The Madison-Milton bridge has been an immovable object in our community for 80 years now. Few living residents of Jefferson or Trimble counties can remember when it wasn’t there. But does that mean that, in the building of a new…
Pete Rose, one of baseball’s all-time greatest players, has been locked in what he calls “a prison without bars” for 20 years now, because major league baseball was once so scared by a World Series sell-out scheme that it went…
The Mulatto Messiah is known for his oh-so smooth and articulate style of delivery. But on Wednesday, he took a topic he didn’t even need to comment on, and managed to blow it up into a big controversy, just when…
Gov. Mark Sanford, you and your fellow unzipped politicians are giving us men a bad name. Make that, “a worse name.” We already had a bad name with most women when it comes to sex. They love to trade knowing…
Mention “Song of the South” and many younger Americans will assume you’re talking about that Southern rock song by the group Alabama. But those of us who are a little longer in the tooth know better. “Song of the South”…
Now we know what caused the disastrous courthouse fire — human error. The investigators, insurance companies and courts no doubt will be fighting it out on that line, if it takes all summer (and fall … and winter …) but…
We were the “Victory Babies” — the people born in 1945, the year the Allies defeated Germany and Japan, the watershed year into a new world of the Cold War, the nuclear arms race, rock ‘n’ roll, Vietnam … But…
It’s just always been there, our courthouse. Like a huge, brick and stone sentinel, it watched over generations of Jefferson Countians from its lot on East Main Street. It was unchanging, or seemed to us to be, like few things…
“Torture doesn’t work!” That was the mantra chanted over and over again during last year’s presidential election by those supporting Barack Obama, and vilifying George W. Bush for allegedly approving treatment of captured terrorists that would put Attila the Hun…
No Corporal’s Corner for the coming week — I’m “goin’ fishin’”, so to speak. Been getting some of those “Wayne’s on the outside looking in” blues again, with doubts about whether anyone’s actually reading this weekly rant. So I’m going…
Tea Party I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. — Winston Churchill If someone had invited you…
Madison’s Birthday We all have birthdays once a year. Cities do, too. But seldom is notice taken of municipal birthdays, unless they’re especially notable. Like an observance of two centuries of existence. None of us humans will celebrate 200 years…
The Boys in Blue “The Boys in Blue” couldn’t get a break in America this past week. One week ago today three policemen were killed and a fourth left critically wounded and brain-dead by a sub-human thug named Lovelle Mixon…
Abbey Road The Beatles, the greatest rock band in history, began recording their swan song, “Abbey Road,” almost exactly 40 years ago this month. Any of you who reply, “So what?” obviously didn’t live through the Beatles era like I…
What Next! Wonder what else could go wrong for us here in dear old Madison, IN? Factories closing or laying people off; the local hospital announcing a move to a costly new hilltop facility that will devastate the downtown —…
City messes up Maintenance is something you have to do from time to time. If you don’t put a new roof on your house every so many years, leaks may ruin personal property worth much more than the re-roofing job.…
The oldest (taxable) profession Has anyone now living and under 70 years old seen the U.S. in such a turmoil before as it is now? Soaring layoffs, budget deficits high as the sky, tons upon tons of debt for our…
Just the Facts You’ve seen the Brink’s Home Security commercials on TV. A mother and her young children, or a teenage girl, are “home alone” at night, doing at-home things, and suddenly a “bad guy” tries to break in (he’s…
Music, maestro! Music has always fascinated me, ever since I was a kid. My mom was a wonderful singer, I’ve been told I’m fair to middling, and I played saxophone in the high school band. An aunt of mine has…
What’s the best-known state nickname out of all the 50? I’ll bet if you polled a good sampling of Americans, they’d say, “Hoosiers.” It was the name of a first-run, and first-rate, movie about our state’s first love — basketball.…
Turn out the Lights Will the last employer to leave Madison please turn out the lights? Yeah, you’re right; it’s NOT funny — especially if you’re one of those who has just become unemployed. IKE project put on hold; 740…
Good Samaritans Good Samaritans are supposed to assist the injured, right? Rescue people from wrecked, burning automobiles, or out of flaming houses? Well, of course. Remember the original Good Samaritan bathed and bandaged a man of another ethnicity who had…