If you go back to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, January of last year, you discover that in this state so far, we have lost 36 young people to this stinking virus. Three dozen in 20 months. Every loss like this is tragic, but such losses also demand perspective.

Time flies when you are having fun. Especially when you are stuck for four hours on I-17 on your way out of Phoenix. The hands of time move very slowly.

Barack Obama did not go gently into that good presidential retirement.

Most of us like to believe we’re decent people. We give a few bucks to charity, we volunteer, maybe even help a friend move. But be real: There’s being a decent human and then there’s going above and beyond.

Over 30 years have passed since “Clarissa Explains it All” premiered on the kids’ cable channel Nickelodeon. 

The scroll of the dead contains 49 names: 48 men and a woman killed between April 2004 and December 2014 in Afghanistan. To my way of thinking, each of these Arizonans is a hero — a neighbor of ours, a defender of freedom, killed nearly 8,000 miles away in a fetid foreign hell.

Newton H. Minow, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under John F. Kennedy, denounced television as a “vast wasteland” in 1961.

Oh, those Olympics. Inspiring, incredible, heartbreaking, fun and heartwarming. No other sporting event on Earth can produce so many plots, twists, turns and moments to enjoy and ponder as the summer games. 

I like that headline. Life can be about increasing your and others’ smiles per hour if you know who the accelerator is and where the accelerator pedal is. So let me explain using the following story by an unknown author. 

Don’t look for a Broadway revival of Irving Berlin’s musical “Annie Get Your Gun” anytime soon. New York’s “Great White Way” has become the “Great Woke Way,” so the show’s title would prove offensive to gun control advocates. 

America has long been a stronghold of freedom. The first few amendments to the Constitution guarantee freedom of speech and religion, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble, the right to bear arms, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, the right to due process, and the right no…

Mike Enzi was never too big for his britches, nor too small for his shoes.

Lord, could we get some rain? Our prayers were answered. OK, can it stop for a while? Because it was a doozy of a storm that trounced Arizona. The destruction to lives, livestock, trees and property that comes from a “100-year monsoon event” showed us that Mother Nature can be fierce. In Ari…

Missing a few neighbors and friends? We might all be in San Diego. San Diego locals call us “Zonies,” poking gentle fun at us. Californians claim that every other person in their state is a vacationing Arizonan from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

The young family made quite a drive for this special summer vacation.

Delayed a year by a global pandemic, the XXXII Olympiad has commenced in Tokyo. As a child, I would’ve been thrilled, anxious, mesmerized. 

One of the things I miss most about America was how people used to believe certain topics shouldn’t be discussed in public. 

The edict from the Centers for Disease Control came down May 13, catching most of us by surprise. The new guidance: Anyone fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should feel free to do whatever they want indoors or outdoors without wearing a mask or practicing social distancing.

You may find the description below distasteful, disturbing and overwrought. But after reading this column, you may very well agree with the assessment.

Have you had trouble trying to open anything lately? 

You’ve heard the old joke about the minister who uses the invocation he delivers at a political banquet as both a warning and a teaching moment: “Oh Lord, make our words sweet, for one day we may have to eat them!”

Early in my newspaper career, I worked at a New Jersey tabloid where the publisher was a man of few words, most of them insulting and frequently shouted at top volume. He was easy to make angry, and I did so one afternoon upon returning from the scene of a row house fire in Trenton.

Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly have boldly gone where few Arizonans from their party have gone before. 

Every so often on Facebook or Instagram, I see that one of my friends has gone hunting, successfully killing this or that forest creature. There are smiles all around as the hunter strikes a pose beside a mule deer, turkey or javelina. All involved — except the animal — seem inordinately pro…

Last year we had no toilet paper or hand sanitizer. This year we have no houses. Oh, and let’s not forget we are running out of chicken wings, lumber, microchips, and chlorine for pools.

Response to Hayworth

It was supposed to be Joe Biden’s night.

For the past 14 months, my logic about the COVID-19 pandemic has been a lot like my rationale for turning down any and all offers to go skydiving. 

It’s that time of year again. The tax man cometh. And the IRS extended the deadline so we could procrastinate a bit longer. And for many Americans, the pain and suffering begin. 

Early educators are important

T

Alexa never seems to stop listening. Evidently, our “helpful” devices never turn off, meaning that your private conversations are not so private. Is this the price of convenience? How can you have a “smart house” without a little bit of intrusion from a robot? This is the world we have created.

The Biden Administration is not only working to erase our Southern Border; it is also intent on erasing any term that accurately depicts the dire situation we now face.

Music. It is a huge part of our lives. Every day we listen to something. Our life is often enhanced by the music we listen to, the melodies we love and the symphonies we cherish. And once again, we can go to concerts!

Little more than a month after he called Dec. 7, 1941, a “Day of Infamy” and led America into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt paused from his duties as commander-in-chief to assume the mantle of “First Fan.”

Quick to hold a grudge yet molasses slow to forgive an enemy. That will be my epitaph. It also explains why I’m having a difficult time with the Phoenix Suns these days.

Governor should vote against SB 1448

This time last year, most of us had heard rumblings about COVID-19 — but at the time, it seemed so far away. Little did we know it would become a global pandemic that would bring about broad-sweeping change in so many facets of life — technology included.

Between courtship and marriage, their love affair lasted 60 years. It spanned perfect health and terminal sickness, for richer and poorer, full measures of joy and sadness.

Love is in the air! And so are the doves, finches and hummingbirds. Spring brings the promise of hope, new life, fresh beginnings, green leaves and babies. Lots of them. Baby finches — in all their bright yellow glory — hang on the finch seed socks that I have hanging and chirp constantly, t…

It is an honor to serve as the district’s chief financial officer. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my role is interacting with our many community members, parents and business leaders. These education stakeholders often reach out with questions related to school finance, and I appreciat…

When news broke in February that Arizona would open COVID-19 vaccines to people over age 55, I had a long debate with myself about whether to get the shot.

When my husband asked me what was for dinner last night, I wondered how many times in one day those three precious (evil) words are spoken. Worldwide, might these words be recited over a billion times? And in my own life, how many times have I heard children, grandkids and husband innocently…

The death penalty brings out the worst parts of people and our society. If I were to ask any person I meet on the street if killing is wrong, I’d expect nearly everyone to say “yes.” But if I ask someone whether they support the death penalty, about half the time the answer is “yes.” 

I wrote an article in 2012 in this column about a pastor friend of mine who has impacted the prison at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. He has worked at the Florence prison since 2012. Recently, I phoned him for an update. I will start with my article in 2012. I will finish with…

The end of my father’s life is fast approaching, and if I am being completely honest, his last breath will be a blessing. 

Did you watch the Royal Rumble? It was quite the show. I didn’t want to see the spectacle myself, but the drama has made headlines everywhere until it is impossible to avoid this sad, steaming mess. 

If you believe in the criminal justice system, file this under good news: The Arizona Department of Corrections recently issued a press release reporting it’s once again ready to execute some of the 115 murderers housed on death row.

Have you taken a good photo lately? It seems like humans love to snap photos of their pets. This must be true by all the adorable dog and cat pictures posted on social media. As my husband points out, we have had very few photos taken of the two of us together in the past few years. But our …