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.

The man’s guide to the laundry room

The washer and dryer are two of the biggest and most dangerous machines anyone can own. So, why do most guys avoid the laundry room like they avoid a Tupperware party? I think it's because most men don't see the washer and dryer as "power tools." Well, that's got to change. Our wives would appreciate some help with the laundry, so I'm going to teach you how to operate those gigantic monsters.

What will it take to fix our borders?

The next time the illegal immigration advocates start whining about the poor Mexican workers coming into the United States to "do jobs we won't do" and to "make a better life for their families," please inform them that the porous borders between lawless Mexico and the U.S. are also letting in drugs at a scale almost beyond description and that Atlanta is a major distribution hub for the hombres.

Father knows best on election

My first election memory is from 1974, when I was 7. President Nixon had recently resigned, succeeded by Gerald Ford. The Democratic Party picked up 49 seats in the House for a total of 291. In the Senate, the Democrats picked up four seats for 61 total. But for me, my memories are more personal. My father, Newt Gingrich, lost his first run for the Sixth Congressional District in Georgia.

Of Alvin York and Armistice Day

One of the most unforgettable people I ever encountered was my eighth grade American history teacher. In 1964, Greensboro was so tiny that all grades were housed on the same campus, so he was familiar to everyone. But not until I was 13, and in his class, did I get to know a Tennessean with some Indian blood in him, Mr. G. M. Charles. Now, the whole town knew Mr. Charles as assistant principal and ...

Politicians deserve a time-out

Let's say your side or candidate won or lost last Tuesday. Aren't you just a little bit embarrassed by what it took to win or lose this election?

Is Obama anti-business?

The claims that President Obama is "anti-business" during the recent elections surprised me.

Y'all come: We want to hear from you

I write better than I talk, which is a good thing, considering how I make a living. I started writing "books" before I could write, embellishing "The Little Engine That Could" with my own version, rendered in preschooler runes on the end pages of my Little Golden Book copy. In high school I started stringing for the local newspaper, The Thomasville Times-Enterprise in Thomasville, Ga., and discovered that someone would actually pay me to write. ...

Our thoughts... Some thoughts

There was much happening in the news this week. Here are some of our observations:

Help Caleb make a difference

A friend recently shared with me a musing of T. S. Eliot in which he wrote, "...and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

Our system works

We have a unique system of government. It began when we declared our independence from England on July 4, 1776. As a people, we had become increasingly unhappy with leaders in England making decisions that affected our lives and our livelihoods. Eventually, we were forced to a decision point: to fold under the tyranny of England or fight for liberty. As Patrick Henry so eloquently stated, "Give me liberty, or give me death."

Adventure lost on the highways with GPS

I heard last week that Rep. Jim Marshall (D., Ga.) is no fan of a GPS system. The Vietnam vet is still partial to an old-fashioned map for navigating his way up, down and across his meandering Eighth Congressional District. One aide told me that a staffer recently tried planting one on the windshield of the congressman's car as they set out for a day of campaigning and Marshall swiftly snatched it off and tossed it into the backseat with a warning not to bring it out again.

Be your own financial boss

A bankruptcy court judge I knew would tell people: "Pay yourself at the first of every month. That is your pay for living. Put that money in the bank. Then when you want to buy something, you can pay cash, and get at least three or four times as much as if you were buying on credit."

Supe's Corner

For years, I have spent time in classrooms observing teachers teach. I've done so to be familiar with the main work of our profession, classroom instruction. More often than not, I've found teachers working hard at direct "teacher talk" or "lecture" to students. Unfortunately, I've not always seen the kids working equally hard.

Superintendent must champion public education

In my house, the contest for state school superintendent is as important as the governor's race. I have a son, son-in-law and now a grandson who are public schoolteachers and they, and all teachers, deserve a draw-a-line-in-the-sand advocate.

Sports editor didn’t “en-deer” himself

After all these years in the newspaper business and being in areas where natural disasters, murders and community political misbehaving's have taken place, it still catches me off guard and amazes me what type of story will really get readers' attention and that will get legs and be transported around the country.