Columns

You don’t have to be a hardcore cynic to suspect that one of the goals of Tuesday’s indictment of Donald Trump — the third this year — is to keep the GOP primary electorate rallying around the former president. It’s a transparent political ploy openly discussed by operatives on both sides of the aisle. So if it works, Republican primary voters will have nobody to blame but themselves.

I’ve got a ticket to hide. Actually, I’ve got four tickets that the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles thought I was trying to hide.

The obituary in the local paper 25 years ago was as succinct as you’ll likely see when it comes to the final prose penned about people’s lives. It read, “Gary A. Akers, 88, died at 10:25 p.m., June 24. 1998, at St. Rita’s Medical Center. There will be no service or visitation. Memorial contributions can be made to First Round Boxing, 1737 Rice Ave., Lima, Oh. 45805. Arrangements are by Wayne Street Chapel of Chiles and Sons-Laman Funeral Homes.”

Jason Aldean’s controversial country hit “Try That in a Small Town” climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre singles chart this week. If you’ve been following the headlines of what many critics and academics have said about the lyrics, you know that Aldean has been in the middle of a heated culture wars debate since mid-July. The song was taken off Country Music Television, which prompted many of Aldean’s supporters to claim it was an attempt to “silence” him. While the initial war of words on social media has quelled somewhat, Aldean’s track remains the focus of a contested discussion regarding what encompasses an authentic American identity.

Like the girls of “Little Women,” I grew up one of four distinctly different sisters with seven years between us.

You’ve heard of John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Tex Ritter and other cowboy movie stars. But decades before them, an actor paved the way to fame in Westerns.

In the past two months, President Joe Biden’s revised procedures for stemming the influx of asylum seekers across the Southern border have seemed to be working, substantially slowing the flow.

A friend served zucchini with dinner the other night and her 10-year-old exclaimed, “Oh no, it’s zucchini season!”

Every person over age 18 should invest in a will, also called a last will and testament. The biggest reason for having a will is that a properly prepared will will help your surviving family members avoid unnecessary expenses when distributing your assets when you die.

Getting rid of debt before retirement is often a good idea. Getting rid of your credit scores? Not so much.