Opinion & Editorial

The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

A flood of immigrants

When the Biden/Harris administration came into power the borders of the United States were secure, and only a trickle of people testing were our borders. Neither the Congress nor the Supreme Court did anything to change this.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

Mordecai: ‘You’re not supposed to stay dumb for 99 years’

Mordecai Wilson was relaxing in his recliner when we arrived at his home in Lula, a town of about 3,000 in northeast Georgia. I had never met the man, although I’d read several of his letters in a newspaper, words encouraging people to follow God and do the right thing.
Photo by NASA

Photo by NASA

Big magnet energy

An urban legend is defined as a genre of folklore concerning stories about a sometimes scary event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. As a writer and storyteller, I love a good urban legend. Take the Boston Red Sox infamous ‘Curse of the Bambino,’ for example.
Photo by American Public Power Association

Photo by American Public Power Association

Gratitude for our linemen

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which swept through Hart County the destruction was palpable. Fallen trees and widespread power outages left our community reeling.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

People vote with their feet

People vote with their feet, as numerous studies about migration among the states have shown. But they don’t only do this by crossing state lines. The IRS publishes data every year about migration not only from state to state, but from county to county.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

God’s word stands forever

Returning to my hometown recently to visit family, I was glad to hear my brother say that he wanted us to attend church with him. He had spoken fondly about the congregation on numerous occasions and now my family would get to experience it firsthand along with his.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

All things spring from love

Love is all there is – all things spring from it.  Love is the key to all things, the foundation — that which undergirds all of life and relationships.  You can spend your whole physical life trying to understand LOVE but you’ll only grasp it when you are fully in the spirit.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

St. Andrews to study homelessness

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is beginning a yearlong study of housing insecurity or homelessness in Hart County. Our goal is to identify causes, complications, etc. and educate our members on the issues that contribute to homelessness.
When I entered the business in 1971, one of the first newspaper families that I met were the Maxwells in Oglethorpe County. After graduating from the University of Georgia and a short time working elsewhere, Ralph Maxwell Jr. came home to eventually take over The Oglethorpe Echo from his father, Ralph Sr. Following Ralph’s stroke in recent years, he began to slow down. I was not surprised when he called to tell me of his plans to close the 147-year-old newspaper.

When I entered the business in 1971, one of the first newspaper families that I met were the Maxwells in Oglethorpe County. After graduating from the University of Georgia and a short time working elsewhere, Ralph Maxwell Jr. came home to eventually take over The Oglethorpe Echo from his father, Ralph Sr. Following Ralph’s stroke in recent years, he began to slow down. I was not surprised when he called to tell me of his plans to close the 147-year-old newspaper.

A newspaper is the glue that holds a community together

Three years ago, I got a Monday-afternoon phone call. Little did I know that 1,095 days ago my first crack at retirement—about 65 days—was over. Calling was my friend of a half-century, Ralph Maxwell, editor and publisher of The Oglethorpe Echo.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

Relax, It’s Just DEFCON 3 Thunder

My wife Janet and I are the keepers of two indoor cats, Sissie and Sally. They are sisters, likely with different fathers but a shared mother. They have been with us since they were kittens, almost thirteen years, now.