Strong communities rely on engaged citizens who show up and get involved

Though national politics often garner the lion’s share of media coverage, many will tell you that it’s local government that most directly impacts citizens’ day-to-day lives. Look at your ro...

DATE: Oct 31, 2025 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

More light, less heat

How objective standards can prevent heated arguments.

DATE: Oct 30, 2025 | CATEGORY: Lessons from the Sandbox

Knight of the vampire

DIAG 1 As agreed, Count Dracula pulled up a chair and sat across from Van Helsing at the marble table. The wooden chess set that rested between them was a gift from Russia’s Ivan the Te...

DATE: Oct 27, 2025 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

A uniquely American heartbreak: Combating isolation and violence through mentorship and community care

Only in America do parents have to send their children to school with the fear that they may not come home because of a shooting. As a mother to a 9-year-old, this is extremely concerning to...

DATE: Oct 22, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

A uniquely American heartbreak: Combating isolation and violence through mentorship and community care

Nowhere else in the world do parents have to send their children to school with the fear that they may not come home because of a shooting. As a mother to a 9 year old boy, this is extremely...

DATE: Oct 19, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Inventing options: a path to mutual gain

For the past two columns, we have been looking at Principled Negotiation, a strategy developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project for handling situations when you find yourself at odds with ...

DATE: Oct 16, 2025 | CATEGORY: Lessons from the Sandbox

2026 legislative preview: Affordable homes, rural health care and community education

With the 2026 legislative session a little over three months away, my work preparing new bills for next session is ramping up. I’d like to give an overview of what I’m building right now, bu...

DATE: Oct 15, 2025 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Recognizing 65 years of the Peace Corps

As our nation prepares to celebrate 250 years since its founding, the nearly quarter-million individuals who served in the Peace Corps are preparing to celebrate a key milestone that was lau...

DATE: Oct 12, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Yin and Yang

DIAG 1 Yin and Yang walked into an Irish pub. “What’d ya have, laddies?” asked the bartender. Neither said a word. The bartender, who had sailed the world in the Navy and had a girl in ...

DATE: Oct 10, 2025 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

Defending free speech means standing firm – even when it’s politically unpopular

The Founders may not have intentionally put the First Amendment first in the Bill of Rights, but they treated it as the foundation of self-government. Without the freedom to speak and publis...

DATE: Oct 10, 2025 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Focus on interests, not positions, to resolve conflict

This week, I’ll continue reviewing the four components of Principled Negotiation, developed by scholars at the Harvard Negotiation Project and presented in the book “Getting to Yes,” by Fish...

DATE: Oct 3, 2025 | CATEGORY: Lessons from the Sandbox

How federal budget cuts are going to affect our community’s food security

Close your eyes and think back to COVID-19 days – Do you remember the empty grocery store shelves? Your grandparents calling asking you to deliver food because Meals on Wheels couldn’t? Folk...

DATE: Oct 3, 2025 | CATEGORY: Opinion

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