St. Patrick’s Day is a special day for the Irish and so many others. Once treated like the scum of the earth when the Irish immigrants arrived on American shores, they withstood the poor jobs, housing and much more and every year celebrated their Irish heritage being the strong, determined people that they were. more

Friendship is a funny word. Put 20 people in a room and ask them to define it, and you'll get 20 answers. And they'll all be right, or right enough. Because most folks won't define the word "dictionary" style, but rather by how they feel about their closest besties. more

The Friday Study Club asked me to present a program a week ago Friday at their monthly country club meeting. As they were celebrating an early St. Patrick’s Day, they requested that I come up with something Irish. more

I was born in 1932 at Stockton, Kansas and my first grade was in a one-room schoolhouse during the 1936 dust bowl. We had to have lanterns on in the middle of the day, it was so dark from dust storms. The tumble weeds blew up against the fences and the dirt covered them half as high as the fence post. My father had three heat strokes that year trying to get enough hay for our dairy herd. more

Here’s a recollection by 1964 PHS graduate Nancy Keller Kincaid that, for me, brought both joy and heartbreak. Experiencing Pittsburg, on both the whole length of Broadway and the downtown side streets, was really something back before the mall, big box stores and Amazon arrived. more

Irish legend has it that there’s a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. If that’s so, then I would expect to find a rainbow ending at 308 N. Walnut every day — because there’s no greater treasure than a library full of books. Here are some of the latest pieces of gold we recently added to the collection. more

A steady water drip can drill a hole through a rock over time. There is power in a steady drip. This timeless truth was written about as far back as the fifth century when classical writer, Choerilus of Samos, wrote, 'with persistence a drop of water hollows out the stone.' There is a great investment strategy in this thought, as well. It's the consistent investing of the same dollar amount on the same day each month or quarter automatically in what is called dollar-cost averaging. more

I listen to the radio while I work in my shop. Actually, it’s not strictly the radio: It is a radio station on my Alexa. In any case, it’s a classic rock station. This is stuff I listened to in my twenties. more

For the past several weeks I have been listening to high school and college basketball results and have even attended a few games on each level. As I watch the athletes, cheerleaders and the crowd at high school and college games, I think about how things have changed over the years. more

On Thursday, we reported that nearly 100 city residents recently came together to participate in a planning session for Spruce Up Pittsburg. The event exemplifies what makes Pittsburg, well, Pittsburg. It was the kind of front-page news that we were excited to share. more

I was all smiles reading Phil Burgert’s “From Our History” column in which he reported that, 50 years ago last fall, Beat poet, Allen Ginsberg, and his professor poet father, Louis, came to Pittsburg to read poetry in KSC’s Carney Hall. more

Three large daily newspapers in Alabama shuttered their presses on Sunday after one last print run. The Huntsville Times, Birmingham News and Mobile Press-Register are no more. more

Here is the final excerpt from a memoir by Norma Lee (Lowe) Bird about small town life in Hepler, Kansas centered around a family grocery store and other businesses 1946 - 1954. — J.T.K. more

There’s nothing quite as exciting as finding a new author who writes books that are so good that you: a) can’t put them down; b) continuously recommend them to others; and c) anxiously await news that a new book will soon be published. more

There are folks out there who believe everything is negotiable and don’t like their beliefs challenged. more

"Which part of Walmart is the most profitable?" I was a college intern at the Branson, Missouri Walmart, and the store manager had just asked me this question. Of course, I answered, "electronics or automotive." But, he said, "it's the clothes, don't ever forget it's those clothes that pay our salaries because they have the biggest profit margin." Profits matter. more

If someone asked you if you are a “caring person,” what would your answer be? I am pretty sure you would say, “Yes, I am. I care about others.” Now for the next question. What does “caring” really mean? more

The days are getting longer. This has been so since before Christmas, but the daily changes have been so small as to avoid notice. But around the middle of February--around Saint Valentine’s Day--the daily changes become larger. more

In a couple weeks it will be seven years since Laura Stocker's family and friends gathered by the hundreds to say their goodbyes and pay their final respects. A number of her clients were in attendance as well - such was her impact on this world. She wasn’t just full of life. She was full of kindness and joy - both of which she shared with everyone she's ever known. more

I’m willing to bet that, like me, a lot of Chiefs fans reading this found themselves both ecstatic and depleted for a few days after the Super Bowl — as the ‘cardiac kids’ again came back to win in the final seconds. more