Since December 30, 2019, the Journal office has received a flurry of entries submitted for the 2019 Cabin Fever Word Search Puzzle Book contest. For our last issue of the decade and of 2019, we published our first-ever word search puzzle book.  For this contest, all participants who submitted a completed and accurate puzzle (that appeared on the back page of the puzzle book) … [Read more...]

One of a country’s most critical processes, if not the most critical, is the peaceful transition of ruling power from one political party to another after elections.  Even if they loathe and detest each other, their differences must be secondary to everyone’s belief in and commitment to a smooth and composed changeover. If this doesn’t happen, there will be, at the minimum, … [Read more...]

You no doubt remember the old line attributed to Ben Franklin when he was asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had created: “A republic, if you can keep it!” Well, I’ve noticed an interesting thing in recent years: it’s got bi-partisan appeal. Last fall, for instance, within a few weeks of each other House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used it when she … [Read more...]

By Amy Jeffers Greetings, With the holiday season behind us and the New Year under way, I want to take a moment to extend my gratitude to the community for its support of what we do, to the staff for their ongoing  dedication, and to the students for their hard work and achievements!  Without these three pillars of excellence, we would not be able to showcase some of the … [Read more...]

Welcome to 20-20.  We have a new year to mess up!  We like new beginnings.  We envision the opportunities that await us.  We see a bright, shiny road  ahead of us leading into the future.  For now at least we can put aside the anxiety  and insecurity that has crept into our lives in recent years.  Technology has accelerated the uneasy feeling that everything that matters is … [Read more...]

Occasionally, something really good appears on social media. Here’s a letter to the editor that recently appeared on Facebook attributed to Steve Garrington of Davenport, as he described his thoughts on the pilot of a plane he was on. He described watching the pilot enter the cockpit and thinking to himself how odd it seemed to be putting his life in the hands of someone he … [Read more...]

Here’s a basic truth about people who make decisions on public policy: they rarely have all the facts they want. Over the years, I’ve sat in countless meetings in which, after we’d reached a sticking point, someone said in exasperation, “Well, what are the facts?” We’d all look around the room because, no matter how much information was already on the table, a key fact that … [Read more...]