Opinion & Editorial

Photo submitted - From left to right, Robert Williams, Alan NeSmith and Dink NeSmith at the 2021 Georgia Press Association convention.

Photo submitted - From left to right, Robert Williams, Alan NeSmith and Dink NeSmith at the 2021 Georgia Press Association convention.

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My journalist friend’s prayer for 2021

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
The year was 1973. Robert was 22.  I was 24.  I used to joke and call us “boy publishers.”  But Robert Williams was a veteran compared to me.  He’d always wanted to be a newspaperman.  That’s why he dropped out of UGA to become the publisher and a partner in The Blackshear Times.
Photo submitted Spanky takes a breather after his Sunday-night escape and return to the barn.

Photo submitted Spanky takes a breather after his Sunday-night escape and return to the barn.

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Who says donkeys are dumb?

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
With all the summer rain, our pastures are green and Ireland-like lush. Our animals don’t need extra feed, but we ring a cow bell twice a day. The early and late ring-a-lings are the signal that snacks await in the barn.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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Reflecting on memories of Centennial Olympics

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
The metal tube, with its intricate engravings and wooden handle, is numbered 128. From time to time, I touch it. But when I pick up the 31.5-inch-long piece of memorabilia, my mind rewinds to the summer of 1996. Twenty-five years ago, my friend called and asked, “Don’t you want to run the torch?”
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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Speak up for victims

News Staff
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Amid recent reports of sexual abuse against children here in the area, we think it’s an important time to remind folks about two victim advocacy groups that we are fortunate to have right here in the area: the Harmony House and Northeast Georgia Council on Domestic Violence.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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Patriotic music moves me

News Staff
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Just thinking about the music to come was enough for me to begin to sniffle… July 4th our church choir (HFUMC) sang the most beautiful medley of patriotic songs you can imagine. Dressed in red, white and blue, each choir member sang their hearts out.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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America at its best: Hartwell Georgia

News Staff
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Some people in America believe that our country is a terrible place in which to live; they believe that it is filled with racists and suffers from a checkered past. In order to keep this position in full view, we are constantly barraged with negativity by some TV stations and newspapers.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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Fifty years later, ink is still in my veins

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Our 1969 wedding vows didn’t include “We will never live in each other’s hometowns.” But we agreed that Jesup and Camilla were out. I guess we missed Allen Saunders’ advice in Reader’s Digest. I had my eyes on law school, and Pam’s were on UGA grad school.