editorials

Jan. 31 -- Reporter-News Salutes: Recognizing organizations and individuals who make a difference in the Big Country

Jan. 31 -- Desire to make the last dance count (Bob Greene Column): LUGOFF, S.C. -- While on a long bus ride across rural South Carolina and Georgia (don't ask), I had plenty of time to make conversation with the person in the next seat. Because that person was Ben E. King, it was a pleasure.

Jan. 31 -- Public's trust doesn't need more abuse (Leonard Pitts Column): A word of warning first. This is about Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. If by now you're sick of the subject, well, try a different planet, Paco.

Jan. 31 -- Finding jobs for friends of the president (Dale McFeatters Column): Vernon Jordan is of that magnitude of Washington super-lawyer known as a "rainmaker" for his ability to make things happen in the capital.

Jan. 30 -- Community's nonprofits put wares on show (ARN Editorial): Many Abilenians would probably be surprised at the extent and variety of the nonprofit organizations that operate in our community. Visitors to the Mall of Abilene on Saturday will have the chance to see for themselves.

Jan. 30 -- A day to celebrate the genuine article (ARN Editorial): In declaring today "Elmer Kelton Day" in all Abilene, Mayor Gary McCaleb and others are doing more than just welcoming a distinguished author to town.

Jan. 30 -- Race for headlines tramples standards (Martin Schram Column): The troubling case of the President and the Intern has revealed a Sliding Scale of Standards and Scruples in the news media.

Jan. 30 -- 'Monica Madness' bit disproportionate (Donald Kaul Column): I'd be the first to admit we here in Washington have gotten a little hysterical over this Monica Lewinsky thing. It's pretty much all anybody in this town wants to talk about. "What did the president do and can we get pictures?" is the question of the day.

Jan. 29 -- Abilene ideal for forum on Social Security (ARN Editorial): Beyond the allegations of personal scandal that swirl around the White House, beyond even the perpetual tug of war between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, the nation faces a common need that President Clinton was right in Tuesday night's State of the Union address to single out as the federal government's No. 1 priority: fixing Social Security.

Jan. 29 -- Clinton's trust, credibility both gone (Molly Ivins Column): AUSTIN -- Informed citizenship in our great nation requires a certain flexibility. My favorite moment, so far, was hearing a scholar on CNN present a biblical exegesis of the theory that oral sex does not constitute adultery.

Jan. 29 -- Press responsible for enabling president (Cal Thomas Column): The press, including newspapers that twice endorsed Bill Clinton for the highest honor this nation can confer, has now turned on him with a vengeance resembling the "right-wing hate groups" it frequently bashes.

Jan. 28 -- Casino ruling makes the law perfectly clear (ARN Editorial): Whether you consider video casinos harmless or immoral, the simple fact is that at this point in Texas history, they're illegal. And we can hardly expect our law enforcement officials to tolerate open defiance of the laws of the state.

Jan. 28 -- First impressions' force (ARN Editorial): The instantaneous communication afforded by television and the Internet today are great for those who want to keep up with the latest details of a big, breaking story.

Jan. 28 -- Feminists put politics above principle (Linda Chavez Column): Patricia Ireland, Eleanor Smeal, Anita Hill, call your office. The most important sexual harassment case in U.S. history is unfolding in Washington, and the leaders of the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority and the National Women's Political Caucus are nowhere to be found.

Jan. 28 -- Men, women split on view of scandal (Bonnie Erbe Column): Much has been said and written these last few days about the president's troubles. Precious little has been said or written about how women (as distinct from men) are reacting to the news of his alleged affair with a White House intern.

Jan. 27 -- Issue goes past mere question of sexual affair (ARN Editorial): The sense grows that Bill Clinton is inextricably caught in the worst crisis of his presidency. That should make no one happy, for it could portend trauma not just for him and his family, but for the whole nation.

Jan. 27 -- Nothing changed in Middle East talks (Cal Thomas Column): The latest round of talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the Clinton administration produced nothing new because the president and his top advisors continue to rely on an unfair, outdated and one-sided formula: that is, only what Israel does affects the "peace process."

Jan. 27 -- Sweeping panorama of bad behavior (Molly Ivins Column): AUSTIN - Well, the poor ol' pope was certainly out of luck, wasn't he? Our beloved media dropped him like a hot rock.

Jan. 26 -- More Americans moving to the boonies: Population growth in America's small towns and rural places -- what the demographers call "non-metropolitan" areas -- has been "widespread and substantial, at the fastest rate in more than 20 years," according to Loyola University demographer Ken Johnson.

Jan. 26 -- Unabomber's plea avoided unseemly trial (ARN Editorial): Theodore Kaczynski has confessed to his Unabomber crimes and, as part of a plea bargain, will escape the death penalty but spend the rest of his life in prison. As the brother who turned him in put it, this conclusion is "appropriate, just and civilized."

Jan. 26 -- Attorneys earned their $2 billion fee (Steve Ray Column): Remember when Texans were considered folks you could trust? Deals were sealed with a handshake, and a person's word was considered his bond. Throw all that out when it comes to the state's $15.3 billion settlement with the tobacco industry.

Jan. 26 -- Don't forget to register (ARN Editorial): Texas' primary elections are coming up soon -- too soon, but they're still coming. And to vote in those March 10 elections, you need to be registered by Feb. 9, which is two weeks from today.

Jan. 25 -- Year-long labor shows value of 'ordinary' jobs (ARN Editorial): Today's Sunday Life feature on rock 'n' roller Doug Roysden concludes a year-long Reporter-News project to chronicle a "Day in the Life" of a handful of hard-working Joes and Janes.

Jan. 25 -- Crystal ball's gaze targets technology (ARN Editorial): In looking at what the future may bring us in Abilene and the Texas Midwest, the one word that keeps popping up is technology. Whether it's farming or eduction or banking or health care or home entertainment, anticipation concentrates on the changes wrought in practically every area of our lives by technological advances -- many of which remain yet to be discovered.

Jan. 25 -- The end of indifference to character (George Will Column): WASHINGTON -- Hiss' statement was artful, except for one thing: To a few alert people it seemed artful. It did not quite answer the question, which was whether he knew Whittaker Chambers, who had testified to knowing Hiss while operating in the communist underground in the 1930s.

Jan. 25 -- Achilles heel not Bill Clinton's problem (Ellen Goodman Column): BOSTON -- The story comes cascading out of Washington at electronic speed, accusations and denials, factoids and speculations. A feeding frenzy of reporters, analysts, lawyers is serving up undigested tidbits liberally salted with "allegedlys."

Jan. 25 -- For nursing moms, our uneasiness is brutally cold: Restaurant owners frequently ask these people to leave their stores. Mall security guards scowl at them and shoo them from benches.

Jan. 25 -- Cloning would reduce humanity to level of a product (Bishop Michael Pfeifer Guest Column): Several months ago the Scottish cloned sheep, Dolly, which came into being only after almost 300 attempts, sparked much discussion about the possibility of human cloning. Recent news that independent scientist Richard Seed would begin working on human cloning is profoundly troubling.

Jan. 25 -- For Texas Voters, It's Party Time (David Dillman Guest Column): In 1942 political scientist E.E. Schattschneider wrote that "political parties created democracy and that modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of the parties." It may be that this lofty view of political parties claims too much.

Jan. 25 -- Railroad Commission keeps confrontational approach (JOSEPH BATEMAN JR. Guest Colum): On behalf of Union Pacific, I'd like to respond to the Jan. 4 guest column by Bob Kaufman, who is director of communications for the Texas Railroad Commission.

Jan. 24 -- Reporter-News Salutes: Recognizing groups and individuals who make a difference in the Big Country

Jan. 24 -- Departed princess deserves more respect as human being than ‘The Diana Experience' affords: LONDON -- Whatever else may be said about Earl Spencer, no one can doubt the contribution he has made to the study of the effects of childhood environment on conduct and character.

Jan. 24 -- Clinton's chicks come home to roost (Cal Thomas Column): How serious is it? It's serious enough to lower the decibel level of James Carville.

Jan. 23 -- Charges against Clinton call for rapid response (ARN Editorial): Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel who has been investigating the so-called Whitewater case, now has new allegations against President Clinton to look into and needs to proceed quickly for the nation's sake.

Jan. 23 -- Randall’s husband dies (ARN Editorial): Sharon Randall’s husband, Randy, died last weekend after a long bout with cancer.

Jan. 23 -- Clinton now captive to sins of past (Ann McFeatters): WASHINGTON -- Is this the beginning of the end of the Clinton presidency or a speed bump on his rendezvous with history?

Jan. 23 -- Rolling the dice in a once-proud city (Bob Greene): DETROIT -- When it happens anywhere else in America, you can accept it. You don't have to like what it says about where the country is headed -- but you can shrug, say it's too bad, and accept it.

Jan. 22 -- Welfare reform takes steps on long journey (ARN Editorial): Gov. George W. Bush does well to be getting out in front of Texas' drive to move people from welfare to work, as he did at a press conference in Abilene on Tuesday.

Jan. 22 -- Beef: It's what's for trial in Amarillo (Dale McFeatters Column): The law of unintended consequences is at work in Amarillo, where talk-show hostess and mega-celebrity Oprah Winfrey is up on charges of libeling the local cattle.

Jan. 22 -- The limits of tolerance for free speech (Cal Thomas Column): Last Friday was Steve Whiting's final day on the job as a partner in the Portland, Me., law firm of Douglas, Whiting, Denham and Rogers.

Jan. 21 -- Government gets tough on deadbeat docs (ARN Editorial): Donna Shalala is getting tough, and that's just fine.

Jan. 21 -- Up in the air -- it's Mir (ARN Editorial): If you're an early riser, you might still have a chance to glimpse the Russian space station Mir this morning in the sky over Abilene.

Jan. 21 -- What to do with Saddam Hussein?: What is to be done about Saddam Hussein? A ferocious and merciless tyrant in Iraq, he has invaded his neighbors Iran and Kuwait, launched Scud missiles against Israel, and now seems bent on making weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical and even biological.

Jan. 21 -- Media misplays attitudes on abortion (Linda Chavez Column): Ever since the Republican Party first endorsed a constitutional amendment banning abortion, the media have portrayed the party's position as extremist and, by implication, the Democratic Party's pro-choice position as mainstream.

Jan. 20 -- Bush plan not at odds with local control (ARN Editorial): Education in Texas is sure to be one of the footballs kicked around this year as we move toward the November gubernatorial election. In fact, Gov. George W. Bush and Democratic opponent Garry Mauro held the coin flip last week and staked out their ends of the field in the contest for leading our public schools.

Jan. 20 -- Don't give pardon to Karla Faye Tucker (Cal Thomas Column): Some strong advocates of the death penalty for first-degree murderers are having second thoughts in the case of a Texas woman convicted of the ax murders of two Houston people in 1983. Karla Faye Tucker, 38, is scheduled to die by lethal injection Feb. 3.

Jan. 20 -- Bell tolls for Telecommunications Act (Molly Ivins Column): AUSTIN - I realize that "told you so" is an annoying and unproductive contribution to any discussion, but really ...

Jan. 19 -- King's vision appeals to our noblest natures (ARN Editorial): On Aug. 28, 1963, in one of the most moving and important speeches of 20th century America, Martin Luther King Jr. told a crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington that he had a dream.

Jan. 19 -- Progressive health care (ARN Editorial): Health care in Abilene is making big strides forward.

Jan. 19 -- Done 'for protection of the children' (Bob Greene Column): BRILLION, Wis. - The police here are as frustrated as anyone else about the way the Calumet County Department of Human Services has handled the case of the five Rogers children - the 7-year-old girl who was found in a basement dog cage on Nov. 17, the 11-year-old brother who walked barefoot to the police station to find help, and their three brothers.

Jan. 19 -- One golf widow's long winter lament (Betsy Hart Column): For many folks, right around now is when the winter doldrums hit. The holidays are over; spring seems far away. In most parts of the country the landscape is cold and lifeless. It's just kind of dreary.

Jan. 18 -- MLK honors given to praise ideal of service (ARN Editorial): Martin Luther King Jr. Day is not a holiday for only one race or even an occasion just to honor one American who happened to be of that race. Instead, its observance is a reminder to us all of King's enduring humanitarian ideals. And one of his fundamental beliefs was, "Everyone can be great because everyone can serve."

Jan. 18 -- Library branches out (ARN Editorial): Any question whether Abilene needed a branch library has been quickly answered. During its first week of operations at South 14th and the Winters Freeway, the branch logged more than 4,000 visitors, circulated more than 2,000 items and, most surprisingly, chalked up 145 new library cards.

Jan. 18 -- Not the right play for gaining respect (Leonard Pitts Column): A man can't ride your back unless it is bent. -- Martin Luther King Jr.

Jan. 18 -- Careful not to slip on the banana peels (Steve Ray Column): Folks who bad-mouth bananas, criticize carrots or slam sushi better keep their mouth shut in Texas. Just ask Oprah Winfrey.

Jan. 18 -- In Blue Ridge Mountains, leaves still fall: In the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, there lies a little community of small farms and aging homesteads that will one day be replaced by golf courses and video outlets and time-share condominiums.

Jan. 18 -- Sarah Amanda endures a bad hair year -- and thrives (Iris Nash guest column): The first thing we saw of Sarah Amanda was her hair. Still damp, blood-stained and matted moments after her traumatic entry into this world, it was all that was visible to four anxious grandparents peering through an inch of window beside tightly closed blinds at the Neonatal Care Unit at Abilene Regional Medical Center.

Jan. 18 -- Passing The Torch, Keeping The Dream (Trent Edwards Guest Column): I cannot be considered a qualified authority on such a powerful and dynamic person as Martin Luther King Jr. For during the height of his life, his trials and his tribulations, I, as a child, was only concerned about playing Army and sports, unaware that this man was fighting for my constitutional rights as a result of his dream.

Jan. 18 -- Rewards, challenges face parks and wildlife in Texas: Maybe it's the time of year. Maybe it's because I recently shared a traditional holiday quail hunt with my son. From whatever inspiration, my sense is: Life is good.

Jan. 17 -- Reporter-News Salutes: Recognizing groups and individuals who make a difference

Jan. 17 -- 'Bloodthirsty' justice system in Texas (Molly Ivins column): AUSTIN -- I am normally a great fan of Bob Herbert's column in the New York Times, but I think we will have to agree he was a little ... over the top the other day.

Jan. 17 -- Myth of 'favoring tax cuts for the rich': If there is one Democratic myth that annoys me more than any other, it is the old chestnut that Republicans "favor tax cuts for the rich."

Jan. 16 -- Tucker's case shows need for faster appeals (ARN Editorial): The case of Karla Faye Tucker, the woman who faces lethal injection in Texas on Feb. 3, has created a nationwide discussion about whether capital punishment should apply equally to both genders.

Jan. 16 -- Future of our water (ARN Editorial): When we turn on the tap, we take water for granted. And we can't afford to be so nonchalant any more.

Jan. 16 -- Life and death in the manic cafeteria (Bob Greene Column): As one year ended and another began, the newspapers were full of those Top 10 Stories of 1997 lists. Time to toss those out and begin compiling candidates for the Top 10 Stories of 1998.

Jan. 16 -- President's Medicare plan won't work: With an eye toward the November midterm elections, which, based on a historical trend, portend losses in Democrat congressional seats, President Clinton has decided to play the Medicare card.

Jan. 15 -- Critics of B-1 ought to get facts straight (ARN Editorial): The new movie "Wag the Dog," now showing in Abilene, is an entertaining bit of fantasy about a president who fabricates a nonexistent war to direct attention away from a personal scandal.

Jan. 15 -- Ditch fruitless strategy against abortion (Cal Thomas Column): Next week is the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court's infamous 7-2 decision that removed constitutional protection for unborn life. Far from being a settled issue, abortion on demand has spawned new controversies about life at all stages and at new stages.

Jan. 15 -- Gramm scores big with 'Titanic' line (Molly Ivins Column): AUSTIN -- Our Man Gramm was out giving good sound bite the other day anent the president's plan to expand Medicare (at no cost to us, he claims) by letting 62-year-olds buy into the program: "When your mother is on the Titanic and it's sinking, your first preoccupation ought not be getting more people on the Titanic," quoth our senior senator.

Jan. 14 -- We need better formulation of cloning issues: All the talk about human cloning over the past week or so has to make you hope most of those doing the talking never get cloned.

Jan. 14 -- Trout fishing bonanza: The rainbow trout are really biting in Abilene! Sound absurd? Hardly -- not since the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stocked the lake in Nelson Park with 1,000 of the hungry critters Friday and put 800 more in Buffalo Wallow at Abilene State Park.

Jan. 14 -- Cloning talk calls for abortion debate (Linda Chavez Column): A Chicago scientist has once again inflamed the debate on human cloning with his outrageous -- and improbable -- claim that he will soon begin attempts to clone a human embryo.

Jan. 14 -- Marrying your abuser is no solution (Bonnie Erbe Column): Law school long ago disabused me of the notion that all lawyers are sharp. Even worse, I count among my acquaintances several judges who are not that bright -- shattering yet another illusion that it takes brains to ascend to the peak of the legal profession.

Jan. 13 -- Numbers cloud teen pregnancy progress here (ARN Editorial): Statistics covering the first year of the Community Foundation of Abilene's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative are in, but the results are too mixed to draw sharp conclusions.

Jan. 13 -- Clinton wants to spend budget surplus (Cal Thomas Column): What does a liberal big-government Democrat trying to portray himself as a moderate "the era of big government is over" Democrat do with a budget surplus when he sees his heir apparent challenged by the left wing of his party? If he is Bill Clinton (and he is), he calls for more government spending (which he has) rather than a refund to America's overburdened and overtaxed workers.

Jan. 13 -- Is Oprah the only mad cow around? (Molly Ivins Column): AUSTIN - My campaign to point out the ridiculousness of honoring Rupert Murdoch for anything except being a ruthless media baron has been so effective that the pope has now named Murdoch to a papal knighthood. Yep.

Jan. 12 -- Only places that always say 'Absolutely' (Bob Greene Column): DALLAS -- Right across the Stemmons Freeway from my hotel is the headquarters of an organization you might not know exists: The National Pawnbrokers Association.

Jan. 12 -- In the air, buckle up (ARN Editorial): Air turbulence injures 58 airplane passengers a year, according to an Associated Press story.

Jan. 12 -- Lowering age for Medicare not good move: Thwarted in his original health-care reform initiative, President Clinton has been assiduously trying to pass that grandiose scheme piecemeal. A key piece will be unveiled in his 1999 budget: lowering the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 62.

Jan. 12 -- President Clinton's deficit-reduction policies have set the economy humming: President Clinton recently returned from an island vacation with great news. And, no, the "news" is not that his Labrador pup is completely trained, though we now know Buddy does swim.

Jan. 11 -- State courts' health at risk in primaries (ARN Editorial): Say you're on a desert island and need a doctor. You have the names of eight who'll fly in to make a house call, but you don't know anything about their experience or competence or specialties.

Jan. 11 -- The battles of life that test our faith (Steve Ray Column): State Rep. Kenny Marchant is used to making headlines.

Jan. 11 -- Action, not color of skin, defines heroes (Leonard Pitts Column): 'What's in a name?" the bard of Stratford-on-Avon once famously asked. "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Jan. 11 -- Don't tell her she doesn't have a life (Sharon Randall Column): Recently my daughter suggested rather strongly that I should get a life. She later tried to take it back, to soften it, but no. Anything can be forgiven, but there are some things that, once spoken, can't be taken back; some words that can't be softened. I did not take it lightly.

Jan. 11 -- Impact of Jack Grimm's loss felt far beyond Abilene (Joel Guedry Guest Column): The world has lost Jack Grimm -- an oilman, wildcatter, treasure hunter, risk-taker and entrepreneur.

Jan. 11 -- Not the time to hit the panic button (Ken Hargis Guest Column): It is not a "Social Security mess" and nobody has acted like "drunken sailors with our precious, hard-earned money." So, just for the record:

Jan. 11 -- Positive balance projected for agricultural finance program (Rick Perry Guest Column): A recent story in the Reporter-News discussed the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, and I wanted to provide your readers with some additional facts about this important program.

Jan. 10 -- Reporter-News salutes: Recognizing groups and individuals who make a difference

Jan. 10 -- School reform up to local leaders (Morton Kondracke column): If American schools are ever to make the grade, it's going to take a revolution on the part of civic leaders, especially the business community.

Jan. 10 -- Back to 1900 with year 2000 problem (Dale McFeatters Column): If the computer programmers cannot solve the year 2000 glitch, we may have to go back and repeat the year 1900 so all the software comes out even.

Jan. 10 -- Does Texas capital case reflect bias?: If the death penalty could ever be justified, it would appear to be in this case. The killer murdered two people by bludgeoning them with a pickax. The murderer never denied having committing these crimes and even reported feeling a sexual surge while striking the blows.

Jan. 9 -- Video casinos should be under state's umbrella (ARN Editorial): When video casinos started opening around the state last year, few Texans took much notice. After all, we've grown used to the lottery, to bingo parlors and horse racing.

Jan. 9 -- Princess Di pilgrimage (ARN Editorial): For two months this summer, visitors, at $15.50 a head, will be allowed inside Althorp, the family estate of Princess Diana. A 24-hour hotline is in operation for advance reservations. The profits will go to the charity established in Diana's memory.

Jan. 9 -- Russian Roulette with little boy's life (Linda Chavez Column): The clock is ticking for Cornelius. In a few weeks, this happy 2-year-old boy will be ripped away from the only mother he's ever known and returned to the care of his birth mother, a 23-year-old twice-convicted felon who killed another of her four children.

Jan. 9 -- Commander Clark reporting for duty (Bob Greene Column): We interrupt our coverage of the world's heartbreak and cruelty to report something that, at least for a moment, is reason to smile and feel happy.

Jan. 8 -- Joint primaries could be sign of better things (ARN Editoiral): Refuting Rudyard Kipling, who said "East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet," Taylor County Democrats and Republicans are combining primaries on March 10 in an experiment the rest of Texas is watching.

Jan. 8 -- Adventurer Grimm an American original (ARN Editorial): Whatever you think of Jack Grimm, his death Tuesday morning means Abilene and all West Texas will be a little less colorful, a little more mundane. For a quarter of a century, Abilenians had a front-row seat to the many far-flung adventures of this one-of-a-kind, poker-playing, globe-trotting oilman and adventurer.

Jan. 8 -- Scaring the little children half to death (Cal Thomas Column): Three network affiliate television stations with access to voters in Santa Barbara, Calif., are refusing to run a political commercial that describes verbally, but not visually, what occurs during a partial-birth abortion.

Jan. 8 -- Nguyen's triumph wonderfully Texan (Molly Ivins Column): AUSTIN -- New Texans and old Texans. Naturally all good Texans spent part of New Year's Day rooting for the Aggies, who played quite a game. You could hardly fail to notice No. 9, Dat Nguyen from Rockport, who set a Cotton Bowl record for tackles and was a finalist for All-American this year.

Jan. 8 -- What to do about the face in the moon? (Sharon Randall Column): My mother said I must have been moonstruck as a baby. It would explain, she said, a lot about my nature.

Jan. 7 -- We need true competition in phone service (ARN Editorial): One of the issues facing the nation in 1998 is an issue that many thought had been happily resolved in 1996. That's when Congress, after years of wrangling, passed the sweeping Telecommunications Act.

Jan. 7 -- All the pretty horses (ARN Editorial): There's a lot of cutting going on in Abilene this week -- not the street gang variety, but the cutting horse type.

Jan. 7 -- Don't base death row mercy on sex (Bonnie Erbe column): Much as many of us might wish we could get beyond sexual stereotypes and get on with it, a death row case from Texas forces us to realize that gender differentiation, if not discrimination, is still quite alive and well in America.

Jan. 7 -- Getting politics out of Social Security (Dan Thomasson column): WASHINGTON -- De-politicizing the issue of what to do about the looming crisis in Social Security may be the most important task facing Congress and the White House in the new year. It also may be impossible.

Jan. 6 -- Credit for drop in murder rates goes to localities (ARN Editorial): In 1997, murder rates were down and down significantly in city after city across America - one of the most notable of the past year's developments.

Jan. 6 -- Love letter to Loretta on her 85th birthday (Cal Thomas Column): PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Loretta Young first entered my life in the '50s through a door depicted on a black-and-white television screen. Her pirouette in a lovely dress - usually designed by Academy Award winner Jean Louis - was a statement of charm and grace.

Jan. 6 -- Evidence mounts that obsession with economic growth has brought about dismal lives: The nation's retailers report "dismal" sales this holiday season. This is the third disappointing year in a row, and there's whispering in retailing circles the causes of decline are not temporary but reflect a more troubling trend. Shopping may no longer be the great American sport it once was. While this may dishearten many store owners, it could prove a favorable omen for the culture.

Jan. 5 -- Internet furthers liberation (ARN Editorial): Being tyrannical is not easy in the age of the Internet.

Jan. 5 -- The year Jones will name himself coach: WASHINGTON -- Our annual preview of the New Year:

Jan. 5 -- Real man of the year: Alan Greenspan: (Joseph Spear Column): Once again, Time has spoken. Once again, I disagree.

Jan. 5 -- Distance Learning: An appropriate, viable option (PRO): The profile of a typical student seeking access to higher education has changed dramatically in recent years.

Jan. 5 -- Distance Learning: Does distance learning work? (CON): One university that awards a large number of MBAs doesn't have a campus. A Midwestern university offers management courses for employees at a plant in eastern Pennsylvania. Neither the instructor nor the students see each other "in person."

Jan. 4 -- Heavy political weather ahead for new year (ARN Editorial): Abilenians will hardly have time to get used to writing 1998 on their checks before the new political year is upon them. In fact, with primaries March 10, all the candidates are on the ballot, and they're eagerly hitting the campaign trail.

Jan. 4 -- Resolutions to demand of state officials (Steve Ray Column): OK, so Texans are a little cynical about promises made by politicians. They aren't too sure that when officials say they will do something -- it will really get done.

Jan. 4 -- Don't hold your breath for a better year (Molly Ivins Column): AUSTIN -- The annual year-end review of the weirdness of the 365 days we have just survived has, in theory, redeeming social value.

Jan. 4 -- This a-chooo season is not something to sneeze at (Readers' Forum Column): Winter arrives, temperatures fall, and the dreaded cold and flu affliction takes its toll on people of all ages. Immune systems drop with the temperature. People become more susceptible to viruses floating around in space. So we catch a "bad cold." Now the question remains, do we catch bad colds, or do bad colds catch (latch onto) us?

Jan. 4 -- It's Salem all over again in America: On Jan. 1, California -- America's bellwether for social experiments -- became the first state in the union to ban smoking in bars.

Jan. 4 -- Saving lives, not tobacco, is healthy strategy (Readers' Forum Column): My reason for writing is simply to introduce you to Save Lives, Not Tobacco, a new national coalition of public health groups that has recently evolved.

Jan. 4 -- California smoking: All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray: The New Year in California means a new and sweeping anti-smoking law, one that bans puffing on cigarettes, pipes or cigars in bars. It's ostensibly meant to protect bar employees from the supposed ravages of secondhand smoke, and it's being cheered by many as a healthy, progressive, civilized thing to do.

Jan. 4 -- More guns make us safer (Readers' Forum Column): In regards to the Dec. 31 article, "Report: Danger increasing along with guns. Small business owner in danger?" Space does not permit a point-by-point refutation of this article, which simply repeats erroneous conclusions from a particular handgun control group.

Jan. 4 -- Railroad Commission knows what it's doing (Readers' Forum Column): In his Dec. 24 letter to the editor, "Railroad problems," James Brunkenhoefer of the United Transportation Union unfortunately fails to understand the merits of a proposal set forth by the Railroad Commission of Texas to unclog the logjam that has for months hampered rail shipments in the Houston area, costing Texas shippers in excess of $800 million.

Jan. 3 -- Reporter-News salutes: Recognizing groups and individuals who make a difference

Jan. 3 -- Politicians need our help this year (Morton Kondracke Column): Yes, it's time for New Year's resolutions, including some of my own.

Jan. 3 -- Those barrier-breaking women of 1997: The history of women has largely been a history of firsts. From Elizabeth Blackwell to Sally Ride to Madeleine Albright, the women who have broken barriers have provided us with some of the clearest measures of how far women have (and have not) progressed in our society.

Jan. 3 -- Tyson's favors: Tyson Foods Inc., which is mainly in the business of selling chicken, apparently thought it a good idea a while back to give $12,000 worth of free tickets, trips and lodging to Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy. For that transgression, it has now agreed to fork over $6 million in fines and investigative costs.

Jan. 3 -- Diana story's rating a sad commentary: The death of Princess Diana, it is now being proclaimed, was the news story of the year in 1997, and while that might well be true in terms of public interest, it's also a sad commentary on the times in which we live, especially in retrospect.

Jan. 2 -- Figures suggest national slump in gift giving: The final score is not in yet, but right now it looks as if Christmas shopping fell below expectations in many parts of the country, despite an economy that is about as chipper as economies get.

Jan. 2 -- Half-right on taxes: President Clinton, who said as much himself in his recent press conference, has unleashed aides who are going about saying on television that taxes must not be reduced the way some Republicans want to reduce them, but only the way Clinton wants to reduce them.

Jan. 2 -- Seinfeld's new American archetypes: It's time to fess up. I may be a conservative, a believer in traditional family values and, at times, even a bit of a prig, but for nearly a decade now, I've been a secret "Seinfeld" fan.

Jan. 1 -- On New Year's, host of improvements appear in sight: One of the glories of celebrating New Year's Day is thinking in cyclical instead of linear terms. The old is done with, we can imagine, and the new about to begin.