Opinion

GUEST COLUMN, J. Basil Dannebohm

As the calendar once again turns over, many of us find ourselves looking back on the last year, sometimes with regret. Though healthy reflection can be a good thing, it’s important to remember the lessons, not the disappointments. If we could erase all the mistakes of our past, we would lose the wisdom gained from our experiences. What’s done is done. It’s okay to look back, but never let the past stop you from moving forward.

This is also a time when people make resolutions for the year ahead. Some of us will resolve to lose weight, exercise more, or eat healthier. Others will commit to expanding their knowledge.

We live in an age where far too many people are so caught up in toning and shaping their bodies that they forget to tone and shape their character. One can go to the gym, hydrate, and eat a well-balanced diet, but if you ignore your mental and spiritual health there stands a good chance that next year around this time, you’ll still feel empty.

GUEST COLUMN, Joey Mattingly, University of Utah College of Pharmacy

As of this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded more than 1,700 measles cases, the most in three decades. These cases stemmed from 45 reported outbreaks, a sharp increase from just 16 in 2024. Over 200 patients have been hospitalized and three have died.

The human toll of these outbreaks is significant  —  especially given that measles is entirely preventable when vaccination rates remain near the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity.

But beyond the devastating health consequences, the spread of measles creates an economic burden for patients, health insurance companies, and our government. My math suggests that a 1,500-case outbreak costs the United States anywhere from $16 million to $199 million in direct medical expenses, lost productivity, and public health spending.

GUEST COLUMN, Glenn Brunkow, Kansas Farm Bureau

This week marks the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. There is no denying that 2025 has been a year we will never forget. Some of us would like to forget 2025 and others have had a good year. Yes, I am talking about the difference between those of us who raise crops and those of us who have cattle. It has been a year of extremes.

However, whether you liked it or hated it, 2025 is in the rearview mirror and 2026 is dead ahead. What will 2026 bring us? Who knows? It is an election year These elections have a lot riding on the line, and your involvement is critical for agriculture.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Reita Isaacs, Liberal

Mercy, good old Kansas weather at its best. Saturday was the perfect warm day for cutting back the climbing rose bushes with only being pierced a few times; now it’s up to the trash men to haul them away, safely now for them.

Sunday was another extreme change in both temperature and wind velocity that keeps most people home where it’s consistently the desired temperature.

This last year has been one filled with “gloom, despair, and agony” for too many; but here in our own small community lives someone that defies the meaning of all these words.