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May 31 -- A safer world calls for fewer nuclear nations (ARN Editorial): And now there are seven. Pakistan has joined the ranks of the declared nuclear powers, setting off five underground explosions in a tit-for-tat response to India, which two weeks ago became the sixth member of the nuclear club.
May 31 -- Technology key to tornado alerts: Norman, Okla. -- Spring 1998 has come in like a lion.
May 31 -- Reconnecting with a sister in middle age (Sharon Randall): Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but my sister and I are starting to sound a lot like "Thelma and Louise."
May 31 -- Those scary predictions of the future (Dale McFeatters): As a fan of futurist predictions, I take comfort in two thoughts: They're invariably wrong, and I won't be around for the few that come true.
May 31 -- Seeking a partnership to impact teen-age pregnancy (Evanell Turner): Teen pregnancy is not going to go away. Why? Because it's only a symptom of much larger problems in our society.
May 31 -- Raising the normal retirement age to 70 is not the best solution (Glenn Dromgoole): The idea to save Social Security by moving the normal retirement age to 70 (for those born after 1959) is fraught with problems. Not just for older workers, many of whom would prefer to retire at 65 or earlier, but for employers and younger workers as well.
May 31 -- Teaching a lesson about Texas jobs, U.S. Constitution (Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison): When I read Molly Ivins' second article on the big, bad energy industry and how mean it is to Texas, I had to go back and look at my 1998 Texas Almanac to remind myself that those meanies provide jobs to more than 200,000 Texans directly and countless thousands of others indirectly.
May 31 -- Fairway Oaks apartment proposal draws more fire (Robert Kalafut): I chuckled after reading the "Apartments drawing fire from Fairway" article in the Abilene Reporter-News on May 17. The author attempted to scold the owners of "Fairway's tony homes" for their resentment to the construction of low-cost housing immediately contiguous to Fairway Oaks.
May 30 -- Goldwater's voice will be sorely missed (ARN Editorial): The 1964 presidential campaign was one of the most acrimonious in American history, pitting as it did two westerners -- the darling of the newly virile Republican right, Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona, against the creator of the Great Society, President Lyndon B. Johnson.
May 30 -- Reporter-News salutes: Congratulations to the City of Abilene Housing Authority for winning three awards from the Southwest National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
May 30 -- On the way to employer's drug test: ATLANTA -- It was the third time I'd heard someone say the words -- or words similar in meaning -- within the last few weeks.
May 30 -- Marx, Buchanan sell America short: There's a new biography of John D. Rockefeller Sr. out, and in it, the author, Ron Chernow, demonstrates convincingly that whatever else the old fellow was, he was no lover of free enterprise.
May 29 -- Surplus makes good umbrella for rainy days (ARN Editorial): An old saying, no less true for being a tired cliché, counsels us to save money against a rainy day. Standing in the Rose Garden under a light overcast, President Clinton proudly announced the latest White House estimate of this year's budget surplus -- $39 billion.
May 29 -- Service not so secret (ARN Editorial): Secret Service agents are not exempt from the law. Period.
May 29 -- Caught off guard by the millennium (Ellen Goodman): BOSTON -- Finally, I have caught the millennium bug. This is not, as you might imagine, a feverish desire to be in some exotic place on the Friday night we turn 2000. I do not intend to be circling the arctic in a jet sipping champagne. In fact, due to the bug, I expect to be home under the covers.
May 29 -- Spanish TV and bilingual education (Linda Chavez): Did you ever wonder who benefits when schools delay teaching English to Hispanic children, forcing them to learn most of their lessons in Spanish, instead?
May 28 -- Oregon deaths intensify search for solutions (ARN Editorial): If Kip Kinkel's parents had been negligent or mean-spirited and abusive, it might be easier to grasp what went wrong with this 15-year-old boy who shot and killed them and then killed two teenage students at his school while injuring 22 others.
May 28 -- Campaign money's smell tops logic (Donald Kaul): And you thought alcohol and gasoline didn't mix. You must have been paying attention to those ads sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Silly you.
May 28 -- When things become as bad as it gets (Cal Thomas): When the sky turns dark during the day, it signals a coming storm. But what would be the signs of a deteriorating culture? Strangling inflation? An erosion of military power and influence? Corruption that is largely ignored? Rampant materialism springing from self-indulgence and an unwillingness to consider anyone or anything more important than one's own comfort and desires?
May 27 -- News enhances air prospects for Abilenians (ARN Editorial): Recent events at Love Field in Dallas could be good news for Abilene.
May 27 -- Brown for council seat (ARN Editorial): In the City Council run-off election for Place 5, the Abilene Reporter-News editorial board believes the Rev. Versie Brown is the best candidate to meet the city's challenges of revitalizing our neighborhoods, attracting a diverse business foundation, improving technology and dealing with dwindling federal support for cities.
May 27 -- Lesson seems lost amid the tears (Bob Greene): CHILTON, Wis. -- If there is a lesson here, it is hard to find it.
May 27 -- Strength and joy found in a quiet spot (Rheta Grimsley Johnson): FISHTRAP HOLLOW, Miss. -- Sonny Terry is singing on the radio and my front porch, and the door is open so the cool spring night and Sonny's voice can come inside.
May 26 -- Indonesia now needs stability in government (ARN Editorial): Suharto's departure solves only half of Indonesia's problem. The next and more difficult step is finding a stable, popularly supported successor government.
May 26 -- Down so long it looks like up to us (Ellen Goodman): BOSTON - When the news broke early this month that teen-age motherhood had dropped by nearly 12 percent in the last five years, I had a bit of trouble putting on my party face.
May 26 --Conservatives strike Faustian bargain (George Will): SAN FRANCISCO - The decay of liberalism into a synonym for cynicism is writ large in the frantic dishonesty of the campaign against Proposition 226, the ballot initiative that would bar California unions from spending a member's dues for political purposes without the member's written permission, renewed annually.
May 26 -- Lucky with roses means lucky at love (Sharon Randall): Thirty years ago when we bought our house, it had a Cecil Bruner rose bush that sprawled like a giant octopus along the fence between the front and back yards.
May 25 -- Take day off, but remember why it's here (ARN Editorial): As long ago as 1888, a Civil War veterans group got miffed because fewer Americans were visiting the graves of slain soldiers on Memorial Day than were having picnics or going to parades, horse races and the like. President Grover Cleveland particularly took it on the chin. He went fishing.
May 25 -- Up and down in polls (ARN Editorial): Our society is poll crazy, too poll crazy, so what happened to People magazine's Most Beautiful People poll is a matter of civic encouragement.
May 25 -- Debating our union dues and don'ts (Cal Thomas): LOS ANGELES - California voters will decide on June 2 which Democrat they want running for governor against the sole major Republican candidate, state Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren. An important initiative, Proposition 226, will also appear on the ballot.
May 25 -- This anti-union bill takes the cake (Molly Ivins): AUSTIN - California, whew: Sometimes I think we ought to hang a cowbell around it to let the future know to shut the gate.
May 24 -- Memorial Day's truest meaning (ARN Editorial): This three-day Memorial Day weekend marks the official beginning of summer vacation, and traditionally, we celebrate this seasonal juncture with great eagerness.
May 24 -- Conquering polio (ARN Editorial): In all the hoopla about the year 2000, there may be one development truly worth celebrating: Health workers may have succeeded in eradicating polio.
May 24 -- Reviving the spirit of Memorial Day: NEW YORK -- This is a wonderful moment in American history. The country is happy, wealthy and at peace. No war is menacing us, not even any serious skirmish.
May 24 -- 'Chinagate' is dire threat to Clinton (Morton Kondracke): With national security at its core rather than sex, the Chinagate scandal has more potential for bringing down the Clinton presidency than Zippergate -- if there is any substance to it.
May 24 -- No music like the sounds of children at play (Sharon Randall): For the past hour, I've been sitting at my desk, paying bills and listening to some children up the street play whatever they're playing.
May 24 -- Yesterday's sacrifices must guide us in today's decisions (Nebra Peters): Tomorrow we honor more than 4,000 veterans buried throughout Taylor County in a ceremony at Elmwood Cemetery.
May 24 -- Why aren't local businesses willing to pay our graduates what they're worth? (Beverly Lenoir): 'How come our three four-year universities aren't able to meet the needs (for computer professionals) of local employers?" As a Computer Science professor at McMurry University, I will provide my perspective on the answer to this question posed by a recent Abilene Reporter-News editorial.
May 24 -- June advice (and beyond) from the family law bench (Aleta Hacker): It's almost June, the season for brides and grooms. A time of anticipation and happiness.
May 23 -- Test ban pact needs action by U.S. Senate (ARN Editorial): Sen. Jesse Helms, who yanks out the dynamite and blows up the bridge any time he sees an international accord coming down the road, pronounced himself justified by events the other day.
May 23 -- Doing crime and time (ARN Editorial): If you have to shoot your Argentine, polo-playing, playboy lover, estate-studded Fauquier County, Va., is the jurisdiction for you.
May 23 -- Exploring the 'Chinese connection' (Linda Chavez): 'All the foreign policy decisions we made were based on what we believed - I and the rest of my administration - were in the best interests of the American people." So says President Clinton in defending his decision to permit a waiver of U.S. policy to allow an American company to export forbidden satellite technology to China.
May 23 -- They know where they ought to be (Bob Greene): LYNCHBURG, Va - Sunday morning in America - particularly this deeply religious part of America - makes you stop and think about how the bad news of the world always shoves aside the good.
May 22 -- Investigation warranted into China bargain (ARN Editorial): House Speaker Newt Gingrich may well have some political motives in establishing a special panel to investigate whether the White House traded satellite technology to China in 1996 for campaign donations.
May 22 -- Indicting Mexico banks (ARN Editorial): While it's not entirely clear how the U.S. government can tell a bank it is under arrest - especially when it is a foreign bank - there's nevertheless reason for plentiful pride at the U.S. Treasury and the Justice Department.
May 22 -- A pre-mature retirement proposal (Ellen Goodman): BOSTON - Maybe it was what they call a "senior moment," an itty-bitty lapse. On Monday the Supreme Court let stand a rule forcing commercial airplane pilots to retire at 60. On Tuesday a commission on Social Security came out in favor of raising retirement age to 70.
May 22 -- Sanctions weak against India's honor (George Will): WASHINGTON - This ninth year of the century's 10th decade is taking a toll on one of the century's characteristic chimeras. Liberalism and (which is much the same thing) wishful thinking favor arms control as a means of taming the unruly world with pieces of paper.
May 21 -- A hearty party for our grads to finish with (ARN Editorial): Parents, teachers and school administrators across the state are concerned that their graduating seniors will be celebrating appropriately or engaging in activities that can cause permanent harm to themselves and others. Some school districts are even resorting to breathalyzer tests for admission to graduation functions.
May 21 -- Public safety at Dyess (ARN Editorial): Congratulations to officials at Dyess Air Force Base for their public safety considerations in installing an outdoor warning system to alert base residents of natural disasters -- a natural move for a base located in "Tornado Alley."
May 21 -- Connecting the Chinese dollar dots (Cal Thomas): Disclosures last week by former Democratic Party fund-raiser Johnny Chung that he funneled thousands of dollars from a Chinese military officer into the 1996 re-election campaign of Bill Clinton and Al Gore are so serious that even some Democrats are emerging from behind their stone wall to express concern.
May 21 -- Liberation shouldn't sacrifice humor (Bonnie Erbe): Some white males are very upset over their treatment at the hands of women these days. Conservative columnist John Leo devoted a whole page to the subject in a recent edition of U.S. News and World Report. Among the transgressions white females had committed against his ilk, he listed:
May 20 -- New voices call for privatizing Social Security (ARN Editorial): After a year's study, a 24-member, bipartisan commission that included Hardin-Simmons University President Dr. Lanny Hall has unanimously recommended that 2 percent of each recipient's 12.4 percent Social Security payroll tax be initially invested after some accumulation in either a stock or bond fund. Thus, one more voice has been added to the growing number that no longer find privatizing at least part of the system anathema, but instead see it as irresistibly logical.
May 20 -- Same problems affect Texas, Mexico (Steve Ray): Texans only had to take a deep breath last week to be reminded of the impact that Mexico has on it's northern neighbor.
May 20 -- This child 'is a kind, loving little girl': (Bob Greene): CHILTON, Wis. -- "She is a...." He paused, trying to make sure he chose the next word carefully. "She is a saintly looking little girl," he said.
May 19 -- Hanging up on telephone 'slammers': (ARN Editorial) he Senate has unanimously - and belatedly - passed a bill aimed at cracking down on the practice of "slamming." Slamming is the unauthorized switching through fraudulent or deceptive practices of long-distance phone service from one provider to another.
May 19 -- Perfect for an average guy (ARN Editorial): David Wells is not a giraffe, nor is he an improbable mound of muscle, nor does he throw tantrums. What he does is throw a baseball, and Sunday he did it as well as only 14 other pitchers in 118 years of major league history.
May 19 -- Ultimate test for nuclear weapons (Ellen Goodman): BOSTON - This is only a test, as they used to say when the high-pitched hum of the Emergency Broadcast System pierced the air. Only a test.
May 19 -- Tough questions for Gore to answer (George Will): WASHINGTON - Every serving vice president since Alben Barkley in 1952 who has wanted his party's presidential nomination has gotten it. Al Gore wants his party's, so it is not too soon to be depressed. And inquisitive. Herewith some questions for him.
May 18 -- Religious bill a noble idea, but inept law (ARN Editorial): The Freedom from Religious Persecution Act is a noble idea, but it would be an ineffective and even counterproductive law.
May 18 -- UT learns to 'encourage the others' (Molly Ivins): AUSTIN -- The most remarkable thing! You'll be amazed -- I certainly am.
May 18 -- Putting Clinton on psychiatrist's couch (Cal Thomas): Former Sen. Gary Hart is on a book tour, trying to expunge his image as a philanderer, not by confession but by debunking such behavior as irrelevant to overall character and leadership skills. Philanderers talk like that. It insulates them from reality, responsibility and accountability.
May 17 -- India uncorks nuclear genie on the world (ARN Editorial): The dirty secret of nuclear weapons is that almost any country with an industrial base and enough money can build one. The United Nations says there are 44 such nations, and now, thanks to India, some of them may be inclined to try.
May 17 -- China holds key to new arms race: The most critical military, political and economic changes in Asia since those that followed the Vietnam war could be coming to the region.
May 17 -- Baby boomers vs. tomorrow's workers (Dale McFeatters): If ever a generation should be trying to ingratiate itself with the nation's youth, it is the one now in power.
May 17 -- Coach's wife remains fan of basketball (Sharon Randall): People often assume the reason I'm a basketball fan is because my husband was a coach. It's a fair assumption, but only partly right.
May 17 -- Achieving justice on the bench in top Texas courts (John Hill): There is a good news-bad news story on the Texas judicial reform front.
May 17 -- Down with the death penalty (Charles Russell): Death can be a morbid subject. It is certainly depressing to consider death that is planned by the state as a penalty for committing a crime. Murder, in most instances, is an out-of-control, irrational act that only the insane can understand. It is morally wrong.
May 17 -- A belated appreciation for our hard-working nurses (Paul Matta): I want to express my thanks to all the nurses of the Big Country for the work they do in caring for those that are unable to care for themselves. If you are a nurse in a home setting, nursing, residential facility or hospital, you are appreciated.
May 16 -- Frank Sinatra -- no regrets for 'his way' (ARN Editorial): Frank Sinatra's signature song had the refrain, "I did it my way."
May 16 -- Reporter-News Salutes: Recognizing organizations and people who make a difference in the Big Country
May 16 -- As disposable as a burger wrapper (Bob Greene): APPOMATTOX, VA. -- Driving down Highway 460 in south central Virginia, you have a number of choices available.
May 16 -- Clinton's scandals pale next to LBJ's (Joseph Spear): If you find yourself in need of respite from all the hoo-ha about Bill and Newt and Paula and Kenneth and Monica and the Trippster, you could do worse than read some American history.
May 16 -- Belligerent birds furnish key lessons (Sharon Randall): I thought I had problems, but I don't. Problems are a matter of perspective.
May 15 -- Dyess, Abilene partnership remains ideal (ARN Editorial): We welcome to Abilene today the members of the Texas Strategic Military Planning Commission, who could have hardly picked a more appropriate spot for a public hearing about retaining defense installations in Texas.
May 15 -- From secretary to boss: It's no Cinderella story that Barbara Evans started out 18 years ago as a secretary at the local Department of Human Services office and has now become its top administrator, replacing David Mayberry, who retired last year.
May 15 -- Thanks for the company, Murphy (Ellen Goodman): BOSTON -- Could we pause for a moment near the end of the Seinfeld Sign-off Week that has turned into mass mourning for nothingness?
May 15 -- A wasted island in a sea of prosperity: NEW YORK -- Someone droll in Sen. Pat Moynihan's office has provided a one-page "unfinished history" of Governors Island, which sits, like an unloved orphan, in New York harbor, hard by the Statue of Liberty. The history says: "1708: Lord Cornbury, New York's first transvestite governor, builds a mansion on Governors Island, possibly misusing defense funds, including proceeds of New York's unusual wig tax."
May 14 -- IRS overhaul won't improve tax code mess (ARN Editorial): The reason for overhauling the Internal Revenue Service is not that the agency itself is responsible for the horrendous tax code it must enforce or that it is peopled with thugs who would as soon slam a sledgehammer on a taxpayer's kneecaps as give him an even break.
May 14 -- Sen. Hutchison protests too much (Molly Ivins): AUSTIN -- Well now, Sen. Hutchison, someone has some facts wrong in this sorry tale of how an amendment benefiting the oil companies to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars wound up in a bill providing emergency funds for tornado victims, and it's not me.
May 14 -- John Ashcroft another Jimmy Carter? (Cal Thomas): VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Former presidential candidate and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson has an interesting theory about the next presidential election.
May 13 -- Schools must meet needs of new workplace (ARN Editorial): Nextel Communications Inc. is a major Abilene business success story. And that success may have identified a major shortcoming in Abilene's educational offerings.
May 13 -- McMurry's home run (ARN Editorial): Call it life imitating art: McMurry University built it, and now, here they come.
May 13 -- Adult parents key to teen pregnancy (Linda Chavez): It's too soon to call it a sexual counter-revolution, but a growing number of teen-agers appear to be saying "no" to early sexual activity and its consequences.
May 13 -- A suggestion for how to end smoking (Bob Greene): RICHMOND, Va. -- The sight of the big Philip Morris manufacturing plant here evokes an odd combination of reactions.
May 12 -- Groundwork necessary for city bond issue (ARN Editorial): Councilman Don Drennan's feelings about government spending are well known. He'd rather have a root canal and a spinal tap than throw taxpayers' money around.
May 12 -- The wrath of El Nino (ARN Editorial): It seems a bit early to ask the perennial question, but is it hot enough for you?
May 12 -- Different pace of hope and science (Ellen Goodman): BOSTON - Hope escaped from the lab the other day. It happens from time to time. A kernel of hope will live in vials and petri dishes for years. There it will be nurtured, doubted, prodded, studied. Mice will be sacrificed. Scientists will spend their days and nights working on it.
May 12 -- Waiting for someone to confer esteem (George Will): SAN FRANCISCO - In this caricature by the bay there has been a ruckus over a requirement that high school students read works by "people of color." Nationally, there is an epidemic of "road rage" - aggressive drivers running red lights and venting high-speed hostility toward other drivers, the law and perhaps toward the hand that life has dealt.
May 11 -- Congress losing discipline over budget surplus (ARN Editorial): Slowly but, alas, surely, White House and congressional budget discipline are breaking down, after all of nine months. The irresistible reason is the projected budget surplus. It will be a whole lot larger and sooner than expected.
May 11 -- Demagoguery swamps needle issue (Molly Ivins): AUSTIN - I love politics, but some weeks, I can see why so many people would rather do something else - like get a root canal.
May 11 -- Israel and terms of dismemberment (Cal Thomas): The Clinton administration is attempting to pressure Israel into giving more land to the Palestinian Authority than Israel believes prudent to maintain its security needs.
May 10 -- Mother's Day spending not so deplorable (ARN Editorial): Do a little reading on Mother's Day today, and what you find is that the person who first proposed it, Julia Ward Howe, saw it as an occasion for women to speak out for peace and that the person who finally got the federal government to proclaim it, Anna Mary Jarvis, wasn't always perfectly peaceful.
May 10 -- Where cars go bump (ARN Editorial): Bravo to the 200 or so Cooper High School physics students and to teachers Jim Reeves and Nathan Neese who spent nine months and a $10,000 grant from Toyota to locate the 10 deepest dips in Abilene streets.
May 10 -- We need Solomon, not Robin Hood (Steve Ray Column): Folks called the plan Robin Hood -- a take from the rich and give to the poor idea to fund Texas schools.
May 10 -- An appetizer for American road hogs (Dale McFeatters Column): The Europeans complain, with some cause, that Americans tend to think of them and their products as cute and quaint.
May 10 -- TV detective's absence will leave a void (Sharon Randall Column): You know it's got nothing to do with you, but you can't help taking it personally. You have a standing date with a guy most every Friday for five years, and when you're hooked enough to tell your friends about him, he says it's over.
May 10 -- Millennium a jubilee of hope, not time of doom (Bishop Michael Pfeifer): The millennium clock is ticking. The year 2000 is a monumental, psychological and historical turning point that has always had a certain magical quality to it in people's minds.
May 10 -- Capital punishment in Texas is a manifestation of political blood lust (James Harrington): In a month's time, two amazing events unfolded. Not only do they cause us to wonder yet again about justice in our state, but also they raise serious questions about capital punishment in Texas and whether politics is creating a rush to execution and raising the risk of executing innocent people.
May 10 -- Lost in the attorney general's automated phone system (Tamara Eudy): Will someone please tell me one company that allows a person to get more than $25,000 behind and still does nothing to get its money? Believe it or not, I have the answer: the Texas attorney general's office.
May 9 -- Careful study needed about cancer 'cures' (ARN Editorial): In the medical and financial excitement over promising new cancer treatments, Dr. Judah Folkman's cautionary words -- "We have to be careful with expectations" -- were largely ignored.
May 9 -- Reporter-News Salutes: Recognizing groups and individuals who make a difference in the Big Country
May 9 -- Will the children still be sent back? (Bob Greene Column): CHILTON, Wis. -- Because courts of law are supposed to be more civilized and less cruel than people who abuse children, the treatment Michael Rogers received from Judge Steven Weinke last week was much more considerate than the treatment Rogers gave his 7-year-old daughter.
May 9 -- Pondering still waters, rapids of youth (Rheta Grimsley Johnson Column): ALONG THE LITTLE TALLAPOOSA RIVER -- The boy sat in the front of the canoe, paddling whenever he remembered to, swilling Dr Pepper, cupping his hand in cold current.
May 8 -- No substitute for parents to talk with teens (ARN Editorial): Increasing numbers of children having children has been one of the most disturbing trends in our society in recent decades, but -- clap your hands, stand and cheer -- it is now in reverse, and some new research shows a common-sense remedy really can work.
May 8 -- Godfather's orphans (ARN Editorial): Law enforcement officials believe organized crime now has one less organization.
May 8 -- New vision from the 'chick flicks' (Ellen Goodman Column): BOSTON -- I have spent this spring watching smart women make smart choices, or at least avoid foolish ones. Not just in life, but in love. Not just in the real world, but in the reel world.
May 8 -- Israel's half-century of state survival (George Will Column): WASHINGTON -- It has been said that mankind hopes vaguely but dreads precisely. Surely that is especially true of Jews, various of whose religious observances commemorate calamities or narrow deliverances from calamities. Hence the necessity of a Jewish state.
May 7 -- Let us receive guidance to be at peace inside (ARN Editorial): O God, Our forefathers believed Divine Providence brought our nation into being and guided us through our darkest hours -- times when wars and poverty threatened, when brother turned against brother, when freedom seemed threatened.
May 7 -- Downtown hoedown (ARN Editorial): Downtown Abilene's the place to be tonight. You'll want to come early. And you might want to stay late.
May 7 -- Hutchison's oil lobbying adventures (Molly Ivins Column): AUSTIN -- If you would be good enough to forget the president's privates for 10 minutes, I'll tell you an amazing story about how government works these days, featuring our very own Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. And some people say she's not all that bright -- ha!
May 7 -- The tangles woven by Clinton's Webb (Cal Thomas Column): The indictment of former Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell, his wife and two others on charges they conspired to avoid paying nearly $900,000 in income taxes, interest and penalties raises a very serious question.
May 6 -- Right speaker can lift hearts of new grads (ARN Editorial): The ceremony of awarding college degrees is called a commencement rather than a culmination because the end of the college experience is but a beginning to the life in the wider society that new graduates are starting.
May 6 -- The color of tourism (ARN Editorial): To many Abilenians, the local tourism industry remains largely invisible. We work here and take care of our families here, but when we think of tourists, we usually think of somewhere else.
May 6 -- Right-wing zealots and U.N. funds (Bonnie Erbe Column): Congress is sending President Clinton a bill members know in advance he'll veto: It contains a ban on funding for international family planning groups that lobby for abortion rights.
May 6 -- Guilty plea leaves Rogers children safe (Bob Greene): CHILTON, Wis. -- There are moments during this awful case when you have to stop and ask yourself whether that little boy will ever fully understand the majesty of what he has been able to accomplish.
May 5 -- Danger lurks for our schools in election law (ARN Editorial): Beyond the glaring disappointment that only 4,583 voters in a city of more than 100,000 participated in choosing City Council and school board members, two concerns about Saturday's Abilene municipal election come to mind - first, that the council contest between Versie Brown and Billy Enriquez will not be decided until more than a month after the initial vote and, second, that there will be no runoff for the Abilene school board between Lora Lynn Christensen and Charlie Wolfe.
May 5 -- Insurers rising to Viagra's challenge (Ellen Goodman): Here we are in a sexual frenzy about the drug that is raising male spirits. On the joke circuit, Viagra has replaced Monica. On the cover of Time, the little blue pill has become the Man of the Year. In the newspaper, the word erection is now part of the hard news vocabulary. And double-entendres about this growth stock are spilling over the airwaves like water over Niagara.
May 5 -- Ferraro race would test 'liberal' epithet (George Will): NEW YORK - In 1984 Walter Mondale, trailing Ronald Reagan, chose as his running mate an Italian-American Catholic woman. Reagan carried Italian-Americans, Catholics and women. Mondale carried Minnesota and the District of Columbia. Geraldine Ferraro carried on.
May 4 -- Economic rise good news for Social Security (ARN Editorial): The economy is booming, and that's good news for Social Security, the trustees for the system said the other day. Why, they boasted, the Social Security trust fund won't be depleted until 2032, three years later than previously believed.
May 4 -- Jedi knights instead of C3P0 weenies (Cal Thomas): That was some speech House Speaker Newt Gingrich gave to GOPAC last Monday night in Washington. One might think somebody had slipped the male potency pill Viagra into his water glass.
May 4 -- Expanding NATO a disastrous idea (Molly Ivins): Expansion of Western alliance just makes arms folks happy. And for a really, really bad idea, try expanding NATO to include Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. That's what the U.S. Senate approved doing on Thursday, by a lopsided 80-19 vote.
May 3 -- Hockey makes welcome skate into Abilene (ARN Editorial): Abilene's entertainment offerings have taken a decided upswing with the announcement that a professional hockey team is skating into town in October.
May 3 -- A western classic (ARN Editorial): Today's Abilene Reporter-News contains a special section on this week's Western Heritage Classic, one of the local calendar's most popular occasions. You'll find a complete schedule, a map, photos and descriptions of participants and events -- in short, everything you need to help take full advantage of the Classic's diversified offerings.
May 3 -- Using state office as stepping stone (Steve Ray Column): Texas has used down-ballot offices as sort of a farm team for the big leagues for much of its history.
May 3 -- Life tramps on in town torn asunder (Rheta Grimsley Johnson Column): MCDONALD CHAPEL, Ala. -- Our Father who art in Heaven ... Say the Lord's Prayer quickly, twice. That's how long the killer tornado hovered over McDonald Chapel, sucking up lives, spitting them out.
May 3 -- It takes being still so that you can hear (Sharon Randall Column): One morning after I had slapped off the snooze alarm and gone back to sleep, I awoke to the sound of the town clock chiming the quarter hour. Never mind which hour.
May 3 -- The bridesmaid offers thoughtful advice to the bride (Lisa Rodriguez Column): 'Tis the season -- not for silver bells, but wedding bells, as the notorious summer months draw nigh.
May 3 -- Tornado Sirens: Sweetwater's glad to have them (Don King): I am totally amazed at the ignorance and misinformed opinions being expressed in regard to an outdoor tornado warning system.
May 3 -- Tornado Sirens: Warped thinking of arguments against (Philip Horn): Whether the city of Abilene establishes sirens for tornado alert is inconsequential to me. I live 65 miles or so away and visit only once or twice a month to shop. But I think Abilenians should make the decisions on something more than the warped thinking and justifications of Ron Ashmore (April 24).
May 3 -- Supporting National Day of Prayer (Joe Alcorta Column): Thursday has been designated as a National Day of Prayer for our country. I support this day and challenge you to pray.
May 2 -- Reporter-News Salutes: Recognizing the contributions of group and individuals who make a difference in the Big Country
May 2 -- An unknown no more (ARN Editorial): Defense Secretary William Cohen should accept the recommendation of a Pentagon panel and exhume the remains of a Vietnam-era soldier from the Tomb of the Unknowns, soldiers from four of America's wars "known but to God."
May 2 -- New book on AARP hard hitting (Joseph Spear Column): I had been impressed with the American Association of Retired Persons since the day I turned 50 and an AARP membership application package showed up in my mailbox.
May 2 -- Difficult to argue with this bright idea (Bob Greene Column): LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The sound of one bird calling to another -- to be followed within moments by the songs of two more birds, and then, soon, more -- announced the morning. The first light of day cut through the gauze curtains on this April dawn in the Virginia countryside, and all seemed immediately right with the world.
May 1 -- It's your city government; vote Saturday (ARN Editorial): Abilenians will go to the polls Saturday to elect City Council and school board members.
May 1 -- A Philharmonic treat (ARN Editorial): If you've been looking for musical substance beyond the usual warhorses, don't miss Saturday's Abilene Philharmonic concert at 8 p.m. at the Civic Center.
May 1 -- The father was always there for them (Ellen Goodman): BOSTON -- This is the scene that keeps playing in my imagination. The moment when Stephen Fagan turned to 2-year-old Wendy and 5-year-old Rachael and told them: Your mother is dead.
May 1 -- Social conservatives seeking a leader: As just about everybody concedes by now, the popular base of the Republican Party is a coalition of two quite different groups: the economic conservatives and the social conservatives. The former want to cut taxes and shrink government, while the latter are chiefly interested in protecting and promoting what are often called "family values." What the two groups have in common is a detestation of the liberals, who they both rightly perceive as hostile to their concerns.