Opinion
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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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 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…
Read Full Article by Steve EighingerAnother day, another three thoughts. This, my friends, is Vol. 3: 1. Earlier this month, did you happen to see Joey “Jaws” Chestnut defend his world hot-dog eating title? The ESPN-televised event saw The Man down 76 dogs — and buns — in 10 minutes. For those wondering, that represented 20,520 calories. 2.…
Read Full Article by Steve Eighinger Sit back, grab a snack and enjoy Vol. 2 of today’s three thoughts: 1. With the new James Bond movie set to premier in early October, who are your all-time favorite Bond girls? Here are mine: A. Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress): It was 59 years ago she dazzled us in “Dr. No,”…
Read Full Article Well, the announcements have been made. Muddy River News is built and growing and we just laid the foundation of Muddy Rivers Sports with the hiring of Matt Schuckman. Matt and Steve Eighinger join David Adam, Jim Dewey and myself to provide about 200 years of experienced journalism. None of us made the Muddy River…
Read Full Article by Steve Eighinger Three thoughts to contemplate on another hot summer day, Vol. 1: 1. Are there really many people out there who honest-to-goodness prefer those sloppy, uncontrollable deep-dish pizzas that more resemble soup than … well, real pizza? Give me those nicely-packaged thin-crust dandies or traditional styles any day of the week. Eating a…
Read Full Article By TIM GIBBONSThe Missouri Independent Missouri Rural Crisis Center recently sent in comments to the Biden Administration and USDA in response to their request for comments to “improve and reimagine the supply chains for the production, processing and distribution of agricultural commodities and food products.” Now is the time to move forward with policies that…
Read Full Article from Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner of WIREPOINTS. – llinois has just received a credit rating upgrade from Moody’s to Baa2, a level two notches above junk. It’s the state’s first upgrade in some 20 years and a major turnaround given that just one year ago Illinois faced the prospect of becoming the first state to ever be rated…
Read Full Article By TED DABROWSKI and JOHN KLINGNERWirepoints State politicians continue to ignore Illinois’ local pension crisis, forcing suburban and downstate cities to cut staff, including active police officers, to make room for skyrocketing pension costs. A Wirepoints’ analysis of Illinois’ 175 largest municipalities with dedicated police and fire pension funds found that since 2003, pension costs…
Read Full Article First, it was whiskey and beer, now it’s a shot for a shot at… That’s right, Gov. J.B. Pritzker now wants to enter everyone who who has received a COVID vaccine into a lottery with a purse of $10 million and the top prize gets… So let’s call this shot lottery a shottery. Sounds great.…
Read Full Article By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner of WIREPOINTS The Illinois Senate adjourned this week without calling for a vote on the state’s controversial green energy proposal, delaying a massive transformation of the state’s energy sector. The energy package includes a requirement for the state to go fully green by 2050, sets shut-down dates for coal and natural…
Read Full Article From WIREPOINTS “We’ve made it to a day we’ve all been waiting for… Illinois is back,” crowed Gov. JB Pritzker on Twitter. Illinois is “fully reopened” on Friday, his announcement said, and headlines across most of the state parroted the same. Tell that to landlords forced to pay for free housing under Pritzker’s emergency order, which remains…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When Tristan Wood, an administrative assistant with the Quincy Park District, finished his report that claimed to address the declining number of rounds played at Westview Golf Course, president Roger Leenerts asked the Board of Commissioners at its Wednesday meeting if anyone had questions. John Frankenhoff responded quickly. “I have a question for…
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