Lincoln Memorial, Arlington are reminders of freedom's cost

If you were to suddenly appear this weekend at the numerous BBQs or pool parties without any knowledge of our nation's history, it might be hard to understand the real meaning of Memorial Day.

Morgan: From Covington square to Capitol Hill

The Covington News office is conveniently located for its local government reporters within easy walking distance of city hall, the Historic Courthouse and the county administration building. Today Gabe Khouli holds down that beat, but before Gabe, there was Rachel Oswald, trudging those well-worn paths and developing far more friends and admirers of her work than enemies. She was back in town this week for a visit with some of those friends.

Travis: How do teachers savor their summer? Let’s count the ways

In just a few days, the school year for Newton County children will be over. We'll see pictures of them rushing out of the schools' doors, cheering.

Yarbrough: They’re schools, not businesses, as teachers know well

Dear Public School Teachers in Georgia:

McCoy: Where am I? Brain is not playing fair

It's not cool to keep silent

I remember the first time I ran away from home. I was in sixth grade and I had been wronged in some way. I was sure my parents loved my sister more or denied me some privilege, and I was having none of that. I stayed home when my parents left for work, skipped school, packed a bag and took my bike to this little secluded spot by the river, thinking that was an awesome place to live. I was home before my parents.

Credit report coding trips up buyers

Are large numbers of homeowners who have negotiated short sales with lenders at risk because of a startling omission in the American credit system? Do their credit reports and scores indicate that they were foreclosed upon, rather than having negotiated a mutually agreeable resolution with their lenders?

Sometimes, perspective changes things

Single and lonely in a new neighborhood, a guy invites his neighbors to a drop-in party. With ample food and drink, he sits alone as party time comes and goes.

Who's teaching students to hate U.S.?

Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who are accused of setting the bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon, attended the University of Massachusetts. Maybe they hated our nation before college, but if you want lessons on hating America, college attendance might be a good start. Let's look at it.

Where am I? Brain isn't playing fair

Last week, while out of town and staying in a hotel, I had a most exasperating experience.

Property tax proposal doesn’t add up

The word tax is a three-letter word that might as well be a four-letter word these days.

Cushman: Crisis management

My graduate course in crisis management was the 2012 Republican presidential primaries as a senior advisory and national media surrogate for Newt Gingrich.

Crosswalk confusion is rampant

I try to walk at least five days or more a week for close to an hour.

Dalton mayor mulls run against Deal

David Pennington, the mayor of Dalton, is making noises about challenging incumbent Gov. Nathan Deal in the 2014 Republican primary. Say what?

Carter: Character, integrity are true pillars of society

I was conversing with a couple of friends this week, each of whom expressed frustration and disappointment at having been wronged recently in a business transaction.

Dog person can recant on cats

"Cats," one of Broadway's longest-running musicals, was playing at the Fox Theatre some years ago. Friends proposed a night out, and I accepted, despite not feeling even the least bit warm and fuzzy toward the subject cats, to put it mildly. Not long into it, I walked out. A stage full of human beings crawling about on all fours in cat costumes just didn't cut it, gave me heebie-jeebies, in fact.

A big day for small business

The Newton County Buy Local initiative is gaining momentum. In recent years, the community has come to understand the incremental impact of voting locally with their consumer dollars that help build a stronger local retail economy. In turn, this makes Newton County a more viable and desirable location for retail investment. Testimony to this fact is the announcement in the past few months of Cracker Barrel's decision to develop a new store, the ...

Celebrate life this season and laugh

I've got a new home. Donna and I have found a cottage that's in the heart of Oxford but feels as if it's in some fairy tale forest. It's a hidden getaway. The hardwoods have spread a multicolor carpet on the roof and lawn and the landscape shrubbery fronting the roadway has gone decades unclipped so it's hard to tell there's a house there at all. Critters seem to ignore the house's existence. I ...

There is much to be thankful for

Thanksgiving is that time of year when we consider our manifold blessings, not the least of which is that the bald eagle won out as America's national bird. Ben Franklin proposed the turkey to symbolize the nation, and if the turkey was now protected, who knows what we'd be baking and slathering with giblet gravy on Thursday.

Films put Newton in the spotlight

This column is in response to several previous letters that have been submitted to The Covington News, to clarify what the facts are about the impact to our community concerning the film industry presence in Newton County.

Grace Notes: See the place where God dwells

I rejoiced with drunkenness those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord" (Psalm 122:1).

Cutting more than waste

It looks like the midterm elections are going to lead to a witch hunt for government waste.

Life better lived offline

I'm joining the raggedy-looking corps arrayed on the fringes of society who claim the end is nigh.

Lost in transition

Rats. It looks as though I have not been selected to be a member of Gov.-elect Nathan Deal's transition team.

The News at your doorstep

It's easy to become deskbound at the workplace, but Saturday, The Covington News hit the road.

The 2012 Campaign starts here

Georgia's recent gubernatorial race was a no-win situation. I pretty much felt that I was choosing between the lesser of two evils.

Hard times call for joint efforts

Yes, it's bad out there. People are hurting. Families are in crisis. No job, no home, no food. On a recent Monday, the clients' waiting room at the Community Food Pantry was standing-room only. FaithWorks just next door has cut its days of operation back due to the lack of financial resources to help more folks with rent and utilities.

Terrorists are just criminals

Until the recent FedEx terrorism scare I never realized how cheap and easy it is to be an international terrorist.

Power of one just isn’t enough

The power of one" is almost a modern-day mantra. There's the power of one person to make a difference. ("Just do it," says Nike.) There's the power of one person to save a life or to change the life of another, thereby justifying the first person's entire life, we've been told, and it's true. There's the power of just one vote to turn an election, the cry is heard. (Hardly. ...

It’s Southern pride, battered and fried

My hero and professional role model, Chicago Tribune's Mike Royko, had an astounding piece recently. According to Royko, at an auto plant in Normal, Illinois, an executive asked the company that ran the plant's cafeteria to offer some more variety.