 2,100 students, and I end in a rural eastern...
"Girls 4x100 Relay Sets New State Record!!" Was this the headline we saw? We have a track team that goes to state and places in the top 7 in all their events. We have a girls relay team that takes first in two events and breaks the state record for cryin-out-loud. We take 3rd in boys 100m & 200m (photo finishes on both by the way). A girls 100m and 200m dash that places 3rd and 4th (photo finish here too, I think), 5th on boys triple jump, 7th in girls long jump, 4th in girls triple jump. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? What...
I'm a little cranky today. I've never read the Divine Comedy, the epic poem written by Dante Aligieri. Having seen paintings inspired by the first section, usually called Dante's Inferno, I've never really wanted to. That hasn't stopped me from imagining Hell as I would have designed it. Never mind the seven deadly sins. I would have a place in Hell reserved for people who abuse those weaker than themselves, whether that be spouses, children, or animals. This would, I...
Buster Brown, my big mutt from the dog pound, is now 10 years old. Perhaps because he’s a senior citizen it took him a full week to learn how to operate the dog door I had installed last winter. He was used to going to the back door and barking to be let in or out. Once the dog door was there, I held it open, showing him the great outdoors, and encouraged him to go through it. I had to repeat this maneuver many times, patiently making happy noises when he ultimately would h...
