How much does it mean to you?
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How much does it mean to you?

R.A. Tea Mathews | Guest Columnist All the Black men I know call one another “brothers.” In the early church, Paul referred to Christians as “brothers.” However, in my church, “brothers” mean something entirely different. Say that word and everyone knows who you mean—Mark, Merrel, and Michael, born two years apart. Older members call them…

Using the cell phone wisely
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Using the cell phone wisely

Michael J. Brooks | Guest Columnist It was a story from “The New York Post” last spring that I pondered and saved. The headline proclaimed, “City removes last-standing public payphone from NYC street.” The accompanying picture showed the removal of a telephone counter, not the old-fashioned telephone booth in which Superman changed clothes. It used…

Escaping my ego
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Escaping my ego

I normally don’t use this space for writing book reviews, but there is one that has really been working on my heart lately: “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness” by Timothy Keller. It’s short enough to read in about an hour or two. Because of this book, I’ve been doing a lot of self reflection and trying…

Jones to chair Apalachee Regional Planning Council
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Jones to chair Apalachee Regional Planning Council

The Apalachee Regional Planning Council has unanimously selected Franklin County Commissioner Ricky Jones as chair of its 24-member board. ARPC is one of 10 regional planning councils in the state. Established in 1977, the council is a regional convener and provides technical assistance in the program areas of economic/community development, emergency planning, transportation, housing, and…

From painting to emergencies, volunteers get it done
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From painting to emergencies, volunteers get it done

Hi Y’all, We had some really pretty days this past week, before the colder winds came in. I’m not complaining, especially when I talk to the folks who are coming down from the north. I don’t know if you noticed how beautiful the walls in the post office look. After tackling the enormous job of…

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Jehovah’s Witnesses remember victims of the Holocaust on Holocaust Remembrance Day

On January 27, the world will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a symbolic  date to commemorate the victims of Nazism. Murderous Nazi terror targeted millions for reasons  of biology, nationality, or political ideology. But few people know that the Nazis’ victims included  thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who suffered for their Christian faith.  Jehovah’s Witnesses, also…

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Chapman Class of ‘59 holds 63rd reunion

The Chapman High School Class of 1959 held their 63rd class reunion at the lakeside home of Jerry and Cece Paulk of Panama City, and of Opp, Alabama on  Nov. 9, 2022. Those in attendance were Tommy Huckabe, Sandy Howze, Penny Hicks Worden, Jerry Paulk, Lucretia Kirvin Biddle, Wilma Wright Reed, Gynelle Barber Bush, Rosemary…

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Florida families find solutions to bullying from surprising source

When their 5-year-old son came home from school with a bloody lip and scraped face, Daniel and Jessica discovered it was not just an innocent playground accident. Their child was being bullied. As millions of children head back to school this year, more than one in five of them will have a similar experience, according…

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Wanna play cowboy?

When I was 12 or so… Seems like most movie and TV cowboys have issues nowadays. They abuse their families (think 2021’s “Power of the Dog”); murder unforgivingly (as in Eastwood’s 1992 film “Unforgiven”); or end up being crazed androids (in “Westworld,” the franchise begun in 1973, now an HBO series). Things were different when…