Tag Archives: newspapers

R.I.P. Rocky Mountain News

It seems as if the invention of the Internet is killing traditional print newspapers. For years now, I have been reading that subscriptions were down and that papers were in the red. Now, another “victim” has bitten the dust – Denver’s Rocky Mountain News. After almost 150 years in the business, the Rocky Mountain News sent out its last issue on Friday. What did the final headline read? It said “Goodbye, Colorado.” The articles went on to say “It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to you today. Our time chronicling the life of Denver and Colorado, the … Continue reading →

Britney Spears’ Obit is Already Written

In the wake of the recent, sudden and tragic deaths of young actors Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger much is being made of the obituary that The Associated Press has prepared for Britney Spears. I’m sure you have noticed that whenever a famous person dies after living a long and distinguished life, major news organizations almost instantaneously come out with detailed obituaries highlighting all aspects of their lives. What you might not know is that many of those stories are produced well in advance of a star’s passing. This was not the case in the deaths of Brad Renfro and … Continue reading →

More New and Frugal Uses for Newspapers

With all the newspapers we wind up with, from the weekly city post to the smaller community papers, it seems like they stack up fast. We use our newspapers to wrap up breakable items for packing or even shipping out. Newspaper also makes a great packing material for sending fragile items through the mail, or keeping items from shipping around. But what else is it good for? Line Your Veggie Drawer Place a piece of newspaper in the bottom of your vegetable drawer in your refrigerator. It will help absorb moisture, keeping your veggies dry and fresh much longer. It … Continue reading →

Frugal Uses for Newspapers

Lying around our house we have tons of newspapers, which we were saving to pack things for moving. However, we have plenty more than we need. I wondered if there were things you could do with newspapers besides recycling them or using them to wrap fragile items for moving. I found a few: Fire Pit/Campfire This was the first use we found, mostly because we wanted to get rid of it faster (we’d already made two trips to the recycle box). We wound up using it in a campfire we had when we went on a camping trip. It helps … Continue reading →

The Obituary Writer – Porter Shreeve

I started out “The Obituary Writer” with a set of expectations, and found them all shattered by the end. It was a fabulous surprise. Gordon Hatch is a young obituary writer for The Independent. He longs to become a top-notch crime reporter and has his own police scanner. Sometimes late at night, he’ll flip it on, see where the action is, and run to the scene, hoping that someday he’ll be able to break into the business in a big way. His father, long since deceased, was a great reporter, and even covered Kennedy’s assassination up close and personal. With … Continue reading →

Author Interview — James Rada Jr: On Historical Fiction

Yesterday we began a fascinating conversation with award-winning columnist and author, James Rada. Thanks for joining us for part two. Jim, what are the names of your novels, and can you give us a brief synopsis of each? “Logan’s Fire” (1996) – Logan Hanson is an out-of-control teenager. His belief that he was responsible for his mother’s death in a fire has caused him to lose his faith in God. When he begins to lead others away from their faith, the Three Nephites are sent to help Logan. They find that Logan’s work has done his work well, perhaps too … Continue reading →

Julie — Catherine Marshall

In my review of Catherine Marshall’s novel “Christy,” I mentioned that Christy was actually Catherine’s mother, and the book is largely based on her experiences as told to Catherine later in life. “Julie” is to some extent based on real life as well, this time relying on Catherine’s own memories of growing up, although this book is not nearly as true to the real events as “Christy” is. We open “Julie” to find the title character, a girl nearly eighteen years old, riding along in the family car on her way to Alderton, Pennsylvania, a small town she’s never seen … Continue reading →