Columns

By Tory Duncan

Age is a funny thing, as you go through life each day comes and goes. You work hard, find some down time and try to catch a breather at the end of each day.

Last week, my “baby sister” Tonya surfaced a relic from the past, nearly 35 years ago, and shared it on Facebook.

My father, in the summer of 1983, the summer after I graduated high school in Shelton, kept getting calls from CBS News (yes, the national office) trying to schedule a time for Charles Kuralt to come out and do a story on Doug Duncan, Publisher of the Shelton Clipper.

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By Ashley D. Swanson

Do you realize what next Tuesday is?? It’s HALLOWEEN! Halloween is by far my favorite holiday.

I love being able to dress up in costumes and look like someone (or something) else for a while.

I love the scary stories, the apple cider, the pumpkins, the decorations, the makeup ideas, the candy corn (yes, I love candy corn)....just everything, I love everything about it!

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By Tory Duncan

Like many fans of Nebraska high school sports, namely in this case, high school football, when I was patiently waiting for official pairings to be released for the 2017 Nebraska state football playoffs, I was baffled upon seeing what I witnessed in Classes D-1 and D-2, the eight-man state pairings.

Yes, it happens every year when you have a field of 32 teams make the post-season. In both eight-man classes there were four teams that made the playoffs with losing records.

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By Ashley D. Swanson

Sometimes when I remember the past, it brings happy tears to my eyes and a smile to my face. Sometimes when I remember the past, it brings laughter and head shaking at the craziness.

I love the history that is my life thus far. Like everyone else, it’s had several moments of sadness, of happiness, of sheer excitement, of struggles, and of success.

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By Tory Duncan

After Saturday night’s debacle in Lincoln, and with the addition of our the new athletic director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I had originally planned on sharing some thoughts about Saturday’s game and Sunday’s news with the hiring of Bill Moos... but then I thought late Sunday night, who would really care for ANOTHER opinion about THAT loss, or another opinion about Mr. Moos’ selection? Probably not many care about my thoughts with this, after all, we’ve been force fed so many opinions that I’ll just move on and stick with what seems to be a little closer to home.

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By Tory Duncan

I had the opportunity to leave the state this past week for a few days, destination: Tulsa, OK. It was the annual “pilgrimage” to the National Newspaper Association’s yearly convention. Before I get into some of the details that I brought home, the story really begins about 60 miles west of Tulsa, on Oklahoma state highway 214.

Rain, as everyone had around here while I was away, as torrential, like I’ve never seen in my life. After 340 of the 400 miles were behind myself and passenger, Willis Mahahhana, the editor of the West Point News, we hit a wall of moisture...Literally right after the first of two toll booths for the highway.

You’ve all heard the term, “white knuckling it.” Well that is exactly what it was as my hands firmly gripped the steering wheel for the final 60 miles (or so). 

By Ashley D. Swanson

Where were you when the world stopped turning? When the entire nation was glued to their televisions and radios. When all of a sudden, seconds seemed like a lifetime.

I was 9, and for a reason I’ve forgotten, my brother and I weren’t in school that day. We were staying at my grandma’s house in La Platte watching cartoons and playing with toys in the living room.

I remember our cartoons were suddenly taken over by news reports blasting huge headlines across the screen. Every channel was like this. I remember my grandma switching through the channels, and every channel held the same footage—smoke bellowing out of one of the Twin Towers.

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By Ashley Swanson

I love receiving letters in the mail...not bills (because who enjoys those), but actual letters.

Throughout college, as I was a good eight hours from home, I received a number of letters and cards from family (mostly grandparents) just to say hello.

Even now, I love opening my mailbox and seeing a card from my Grama Mimi in West Point, or seeing a short letter from my dad and step-mom, or seeing a small package arrived from my mom and step-dad. 

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By Tory Duncan

This is National Newspaper Week in the United States. In some cases this might not mean one bit of difference to most readers, but when you’ve spent most of the past 53 years associated with the industry, as I have, it definitely means something to me.

The days of hard work, long hours, and I don’t just mean hard work, I mean laborious work, physical work.

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By Tory Duncan

Husker fans took another big breath this past Saturday when the Big Red “got by” the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers.

Tweets were blowing up my phone from those inside Memorial Stadium and from people far far away from the stadium during what we’ll just call a “sluggish first half.”

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