Opinions

I sat at the table with my family during Thanksgiving dinner this week and I couldn’t help but realize how lucky I really am.

How was your Black Friday?

Our language has changed drastically, our community spirit has changed and our general purpose for the holiday has changed (family fights and football, anyone?), but Thanksgiving remains a true treasure of the American society.

Americans don’t know it and children aren’t taught it, but George Washington is responsible for our Thanksgiving holiday. It was our first president who led the charge to make this day of thanks a truly national event.

Press accounts inform us that the Salt River Project and greater Phoenix cities are planning to rebuild and raise Bartlett Dam, located just north of Phoenix on the Verde River. By raising the existing dam another 97 feet, the lake could produce about a 100,000 acre feet of water per year, enough for another half million people.

It seems we are all thankful for the ability to get together this year. Last year we had to cope with words like “social distancing” and “nuclear family gatherings,” with suggestions of holding dinner outdoors.

We of the Immaculate Conception Conference of the Society of the Knights of Columbus thank Larry Green and its General Manager Dave Connors for the dealership’s generous donation.

Junior high school can be a punishing place. It’s where extroverts thrive, introverts are pushed aside and class distinctions are sharply defined as adolescents try to find a place to belong.

When Yavapai County Community Health Services announced this week that teens by far have the lowest vaccination rate among all age groups when it comes to its vaccination status against COVID-19, I was actually a bit surprised.

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given to America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

Have you ever wondered, what is the real purpose of the kitchen’s center island? Ponder this question no more, dear readers, as I think I have found the answer. It is a place to collect, stack, put, place, spread, leave, toss and lose things! It is a trap for all things unrelated to cooking.

A big thank you to our active and retired military. I just called the local VFW to find out about activities and where poppies will be sold.

To prevent further spread of the coronavirus, we should require everyone to get fully vaccinated (including a possible third dose) unless exempted by a sincerely held religious belief or medical condition.

I’ve always said that getting the opportunity to work on a newspaper special edition for Veterans Day is one of the highlights of my year. And this year, once again, it didn’t disappoint.

Julian was having a difficult day at work. Projects were due, and his boss had just made major changes to a spreadsheet that would mean a long night. Julian isn’t the type to get angry, but he does get withdrawn.

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday, Nov. 2, sent state lawmakers a strong message: Don’t pile multiple, unrelated issues into a single piece of legislation.

Will you enjoy a Veterans Day Parade? Nov. 11 is the one great day to honor our men and women who served, watch the bands, the flags and the display of pride as we are reminded just how much we owe those who wear and wore the uniform.

RE: Readers Poll. The reasons for worker shortage are not all listed in the readers’ poll and may give a distorted view.

While Congress continues to negotiate the big spending bill, I truly hope that pieces of bad legislation that hurt towns like ours are not snuck into the final deal.

Tyrone Bell was laid to rest Monday with his family, friends and hundreds of firefighters at his side.

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes features some pretty remarkable kids.

A beautiful fall evening brought out lots of walking “Trick or Treat” participants and many vehicles with ghouls, butterflies, mummies, princesses and monsters collecting candies.

With Halloween falling on a Sunday this year, the normal trick-or-treat trip to a local neighborhood event, or even the neighbor’s front porch with the kids, may not suffice.

It’s a scary world out there. Sometimes, we just need a friend.

Election Day is quickly approaching, which means this community once again has the opportunity to show its support for our Verde Valley schools through the budget override election.