[Nameplate] Mostly Cloudy ~ 73°F  
High: 80°F ~ Low: 60°F
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Memphis has come a long way since the Tams (05/17/13)
The Memphis Grizzlies may not make it past the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals, but I wouldn't bet too much on that if I were you.
She got 50 yards farther than I did (05/10/13)
Thursday afternoon was winding down in sort of a normal fashion with me in the process of running graduation pictures through Photoshop to end up with a standard size and acceptable resolution.
It's always a blast to play with John Rose (05/03/13)
If ever there was an individual who has failed to develop a basic comprehension of a game he's played most of his life, it's John Rose when it comes to golf.
My political mentors are all in the grave (04/26/13)
On the 5-minute drive to work this morning, I got to thinking about local politics, I guess as a result of Wednesday's rather surprising story about pay increases for various city employees.
Mom is home now, with few corrections (04/19/13)
When I rambled on about the demise of my various old-timey relatives in last week's column, I knew I had some of it mixed up but since I didn't know what was mixed up and what wasn't, I kept writing. That's one of the convenient things about a column, it doesn't guarantee much in the way of journalistic research...
Time of reckoning: Colonoscopy day is here (04/12/13)
If it wasn't for my big lug-head buddy Bruce, I probably wouldn't have done this. But since he came down with colon cancer, which he is battling on a successful basis (the best I can tell), I went ahead and scheduled this routine procedure.
Easter weekend featured lots of driving (04/05/13)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife took off Tuesday last week, headed north to Columbia, Mo., to squeeze as much time as possible out of granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo's spring break.
Two chargers at the river; one dead golf cart (03/29/13)
It's hard to explain the complications adequately, but my upcoming weekend will need to include a trip through Van Buren, Mo., to pick up at least one golf cart charger so that the cart I keep in my garage at home will have a chance to make it around Wednesday afternoon should weather permit a trip to the course.
Lure of spring break, granddaughters in the air (03/22/13)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife is making plans to spend several days in points north during the granddaughter Alexandra and Leah-Bo's spring break next week, and I think she has plans for me to join her at some point in time. The most likely reunion location is opening day of Six Flags St. Louis next Saturday, particularly if I can swing a few press passes and the weather turns out to be decent...
I'm glad my press isn't connected to phone lines (03/15/13)
Some of you have no doubt noticed that the Courier News e-edition disappeared sometime yesterday afternoon, and if you happen to be one of those who keeps it up and running, you might have noticed that it had a couple of glimmers of life through the night.
In baseball, it ain't over 'til it's over, Herb (03/08/13)
Herb Smith popped his head in my office early this morning and started (I guess you could say) bragging about how much better the Blytheville High School baseball team is looking this year in comparison to recent years.
Florida trip was fast, furious ... but fun (03/01/13)
When you drive five hours to catch a $150 round-trip flight to Orlando, Fla., and have only two full days and two half-days on the ground down there, it's kind of hard to get everything in you'd want to but we tried.
Auto insurance seems lucrative nowadays (02/22/13)
As I have previously related on numerous occasions in this column, watching commercials on TV is not one of the things for which I have much of a predilection.
In one week's time ... two gone from family (02/15/13)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Mother relayed to me through My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife that her big sister, Evelyn, who everybody in the family called "Gee," passed away earlier this week in Washington state.
Big River Steel 'Superproject' will have some problems (02/08/13)
The recent news about John Correnti and friends' decision to locate the new Big River Steel Mill project just south of Osceola is certainly a strong positive for the south county and by extension, all of Mississippi County and the surrounding counties as well.
Late Thanksgiving, Christmas in Texas (02/01/13)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife is due to return to Blytheville later today after spending a week going to, coming from, and staying in Austin, Texas, where youngest son Zach currently resides.
I'm going to Disney World! (I think) (01/25/13)
You know how all the pro athletes who win big games get to stand up before the cameras and shout, "I'm going to Disney World."
Lonely week: Bad weather, no wife, no dogs (01/18/13)
I'm not sure, but I think this last weekend was the first time My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife ever abandoned me to go off on one of her trips to the realm of granddaughters and took the dogs with her as well.
Dogs slowing learning what a hole is (01/11/13)
I completed the "great storm door installation project" Wednesday afternoon (and only hung it backwards once). It was too drizzly and cool to get out on the golf course anyway, and I'd put off doing it long enough as it was, so I finished it up. My Christmas present to My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife this year (we've been married long enough that gifts of practicality are, well, practical) was a fairly high-dollar storm door that sported a large "dog door" in the bottom third of it, a big enough hole and flap that our half-Lab, half-Shepherd dog "Bosley" (who weighs in the neighborhood of 100 pounds) could get in and out with ease.. ...
Another year comes and goes -- quick-like (01/04/13)
I remember when a year used to take a long time to come and go. Not so anymore. I've got a feeling that this one we're in now won't last any longer than last year did, if it lasts that long.
Christmas turned into a long holiday this year (12/28/12)
In years gone by, Christmas has often been an occasion for a day off with all spare time leading up to the actual day used up on Christmas shopping and other pre-holiday necessities.
Granddaughters missed the snow in Columbia (12/21/12)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife made it back to Blytheville with granddaughters Leah-Bo and Alexandra Wednesday night, only a day behind schedule, which is pretty good, I guess.
Somebody should still be held responsible (12/14/12)
It's so really very sweet and nice that the city of Blytheville and the IRS have agreed on the mechanics through which the IRS will so graciously accept the city's money owed from unpaid back payroll taxes. But there is still the question is, "How much money?"
Long break from meaningful college football (12/07/12)
I've griped about this before, and I can't resist griping about it again. It's an annual thing for me.
Is a three-year committment too optimistic? (11/30/12)
I guess the biggest news this week was John Ed Regenold's election as chairman of the Arkansas State Highway Commission.
Another Thanksgiving comes and goes (11/23/12)
We have a particularly odd schedule at the Courier News when Thanksgiving rolls around. There are so many inserts for "Black Friday" sales that we feel obligated to advertisers to have papers on Wednesday and Thursday, not skipping a day for the holiday. ...
Thanksgiving seems a little early this year (11/16/12)
I don't know about you, but for some reason the Thanksgiving holiday seems to be a little ahead of schedule this year. Maybe it's just because time flies a little faster as you get older, or maybe because Nov. 22 is a little earlier than usual for the actual holiday.
Election Day 2012 in the past, thankfully (11/09/12)
I've always considered myself something of a cynic when it comes to politics. In simple terms, that means I don't trust politicians as far as I could throw them. None of them. I never have, and I never will. This attitude of mine is not restricted to Republicans, or to Democrats, or to Independents, but applies more or less equally to any and all party affiliations, groups, sects or whatever...
Zachary talks about the strangest things (11/02/12)
Youngest son Zachary was involved in a fender-bender earlier this week that rendered his 10-plus-year-old Nissan Altima incapable of delivering pizzas around the University of Texas campus in Austin; therefore he was out of a job 'til he got some more wheels.
Today's a dreary day to write a column (10/26/12)
I've never been one to take the weather too much to heart; it is what it is. I'm not particularly afraid of storms or anything like that. But this morning I woke up about 5, a couple of hours earlier than necessary.
I'm (not) so sad to see the Yankees swept (10/19/12)
If the Cardinals manage to blow their 3-1 lead in the National League Championship series against the Giants, it will still be a good year in baseball because the Yankees got swept by the Tigers and are gone from World Series contention. My Yankee enmity probably goes back to 1964 when the Cardinals and Yankees played in the World Series ... ...
Cards stay in "stomp or get 1-runned" mode (10/12/12)
I lead this column off with my usual Cardinal segment because tonight at 7:30 they play the Washington Nationals in the final game of their 5-game National League Divisional Series (NLDS) game to see who advances against My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife's previous favorite team, the San Francisco Giants.
Columbia trip meets most expectations (10/05/12)
It's a longer drive than I usually like to squeeze around one weekend, but it was worth the trip to see the granddaughters and get in a round of golf with my two oldest sons, both of whom are in the golf business.
Football off to a whacky start this year (09/28/12)
The biggest headlines have been about the incompetence of the NFL replacement officials and the handful of last-minute blown calls that caused such a stir on Monday Night Football.
Work at Current River place hits a snag (09/21/12)
Several years back I bought a place up at the Current River outside Van Buren, Mo., that's really like a mini-motel complex. 60 feet long, 30 feet deep, with an 8-foot deck running all along the front and down both sides of the building to the rear.
Missouri Tigers eat up Columbia hotel rooms (09/14/12)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife and I were considering heading up to Columbia, Mo., this weekend to (among other things) watch youngest granddaughter Leah-Bo's second ever soccer game.
'What's up with the weather,' NG asks (09/07/12)
One of my favorite magazines is National Geographic, referred to in the headline above as "NG." My Dear Sweet Sainted Mother has been buying me a subscription to it for a Christmas present for years and years (along with a bag of underwear).
"Neither a borrower or a lender be ..." (08/31/12)
The headline of this column doesn't have a thing in the world to do with what I'm writing about, it's just one of my favorite sayings.
Southard likes to stay busy, retired or not (08/24/12)
It's been a few years now since Jim Southard retired from the Red Ball (barber shop), but I think he still sneaks up there occasionally to cut a few heads of hair that need cutting by Jim his own self.
Hitting the 'Big 6-0' no big ripple so far (08/17/12)
Yesterday was my birthday, and I have now reached the magic age of 60. Actually, I can't tell you what's all that magical about it ... it feels just like 50 or 40 to me but maybe it's just the sound of it.
Last summer session with granddaughters here (08/10/12)
At some undetermined point in time this evening, My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife should show up back in Blytheville with granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo, after having driven up to Columbia, Mo., Thursday and absconded with them.
A look back at the old YMCA days (08/03/12)
Who remembers Mark Bivens? He's the guy who took my column spot last week, and may do so again one of these days (or somebody else's spot, depends on how things go). We chit-chat occasionally via email and came up with the idea that whenever he comes up with a column that's about his "old home place" we'd run it in the Courier News...
Summer proceeds: Another shift with granddaughters (07/20/12)
Granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo showed up Saturday night, just in time to give me a good excuse to stay off the golf course Sunday (bless their hearts).
Granddaughter time approaches again (07/13/12)
Communication between My Dear Sweet Sainted wife and the mother of granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo is somewhat discombobulated at times, so I can't really tell you if the granddaughters will be here Saturday or Sunday or Monday or Tuesday, but on their way they are.
Global warming making presence known to all (07/06/12)
There's a story on the Lifestyles page today that describes how many more "high" temperature readings have been measured in the last few years as opposed to "low" temperature readings.
Granddaughters gone again, via Morrilton (06/29/12)
It's been a week now, but granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo were spirited away last Friday by their mother, who had a few days off from her job as a nurse up in Columbia, Mo.
Hiring a football coach can get complicated (06/22/12)
I'm not privy to the reason(s) former Blytheville High School football coach Maurice Moody decided to leave town after just two years on the job, returning to his former position as a West Memphis assistant coach. Whatever the reasons, Moody left a gaping hole in the coaching structure.
Week with granddaughters lots of fun, work (06/08/12)
Alexandra and Leah Bo showed up with their father, middle son Kit, Friday afternoon in time for Kit and I to play in the Teal Shootout that started at 5:30 that afternoon.
Granddaughters heading down for the Teal (06/01/12)
Probably the most valuable thing about a two-day, two-man scramble like the George Teal Memorial Tournament to be played this weekend at Blytheville Country Club is its tendency to bring relatives and old friends to town for the weekend for a social visit.
51-0 wasn't a bad start, if you ask me (05/25/12)
To be honest with you, I got the 51-0 from Bruce Hay, who was a little leaguer back in the day when I was an American Legion 17-year-old in the summer of 1970.
Sometimes there's just not enough press (05/18/12)
The Blytheville Courier News prints an average of 16 pages a day, very rarely less than 14, very rarely more than 18, and the original Goss Community installed when the new Courier building was built in 1971 was big enough to run 20 pages.
Not too much new to write about this week (05/11/12)
I guess I could write about the city and its IRS scandal -- for the longest time there was something happening in that little mess -- but that constant discussion has just about died down now, awaiting some report from the State Police/FBI investigations.
What's up with this no-rain-in-April thing? (05/04/12)
April showers bring May flowers. Not this year.
Politics can be like owning rental property (04/27/12)
When my father passed away (more than 30 years ago now) he left my mother and me in possession of several pieces of rental property in Steele, much of which he bought in order to expand the parking lot behind the Steele Enterprise building.
Why I'm so negative about 'social media' (04/20/12)
It seems that the technological advancements of the last several years are taking root with more and more folks all the time.
Lots of State Police, FBI talk going around (04/13/12)
Second Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington asked the State Police to investigate Blytheville's failure to make tax deposits to the IRS a couple of months ago; now the FBI has announced plans to stick its lengthy nose into it as well.
March: An odd time for Current River fun (04/06/12)
Granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo were in town last week, and I worked half-days in order to spend a little extra time with them before they get all grown up.
Granddaughters help keep things hopping (03/30/12)
Alexandra and Leah-Bo showed up around 10 p.m. Monday night, having made their way east to St. Louis from Columbia, Mo., where they and My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife paused briefly (all of Monday afternoon) at the City Museum in St. Louis which, according to those three females, is quite a place...
Parks & Rec money should be easy to spend (03/23/12)
The city of Blytheville received $1.1 million and change Monday from Warren Bank and Trust when bonds that had matured in December were remitted to to city.
Voters give city a break on tax issue (03/16/12)
This whole mess with the city and its problems with the Internal Revenue Service has apparently been solved by the simple measure of hitting up the shopping public with a 1-cent add-on sales tax, voted into law this past week.
It's time to decide on IRS/sales tax vote (03/09/12)
On the surface, it seems highly unfair to make the citizens of Blytheville take on an extra 1-cent sales tax to bail the city out of its current imbroglio with the Internal Revenue Service.
Getting close to spring break for granddaughters (03/02/12)
I'm not sure of the exact week, but sometime in March granddaughters Leah-Bo and Alexandra will be out of school for a week and it's possible that My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife and I will hijack them for a few of those days.
And I thought not paying taxes was illegal (02/24/12)
Mark Brasfield did a little research on one of the subjects I raised in last week's column, namely, why hasn't the city tried to collect the bond money connected to the former mayor, financial director and treasurer?
What would we do without the Internet? (02/17/12)
I sometimes write a few words that some would categorize as critical of the Internet ... I make fun of people who "Tweet" their days away, I make fun of "Facebook fanatics," I complain sometimes about people who seem glued to their "smart phones" on a continual basis.
Pardon me while I rant a little bit (02/10/12)
I didn't go to the public meeting featuring state auditors at the Ritz Tuesday night but I did read Mark Brasfield's news story in Wednesday's Courier News.
Tom Brady won't let this one get away (02/03/12)
Every time anybody's asked me about who I think is going to win this Sunday's Super Bowl, I've answered, "The Giants, they're on a roll right now."
Granddaughter fix went both ways this time (01/27/12)
In last week's column I mentioned that My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife was getting to the point where a visit to the granddaughters up in Columbia, Mo., was becoming a necessity.
Clinton's beginning to look like Broyles (01/20/12)
I was watching what used to be the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament on TV Thursday night (mostly reading my latest book, actually, but watching out of the corner of my eye).
Winter has been pretty tolerable so far (01/13/12)
Even with the little spit of snow we had Thursday and some lower temperatures moving in for the weekend, you have to admit, global warming seems to have settled in on the Mid-South and I don't mind a bit. It's the middle of January and we've only had a few days of nippy weather, hardly any snow and not just a whole lot of rain. And plenty of days have been in the 50s, even the 60s, bordering on winter golf weather. Now, if it'll just stay that way...
There's a big hammer working downtown (01/06/12)
It's about a mile away from the Courier News office, but whenever I go outside I hear (at very consistent 1 1/2 second intervals) a pounding, slamming noise coming from the approximate vicinity of our old warehouse at the corner of Railroad and Ash downtown.
I've changed my mind: Voting NO on tax (12/30/11)
Twice I've mentioned in this column that I was (with reservations) going to vote YES in the upcoming special election for a sales tax add-on to take care of the city of Blytheville's multi-million dollar debt to the IRS. I've stated that the vote had little chance of approval my vote notwithstanding; I was just thinking of the easiest way out for the city...
Christmas Day wraps up granddaughter week (12/23/11)
All good things must come to an end, and that's the case with having granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo at the house for the last week, while they were out of school for Christmas vacation.
Snagging granddaughters in St. Louis works (12/16/11)
If the whole idea is to transport granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo from Columbia, Mo., to Blytheville with no need to spend any time in Columbia, My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife (mostly) and I have stumbled on the maneuver of meeting one of their parents in St. Louis and just swapping the girls from one car to the other.
Mareno might have more money than sense (12/09/11)
When granddaughter Alexandra's mother told her that "Albert has gone to the Angels," the sweet-natured 7-year-old broke out crying.
What Christmas break means to me (12/02/11)
I remember back in the old days when I was in grade school, Christmas break was a real big deal to me and the other kids in Steele Elementary School.
Thanksgiving went very smoothly this year (11/25/11)
Thanks mostly to the hard work of My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife and Mother, Thanksgiving was another enjoyable day with pretty much everybody in the family around for the festivities.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner (11/18/11)
Abraham Lincoln took time out from what must have been a busy agenda in 1863 to designate the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving, and the holiday has evolved into a variety of manifestations over the years.
What do you make of the Penn State mess? (11/11/11)
Sports talk shows and ESPN's Sports Center -- not to mention all sorts of national news broadcasts -- have been hung up all week on the scandal in progress at Penn State University.
Weekend ran a little long, but was fun (11/04/11)
It started out as a fairly routine weekend trip to Columbia, Mo., to attend a Saturday Halloween party hosted by granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo and their next-door neighbor (I think her name is Megan).
Getting in a little lick back at Harrison (10/21/11)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife finally got back into town the other day from yet another excursion to visit (and babysit) granddaughters Alexandra and Leah Bo in Columbia, Mo.
Another week of messing with the dogs (10/14/11)
I have once again been abandoned by my Dear Sweet Sainted Wife, who has removed herself to Columbia, Mo., to be there for Leah-Bo's fourth birthday (Wednesday) and to stay through the weekend (Alex and Leah-Bo's parents both having to work, weekend babysitters scarce, Dear Sweet Sainted Wife happy to oblige).
St. Louis trip was worth the trouble (10/07/11)
Much as I hated to miss my usual Wednesday afternoon golf game, I had to make an exception this week to take advantage of an early starting time for the Cardinals' last home game in the playoff series against Philadelphia.
1,000,000 page views ... I guess that's a lot (09/30/11)
Sometime Thursday night somebody took a look at one or more of the pages on the Courier News website, and our little counting process bumped up over 1,000,000 in the "page views" category.
Let's start off with the poor old Cardinals (09/23/11)
As a lifelong Cardinals fan, nurtured by radio broadcasts early in life and working on up through today's TV coverage of virtually every game, I have to say this season has been an odd one. I've mentioned that 16 years is a long, long time to put up with Tony LaRussa and his odd fixation on changing relief pitchers until he finds one the other team can hit...
I better brag while the bragging is good (09/16/11)
I know it's only two weeks into the "Pigskin Payoff" football contest, but among the eight of us in this year's Courier News employee contest -- at this exact moment in time -- I, David Tennyson, am reigning in the coveted "First Place" position,
Where does Blytheville go from here? (09/09/11)
The headline for this column asks a very interesting question, to which I certainly don't have all the answers. But I will offer a few suggestions.
I was a big football fan, but that was 15 years ago (09/02/11)
Growing up I played football ... sandlot when I was a little guy, high school, a little bitty dab in college ... and I was always a big college and NFL fan from the word go, particularly a Hog fan, and for some reason, a New Orleans Saint and Chicago Bears fan.
This week's columns were pretty good (08/26/11)
It's not my normal practice to offer comments on my fellow Courier News column writers' efforts, but this week I managed to read Pat Ivey's on Tuesday, Andy Weld's on Wednesday, and Mark Brasfield's on Thursday.
Dr. John was a good guy, and I miss him (08/19/11)
There's a golf tournament this weekend at the country Club in honor of Dr. John Williams, who passed away a few years ago at way too early an age.
Lost dog causes (temporary) difficulties (08/12/11)
Some dogs are dumber than others, as just about anyone knows. Granddaughters Alexandra and Leah-Bo have always wanted a dog, and a few months ago they went to the Columbia, Mo., humane shelter and picked out a medium-size female Boxer and named her Brooke.
Everybody had enough of this heat? (08/05/11)
Most folks who have known me for a while understand that I devote Wednesday afternoons with acceptable weather to playing golf, as I have for 35 years or so.
It's time for some answers about the money (07/29/11)
Former City of Blytheville Finance Director Faye Griggs has retired, and before she did, she didn't have anything to say about why she didn't make city payroll tax deposits to the tune of $2 million plus.
So long to granddaughters for a spell (07/22/11)
Mothers can be sometimes be rather tricky, sometimes even devious. I seem to recall a few such circumstance from some of my much younger days (apologies to My Dear Sweet Sainted Mother).
Twitter, Tweets, Facebook ... what's next? (07/14/11)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife and I were out for our weekly "Saturday night date" at Olympia, which is one of our revolving set of favorite local restaurants.
Publishers shouldn't dig post holes in the hills (06/24/11)
My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife couldn't stand our dogs running wild all over the Deer Run property and campground (up at Van Buren, Mo.); even though they would never hurt anybody, they are still stupid and clumsy and always ready to grab a free snack if it's available.
River was wet but so was the weather (06/17/11)
As you might expect, the Current River was still running strong last weekend, and was well back in its banks and behaving properly.
Summer seems ahead of schedule this year (06/10/11)
Officially, the first day of summer is June 20 or 21, when the sun reaches "summer soltice," or when the sun appears at its furthest point to the north of the year, which produces the longest day of the year.
Haven't seen the granddaughters in a while (05/27/11)
With the Memorial Day Weekend coming up, and Andy needing to trade working weekends with me because of his daughter's softball schedule, I'm off for three days and headed up to Columbia, Mo., to spend some time with granddaughters Alexandra and Leah Bo.
Let's talk more about Thunder Bayou (05/19/11)
Aside from the fact that lots and lots of rain causes problems and that the city has never seemed to have the money to run the place, I've got to say this ... Thunder Bayou is a beauty.
Dear Sweet Sainted Wife northbound again (05/13/11)
It will be another few weeks before Alexandra and Leah-Bo's mother picks up a new schedule at the hospital, so this being the "every" of the "every-other-week" work schedule, My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife is headed north as I write this, wearing, I'm sure, her babysitting shoes, ready for a weekend with the granddaughters...
David Tennyson
David Tennyson is publisher of the Blytheville Courier News.
Home
© 2013 Blytheville Courier News