What not to write if you're flying with the Knights
Posted Saturday, July 5, 2008 @ 07:32 pm

If you ever get the chance to ride with the U.S. Army's Golden Knights, you will be asked to sign a waiver -- a paper that basically says no one will sue the demonstration team or the U.S. Army if something bad happens.
Trust me on this: Do not write a note to your kids on this form. I did -- along the lines of "And if something does happen, tell my kids to be good and that I love them."
But I freaked out the Knights and am real sorry about that. No one has ever written a note on the waiver form.
They asked if I was suicidal. The answer is no. (Personally, I agree with author Kurt Vonnegut that taking one's life sets a bad example.) The Knights kindly agreed to let me fly, seatbelted, toward the front of the plane.

I didn't know that last month a civilian skydiving crew had the horrific experience of an observer aboard the plane leaping to his death.
Sgt. Pete White of the Golden Knights told me the story -- it has shaken the entire skydiving community.
(A public service note: If you are depressed for any reason, help is a mouse click away. If you need to talk, dial 800-273-TALK (8255). Local ATT or CenturyTel customers can dial 211 for confidential referrals.)
The Golden Knights are cool people. I found them direct, adventurous and individually very interesting. They have developed strong bonds as a team, which requires enormous trust. I'm glad they trusted me enough to join Friday's afternoon flight.

From time to time, they will take a passenger on the way down in what is called a tandem -- I'm too much of a nervous Nelly for that, but check out this YouTube video of a grandmother during a civilian tandem experience.

Did you go to the combined LibertyFest and Air Show? What did you think?

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'S' as in 'Sauerbrunn'
Posted Wednesday, July 2, 2008 @ 03:03 pm

Fruitland firefighter Ken Sauerbrunn's name was misspelled in Sunday's story about a man rescued from the Mississippi River's backwater.

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Live from Cape County Commission
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2008 @ 09:38 am

10:11 a.m. County Clerk Kara Clark is giving backgraound to a letter from a children's advocacy group to agree to support using recycling money from the plates to buy bike helments for kids. Dept. of Revenue is not supporting the program, but MoDOT and license bureause are, Clark said. By law, old license plates must be sent back to the Dept. of Revenue. Dept.

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A bump in the night
Posted Wednesday, June 25, 2008 @ 10:40 am

After writing about Tuesday's minor earthquake in Illinois, I was startled later on, about 10 p.m., by a sudden shift in my chair at home.
I called the newsroom and asked copy editor Spencer Cramer if he had felt it.

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A bit of Cape County news
Posted Tuesday, June 24, 2008 @ 12:56 am

Monday's Cape Girardeau County commission meeting was brief. For starters, Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones has been on vacation since last week. I understand he's expected back next week some time.
Associate commissioners Larry Bock -- he was the acting presiding commissioner -- and Jay Purcell kept a pretty light agenda.

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Well, I tried to blog from the county meeting...
Posted Monday, June 23, 2008 @ 12:37 pm

As my laptop warmed up during this morning's Cape Girardeau County Commission meeting, a funny thing happened.
I encountered a wireless Internet connection. So I tried using it. Alas, all that went through was an e-mail.
More on the commissioners' meeting in a little while.

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Charter chat 2
Posted Thursday, June 19, 2008 @ 07:11 pm

After Tuesday's story on plans to learn more about what it would take to charter Cape Girardeau County, I got a call from Ed Hillhouse, Franklin County presiding commissioner, now midway through his second term.

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Flooding closes stretch of Route C in Perry County
Posted Wednesday, June 18, 2008 @ 03:12 pm

Here's a quick note from MoDOT's Sikeston office:
"Route C has closed due to the rising floodwater from the Mississippi River. This section of roadway is located from County Road 352 to County Road 354.
Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.

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County charter chat
Posted Tuesday, June 17, 2008 @ 03:25 pm

Looks like Cape Girardeau's Chamber of Commerce is launching a fact-finding expedition to explore what it would take to transform Cape County to a charter form of government.
It's a long process.

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Hitting the 'pause' button
Posted Monday, June 16, 2008 @ 12:55 pm

I took some time off this blog while in Michigan but needed a few extra days to regroup.

The biggest news from my home state is bad -- the real estate market is darker than ever -- my own realtor has told me to expect a marathon wait of up to three years until my home sells, what withRead more >> | Browse comments

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