Columns

By Frank Passic DONNA MONTRAN—ALBION’S BATHING BEAUTY This week I’d like to feature another Albionite that appeared in the movies. She was actor, dancer, and “bathing beauty” Donna Montran (1893-1976). Madonna “Donna” Montran was born in Albion on February 20,…

“Character is power.” – Booker T. WashingtonI’d like to take a moment and share a personal experience, and thank some great people for taking care of me during a time when I needed a little special attention. On Tuesday, April…

Some people don’t believe that Satan is real. They don’t believe that Satan is causing much of the evil in our world today. I am not one of them. Bishop Gruss said recently at a Diocesan gathering of men that…

By Scott SullivanEditorDr. OzThe son of Turkish immigrants, Mehmet Cengis oz (born June 11, 1960) was raised in Wilmington, Del., not far from where Joe Biden grew up 19 years earlier.His parents — father Mustafa, who graduated at the top…

The recent decision by Allegan County Commissioners to change home delivered meal providers for The Olds caught my attention.My first thought came from a line from the film “The Godfather” when one of the mobsters ordered a hit on a…

Robert Tomlinson, our news director in Three Rivers, gave a terrific speech to the local Rotary Club about the importance of your local newspaper. I thought I would share a portion with you.“With our twelve weekly newspapers the mission is…

By Frank Passic M.F.K. FISHER WAS BORN IN ALBION             Recently there was an incident at 202 Irwin Avenue in Albion that required the help of the Albion Department of Public Safety. It was in the news and the situation…

“Leadership is influence.” -John MaxwellOn Saturday, April 11, the Fraternal Order of Eagles #2303 will host a Silent Auction for Three Rivers Area Mentoring (TRAM) from 5 until 8 PM. The lodge is located at 715 E. Hoffman St. in…

Not long ago a person gave me an answer to what happens when he is at adoration in church before the crucifix and the exposition of the Eucharist in the monstrance. The answer was simple, but not simplistic. He said,…

By Scott SullivanEditorApril FoolsA white-haired, wild-eyed septuagenarian staggered up to the first Meijer clerk he saw and cried, “Need a belt.”“Don’t we all?” she said, slipping out a schnapps flask hidden in her waste pack. “You first.”“I mean the kind…

I spent most of last Thursday afternoon March 27 listening to the radio, taking in the opening day of the baseball season. The Chicago Cubs were playing the Washington Nationals, and if you can’t remember the score, “Wait ‘til next…

There are moments when a nation is reminded, in the clearest possible terms, who it is and who it chooses to be. The rescue of two American airmen from enemy territory is one of those moments. Not just because it…

Food Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

On Holy Thursday we celebrate the institution of two sacraments. While at supper with his disciples Jesus instituted the sacraments of Holy Orders and Eucharist which are intimately related to each other. In the few words of consecration Jesus says…

By Scott SullivanEditorCornhole KingIn a world where quadruple amputees can become pro cornhole players, wrestlers, marksmen and murderers, I agree with C.G. Stoppel: now we need a sing-along.Saturday’s latest No Kings rally, relegated late to sidewalks around Coghlin Park in…

The other day I opened my accordion case for the first time in far too long. Under it were a couple song books published by the War Department at the beginning of World War II.The USO, chaplains and division morale…

There are few things more corrosive to public trust than the appearance that those in power play by a different set of rules. Congress’s long-standing practice of shielding the identities of lawmakers who used taxpayer-funded settlements to resolve sexual harassment…

By Scott SullivanEditorIntersections ofAnglesWhat a gloomy dirge this has been! Who would turn light to dark? Dark-sky advocates, who claim we can use that inversion, conversion, diversion … Sun and stars, that’s it.All light we know emerges from fires fueled…

During that brief splat of warm weather earlier this month, I noticed a neighbor had accessorized several trees with small metal buckets, covered with a piece of metal, just underneath a metal tube attached to the tree.I knew from experience…

“It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of Patriotism.” -J. Horace McFarlandThings to Drop From Your Life