Opinion & Editorial

Bayard, son of Eric and Connell NeSmith, will be 11 on May 17. But the birthday that excites him the most is his 16th, when he will get the keys to Sweet Pea, a 1969 Chevy pickup.

Bayard, son of Eric and Connell NeSmith, will be 11 on May 17. But the birthday that excites him the most is his 16th, when he will get the keys to Sweet Pea, a 1969 Chevy pickup.

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Sweet Pea, love at first sight

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Remember when Linda Ronstadt belted out her hit song “Just One Look”? Yeah, just one look. That’s all it took for the blond-haired, blue-eyed tyke to fall in love. I’m not talking boy-girl puppy-love infatuation. Oh, no. The affection was for “I can’t wait until I’m 16, and I can drive.
Photo by Arnaud Jaegers

Photo by Arnaud Jaegers

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Pattillo had vision and guts to do right thing 

News Staff
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
On March 10—at Decatur Presbyterian Church—I delivered H.G. Pattillo’s eulogy. In research for my 96-year-old friend’s service, I came across this column that was first published on Jan. 9, 2013. HGP taught me so much.
Photo by Ivan Aleksic

Photo by Ivan Aleksic

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The focus should be on what children need

News Staff
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
The state of Georgia is constitutionally obligated to provide a free public education. It does this by allocating money to local public schools, primarily according to their student enrollment. But the state does not pay public schools for children they haven’t enrolled.
Photo by Library of Congress

Photo by Library of Congress

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Jimmy Carter will be irreplaceable

News Staff
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
What could have been my toughest UGA assignment turned out to be the easiest.  My task was to get all seven 1970 Democratic gubernatorial candidates to participate in a political forum, and then I would moderate the event.
Nancy Hart Memorial Park

Nancy Hart Memorial Park

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Choose what’s right over what’s easy

News Staff
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Last week The Hartwell Sun reported on the conditions and mismanagement of Nancy Hart Memorial Park, located just outside of town on Royston Highway. The Hartwell Sun found 34 graves without a plaque, and 32 of them were past the average time it takes to secure a headstone.
Moorhead

Moorhead

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He’s So Weird

Dan Moorehead
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
My handy-dandy dictionary defines the word “weird” as meaning strikingly odd or unusual, especially in an unsettling way, strange. Further, my even more handy-dandy thesaurus suggests the following words as being synonyms to the word: curious, eccentric, eerie, kooky, peculiar and inscrutable.
Photo by Yuan Yang

Photo by Yuan Yang

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Georgia Power got the ‘gold mine’ … we got the ‘shaft’

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
The headline read: “Southern Co. reports huge rise in profits.” The subhead reported: “$1.1 billion jump noted despite big financial hit from Vogtle delays.” I am not against seeing Georgia Power or its parent, the Southern Company, make ample money. Profits are essential for staying in business.
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm

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Legislative newsletter – week 6

News Staff
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Happy Valentine’s Day! The Georgia House of Representatives kicked off the fifth week of the 2023 legislative session on Monday, February 6. With more than a month of session behind us, the pace certainly picked up.
Photo by Erin Doering

Photo by Erin Doering

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An impactful reminder of why we do what we do

News Staff
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
While many Americans were anticipating the big game Super Bowl Sunday, I, along with about 45 other members of the Clemson University Tiger Band, was anticipating a trip that I know we all would have preferred was unnecessary. On Feb.