Opinion
Daily Dirt for July 26, 2021 by Steve Eighinger Love is still a many splendored thing. Vol. 18 of the Daily Dirt might help explain why: 1. The most underrated love song ever? I would suggest Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.” I consider it Clapton’s finest overall piece — ever. His guitar-playing ability is little more than…
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By BRITTANY BOLLSpecial for Muddy River News As I scrolled through social media, it seems the Midwest trend this vacation season was destination Destin. It was the choice for us and the 4.5 other million visitors of the Emerald Coast every year. Many minds think alike. The great ones make it happen. My family and…
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Daily Dirt for July 24, 2021 by Steve EighingerIf you agree snacks are an all-important part of life, welcome aboard Vol. 16 of the Daily Dirt: 1. Here’s my own personal ranking for snacks that came along during the 1960s-1980s period, a.k.a. the formative years for my digestive system. I should note that most of the…
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By MARK GLENNONWirepoints How many fibs can Gov. JB Pritzker pack in a ten-minute interview? Count ’em: Jerry Nowicki of Capital News Illinois challenged Pritzker on why the $4.2 billion deficit in Illinois’ unemployment trust fund has been ignored, and asked why it wasn’t reduced using funds from federal government under ARPA, the American Rescue Plan Act. This…
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Daily Dirt for July 23, 2021 by Steve Eighinger If you’re a grandparent, I hope you enjoy Vol. 15 of the Daily Dirt: 1. Anyone who is a grandparent understands how special they are, in one way or another. These three famous quotes emphasize that point: “My grandkids believe I’m the oldest thing in the…
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By STEVE EIGHINGER I love sports-themed films. That cinematic addiction started during my early years of grade school. The first movie I remember being drawn to was the 1940 Pat O’Brien classic, “Knute Rockne, All-American.” I’ve probably watched that movie on at least a dozen occasions, and each time my eyes seem to fill with…
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Daily Dirt for July 22, 2021 by STEVE EIGHINGER Today’s Daily Dirt was prepared with the mechanically challenged in mind. Welcome to Vol. 14: 1. There were more than a few occupations I never had a chance of taking part in, such as: Mechanic: My dad and older brother were both mechanics and enjoyed anything and…
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With apologies to Aerosmith, there is no love in the elevators of the Adams County Courthouse. The county has been wrangling with the issue of its elevators for years. One of them basically has been out of service for about two years. At a special meeting Tuesday night that lasted about 45 minutes, the county’s…
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Daily Dirt for July 21, 2021 The Daily Dirt marches on … welcome to Vol. 13: 1. Best hair bands ever? How about these? A. Bon Jovi: After all of these years, still livin’ on a prayer. B. Cinderella: The critics loved this bunch, but not much mainstream acceptance. Lead singer Tom Keifer is one…
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By JAY VAN LUVENFor The Missouri Times There are things we can control about our health and others we cannot. No matter how much we exercise or eat right, sometimes we get sick. Genes can affect our susceptibility to certain conditions; my own family tree has a long line of medical concerns. By the same token,…
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by Steve Eighinger It’s always a challenge to cram as much info as possible into the Daily Dirt. Well, we’ve succeeded again in Vol. 12: 1. It’s been 29 years since “Some Gave All” was released, the Billy Ray Cyrus patriotic anthem, and I’m not ashamed to admit I still love that song. (“Achy Breaky…
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INDIAN CREEK, Mo. — If it’s 102 degrees in the shade in mid-July, then it must be time for the St. Stephen’s Parish picnic. Sunday’s temperatures in the mid 80s made for an uncharacteristically perfect day. St. Stephen’s, commonly known as Swinkey, was established in 1833. It is the oldest Catholic parish in the Diocese…
Read Full Article By Steve Eighinger Can there possibly be a better time of year than the middle of the summer? It’s sunny. It’s warm. The roads are free of ice and snow. Well, you get the point. There are, however, some items dealing with this time of the year that can be overrated, such as iced tea. I…
Read Full Article By Steve Eighinger Mango, you say? Vol. 17 of the Daily Dirt should answer that question: 1. I love Jell-O. I always have, preferably with some sort of fruit in it. Ever wonder how many flavors of Jell-O there are? Well, the answer is 26. They are apricot, berry blue, black cherry, blackberry, blackberry fusion,…
Read Full Article By STEVE EIGHINGER G’day, mates! Welcome to Vol. 10: 1. Remember back to July 1981? That’s 40 years ago for those who have a little trouble with math. These were the most popular summer songs that month.A. “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes: One of my top five all-time favorites outside of anything recorded by Rod Stewart.B.…
Read Full Article By STEVE EIGHINGER Three thoughts for this fine summer day. This, friends, is Vol. 9: 1. TV fans, the newest “NCIS” franchise, “NCIS Hawai’i,” debuts at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20 on CBS. Now if we could just get a firm date for “Yellowstone” on Paramount, I’d really be happy. 2. Speaking of season debuts,…
Read Full Article by Steve Eighinger Just think, in five months or so we’re likely to be complaining about how cold it is. So I don’t want to hear any negative remarks about July temperatures. Here are the day’s three thoughts to keep your mind off the thermometer. This is Vol. 8: 1. Happy birthday to actress Phoebe…
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BY TRISH LOLLO, PAUL KEMPINSKI, STEVEN BURGHART and JOSEPH KAHNThe Missouri Times Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been generally accepted that the virus is not as dangerous to children. Of our nation’s more than 600,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19, nearly 400 have occurred in children ages 0 to 17. For anyone tempted…
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The overlook of Quincy Bay from Ben Bumbry Riverview Park is spectacular. When I was president of the Quincy Park Board, I thought it was appropriate to honor Bumbry when he died in 2018. He is still the city’s only African-American Park Board member, and he was the first African-American alderman. (Jason Finney, an African-American,…
Read Full Article by Steve Eighinger Three more thoughts as we wait for baseball season to resume. For those keeping score, this is Vol 7: 1. One of the most overlooked female singing groups in rock’s modern era is the Honey Cone. Those girls gave us such classics as “Want Ads” and “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show.” Edna…
Read Full Article by Steve Eighinger “I should’ve been a cowboyI should’ve learned to rope and rideWearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle driveStealin’ the young girls’ heartsJust like Gene and RoySingin’ those campfire songsWhoa, I should’ve been a cowboy…” — Toby Keith “I Should Have Been A Cowboy,” 1993 During my early years, I was torn…
Read Full Article by Steve Eighinger Three more thoughts as we inch closer to the dog days of summer. This is Vol. 6 of your Daily Dirt dosage: 1. Fifty years ago at this time I was preparing to enter my senior year of high school. These were the songs atop the Billboard charts that summer: A. “It’s…
Read Full Article by Steve Eighinger Three thoughts. One day. What a country! All of this in Vol. 5: 1. If you woke up today feeling there was nothing to be thankful for, consider what we were facing a year ago today: A. We were knee-deep in a pandemic that had cost many of us jobs, friends, relatives…
Read Full Article Steve’s columns will pop up on Muddy River News on Mondays and Thursdays and, of course, you’ll get your daily fix of his deep thoughts in Daily Dirt. Enjoy and please help us welcome Steve to the Muddy River News family. JRG From now on, if I’m dining out, I’m dining in by Steve Eighinger…
Read Full Article As we move through the dog days of summer, I hope you enjoy these three thoughts in Vol. 4: 1. The TV shows I miss most from the following decades: A. 1960s: “Gunsmoke,” which was billed as an “adult western.” I’m currently trying to rewatch all of the 600-plus episodes. There will never be another…
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