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Are presidential candidates sinners?
BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE Are the Presidential candidates all sinners? This could be a potential question for an upcoming town hall meeting or debate. Answers from the candidates would be interesting. Would any candidate admit to being a sinner? Would some of them deny ever having sinned? Would they say something like, “I sinned a…
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Be proud to live in Appalachia
BY KYLE LOVERN I was talking to an old-timer a few years back, interviewing an elderly person for a story. She lived deep in at the top of a mountaintop above what we call a “holler.” As you might imagine, the view of the mountains was just fantastic. As we sat there and gazed over…
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Drug court is not a ‘get-out-of-jail’ card
From the program’s humble beginnings in Martin County with just three participants in a pilot program back in 2003, drug court has evolved, dispelling the misconception that it is a “get-out-of-jail” card. Instead, it has become a transformative force that offers individuals an opportunity to reclaim their lives. Drug court graduation day in Inez symbolizes…
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Choose your company carefully
BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE A friend will do his best to prevent you from driving off a cliff. Your enemy will give you directions to the cliff and happily watch you plunge to your destruction. A friend cares enough to caution you about financial decisions or bad investments. Your enemy will be glad to see…
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Glass soda pop bottles meant money back in the day
BY KYLE LOVERN Many kids today have money and a steady allowance. They never have to worry about buying things, and that’s OK. But back in the 1960s, we would turn in reusable pop bottles for money. If you lived near a grocery store in most communities, you could turn in those glass bottles for…
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Silencing Dissent: A troubling incident at the sanitation board meeting
The recent public comment session at the Martin County Sanitation Board meeting in Inez has highlighted a concerning incident that raises questions about transparency, accountability and the right of citizens to express their grievances. Two residents, Tena Jarrell and Drewie Muncy, came forward to voice their dissatisfaction with the board, citing the fact that they…
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Enjoy your stuff, but be prepared to let it go
BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE One of the perils of life is putting too much value on “stuff.” Stuff can be about anything. It can consist of what we have or what we don’t have. Much of life is about our stuff. Our house, cars, things in the house. Things around the house and things in…