Journalism lesson: Avoiding the armpit pitfall

VINTON TODAY
December 14, 2010 2:26 pm

       Lots of people were probably thinking lots of things Friday night as the Vikettes prepared to play Marion.      “Is there something I forgot to do before I came here?”      “I should have stopped for supper first.

Growing Old in Vinton

VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR
December 14, 2010 7:34 am

You know the smells in the air when you go to Cedar Rapids? Sometimes its bad, sometimes you smell Captain Crunch. I have the same relationship with old folks homes.

The Christmas that was, for me, the most like Christmas

VINTON TODAY
December 10, 2010 6:37 pm

       When I look back on my own personal history of  Christmas, I can think of several years when the holiday had special meaning for me.

All I want for Christmas is....

VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR
December 10, 2010 12:30 pm

It's the most wonderful time of the year... Now to do the shopping to make it wonderful! :) I find myself asking, "What would you like?" and being asked, "What should I get you and dad?" I used to find it easy to think of something I wanted.

Eleven-forty five and all is well

VINTON TODAY
December 10, 2010 11:33 am

       At 11:45 each day, the Vinton Today computer magically sends out hundreds of messages, telling many of our readers what is happening in our town that day.

Parody, satire and the patriotic mosquito poem

VINTON TODAY
December 8, 2010 9:03 pm

       One of my favorite humorous poems has always been an 100-year-old ditty called “The Mosquito Hunt.”      The poem, from a book of poetry dated around 1890, tells of the story of a couple trying to kill a mosquito that threatened to interrupt their sleep with a painful bite.

The simple solution to speeding up last-minute holiday shopping

VINTON TODAY
December 8, 2010 9:02 pm

  Every once in a while, you get a glimpse of society that gives you at least a bit of a clue as to how America deteriorated from the Europe-saving, car-and airplane-inventing military and economic champion of the 20th Century to our current condition as the overweight, under-employed international brother-in-law who won’t get off the couch on Christmas to fill his own plate.

Approaching the 10th anniversary of 9/11 while forgetting all of its lessons

VINTON TODAY
December 6, 2010 1:08 pm

       I have begun making plans for what to write about in 2011. On that list, of course, is the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the event that changed modern American history, and brought us war – and led to another war.

The Shooting Somali Pirates Principle

VINTON TODAY
December 3, 2010 11:10 am

     If Barbara Walters were a serious journalist – and to anyone who takes issue with my assertion that she is not, I have two words for you: Jersey Shore – she would have named as the most fascinating person of 2009: The Navy SEALS who shot the Somali pirates.

142, 2122, 50, 2, 1 all important numbers

VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR
December 2, 2010 10:52 pm

I love figuring out how something works.  Today I was pleasantly surprised to see our inbox brimming over with news tidbits, and thought, "I wonder how many contributors we've had over the last almost 9 months.