CARRIE STAMBAUGH: The family worth waiting for 2/5/10
A decade after the Korean War, orphanages on the Korean peninsula continued to overflow with abandoned and orphaned children.

TIM PRESTON: Valentine dinner, show, ‘good’ yarn 020710
Someone recently reminded me that, as men, we tend to be forgetful if not neglectful when it comes to doing something to celebrate Valentine’s Day. He suggested an evening including dinner and a show at Carter Caves on Friday and Saturday.

KENNETH HART: Stamping out machines 020710
Made a trip to the post office recently?

Mike Reliford: 2/4/10

Lee Ward: Watching a town pass away — 02/07/10
Although I have a special love for Kentucky, I am a mountaineer.
I think of West Virginia and Kentucky as a package deal.

John Cannon: Prize patrol should visit census winners: 2/3/10

Cathie Shaffer: Yes, my snow day was great: 2/2/10

TIM PRESTON: Kill the Rooster 2/1/10
Another $5 insult on my windshield this week reminds me I’ve been too quiet about Ashland’s practice of writing parking tickets.

TIM PRESTON: Best places to work, evening meals 013110

KENNETH HART: Not to burst your bubble... 013110
You may not have been aware of it, but Monday marked a rather significant product anniversary.

Mike James: Reason to be hopeful: 1/29/10

Lee Ward — 01/31/10: Difference by age in eating habits observed
Every day, the vast differences between my age people and young people grow more apparent.
Lately, I’ve noticed those differences in the area of food.

Mark Maynard: Some advice for those many filers: 1/28/10

John Cannon: Safety first at school: 1/27/10

TIM PRESTON: Callihan’s to open, hot dogs on TV 012410
The staff at Callihan’s American Pub & Grill at the Kyova Mall is set for a “soft opening” this week. Many people have been waiting for this one since the sign went up announcing the restaurant would be open by early fall of 2009, and there is tremendous expectation regarding the atmosphere, service and menu choices.

KENNETH HART: No easy fix for meth problem 012410
If you’ve purchased cold pills with pseudoephedrine in them at any time over the past several years, you’re no doubt aware that it’s a more difficult process than it used to be.

Mark Maynard: Remembering a legendary radio man: 1/22/10

Lee Ward : 01/24/10 — Ideas to pass time on a winter's day
Anticipating more bad weather, I prepared to be snowed in for the weekend.

Mark Maynard: One man's clunker is my past: 1/21/10

John Cannon: Not all men into 'guy things': 1/20/10

CATHIE SHAFFER: A matter of record 1/19/10
I quit making New Year’s resolutions long ago, but I still feel the need to reform my life with the beginning of a new year.

George Wolfford: Construction reminds some of time’s past
My wife Wanda and I were driving down Winchester Avenue the other day when she commented on the physical changes Ashland has undergone — and continues to undergo — in the 50-plus years since we came here.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH: Time Warp 1/15/10
For some time now we’ve known that ’80s fashion was roaring back. First it was the tights. Then the neon shoes. Both of which I’d rolled my eyes at when I spotted them in store windows.

KENNETH HART: Disaster brings out our best and worst 011710
The images that emerged from Haiti following last week’s 7.0 earthquake have been shocking and heartbreaking.

TIM PRESTON: Desperate stuff, teens needed 011710
Matt Perkins and the gang at Second Hand Rose are looking for your worst dishware, cookware or other household items as part of their “Desperate Housewares” campaign.

Mark Maynard: Snow Days not always Happy Days: 1/14/01

John Cannon: It's all downhill from here: 1/13/10

Cathie Shaffer: Getting real about age: 1/12/10

TIM PRESTON: Chef on duty, blue-pop stop, out of gas 011010
I wasn’t even hungry when I started talking to Beth Bond, the executive chef at The Lunch Box and Custom Catering, after the family operation at 1503 Argillite Road (across from Faith Christian Assembly) had wrapped up its first day of business last week.

KENNETH HART: Yahoo! Willy’s back! 1/10/10

MARK MAYNARD: Just how do you say 2010? 010710
The other day I wrote my first check of 2010.

LEE WARD: Something really has to give 1/10/10
No wonder people don’t know how to have relationships.

What’s in a name?
During a drive to Augusta several weeks before Christmas, my wife and I listened to the presentation of the 2009 Ig Nobel Prizes on National Public Radio. I found it to be both entertaining and even a bit enlightening.

Cathie Shaffer: Holidays gone to the dogs:1/5/10

MARK MAYNARD: Solution for wet iPhone 12/31/09
I’ve had an iPhone since September.

Police beat: 12/30/09

Stick it to the boss
A few weeks ago I revealed the embarrassing details of my recent memory loss, which included things like forgetting where I parked my car, telling friends the same stories over and over and forgetting to tell people semi-important stuff.

The icing on the freezer
A terrible tragedy befell me the other day. I was forced to defrost my frost-free refrigerator — more accurately, the frosted-over freezer of my frost-free refrigerator.

LEIGH ANN HEINEMAN: Treat the family to a visit to the museum
The holiday shopping rush is almost over. The children are preparing to play with the goodies Santa will leave during his annual visit.

TIM PRESTON: Let's talk some barbecue 12/20/09
I’ve been craving barbecue, specifically Carolina-style barbecue, for several weeks, and found it kind of amusing when I started making notes for this week’s column and discovered everything on the list is meat related.

JOHN CANNON: Ode to Christmas 2009
My youngest grandchild is too young to believe,
Or remember a thing about this Christmas eve.

CATHIE SHAFFER: From past to present 12/22/09
Three more days until Christmas!

CARRIE STAMBAUGH: Making sense of a senseless act
Saturday’s news that vandals had caused more than $10,000 in damages to the Winter Wonderland of Lights displays in Central Park was heartbreaking.

JOHN CANNON: What Christmas means to me 12/16/09

Lee Ward: 12/20/09 — It's more than just a tree
The Christmas tree tradition used to be I’d put up the tree on Thanksgiving.

1 photo is plenty
I happened to be going through old photo albums the other day, looking for an old picture of me. It took a while to find one. See, I’m the photographer for the family, not the photographee.

ADAM VANKIRK: I will tell you who it really is 12/13/09

MARK MAYNARD: What about Bob? 12/13/09

Lee Ward: 12/13/09 — The case of the missing biscuit
When someone in the family has Alzheimer’s disease, it’s OK to find humor in the situation. It might seem cruel to laugh at times, but it’s the only way to cope with it.

TIM PRESTON: Christmas ideas, clearance prices, wine 121309
I didn’t receive a lot of suggestions about local places to buy Christmas gifts, although I was impressed and surprised by the number of suggestions from people suggesting donations to local animal shelters, particularly for those who qualify as “impossible to shop for,” or “already has everything.”

KENNETH HART: One man’s holiday list 121309
OK, if you read last week’s column (and I certainly hope you did), you already know what my least-favorite Christmas song of all time is.

Mike James: Scam target hits back: 12/12/09

Mike Reliford: 12/10/09

John Cannon: Life lessons on the court: 12/9/09

CATHIE SHAFFER: Every diet needs a dog
Pass the fudge on past me, please, and hide the pecan pie. I’ve chosen the month of December to kick off my renewed — and seemingly perpetual — campaign to skinny down like the folks on “Biggest Loser.”

CARRIE STAMBAUGH: Ringing out the year 12/4/09

KENNETH HART: There is no escaping ‘Grandma’ 120609
So there I was the other day, in the lobby of the Ashland City Building, plowing my way through several days’ worth of police reports and jotting down pertinent info for one of the newspaper’s twice-weekly “Police Beat” articles.

TIM PRESTON: 99¢ Sundays, local shopping, special sauce 120609
I always like it when local business owners try to do something in appreciation of the community that has supported their operation, so I was pleased to hear that Rafael Rodriquez, owner of La Finca on Greenup Avenue beneath the big bridges in Ashland, has adopted $.99 Sundays for the restaurant’s customers.

Lee Ward: 12/06/09 — Memory problems persist
For a couple of months, my memory has been terrible.
I have wanted to write about that, but I kept forgetting.

MARK MAYNARD: Special cartoon milestone 120309
One of my favorite cartoon series is celebrating a golden anniversary.

John Cannon: The art of listening: 12/2/09

Cathie Shaffer: Bright note to start the season: 12/1/09

AARON SNYDER: Dishing out the weekly dime

MARK MAYNARD: Burning question: Why not Cobb?

MARK MAYNARD: Goldsmiths last link in football

MARK MAYNARD: Senior Cats simply super

MIKE JAMES: Page here, page there 112709
The remote control may be the worst thing that ever happened to my ability to focus, or it may be the best.

MIKE RELIFORD: When did the lines blur?

Lee Ward: 11/29/09 — Dog on waiting list for bath
You never know how a dog is going to act when you give her a bath. She could be the sweetest, most docile creature the rest of the time, but when she hears the water in the bathtub running and you’re trying to dump her into it, she can turn into a mule.
In rare cases, a dog will like a bath.

JOHN CANNON: Memory has a mind of its own
When I recently wrote a news story about free memory tests being offered locally, I actually thought about taking the test, but, of course, when the time came, I forgot all about it until it was too late.

MARK MAYNARD: Standout Blackcat QB has area ties 11/24/09

Maggie and Tabby strike again
If anyone is considering giving pets for Christmas, I may have two on the market.

TAWYNA STAPLETON: Parade memories from ’68 11/23/09

MARK MAYNARD: Rough weekend for teams in area

Reason to give thanks
Next Thursday I’ll host Thanksgiving dinner in my home.

TIM PRESTON: Parade buffet, boutique visit and an anniversary 112209
I was walking down Carter Avenue in Ashland last week and noticed Chef Paul Runnels at Chimney Corner Cafe is planning a big buffet to feed some of the thousands of people who will be flocking to downtown Ashland for Tuesday evening’s annual Christmas Parade.

KENNETH HART: Recovery center badly needed 112209
I’ve been following the kerfuffle over a proposed substance abuse addiction recovery center in Louisa with a high degree of interest.

Mark Maynard: Gollihue's passion shows in her work: 11/19/09

Day will be remembered
Today would be my 13th wedding anniversary if my husband were still alive.

Cathie Shaffer: Lend a hand, please!: 11/17/09

AARON SNYDER: And then there were 3 11/16/09

MARK MAYNARD: Cats still have job to finish 11/15/09
Kentucky did what it needed to do on Saturday against Vanderbilt: It won to become bowl eligible.
Now comes the hard part.

Lee Ward: 11/15/09 – Why do we eat liver?
A friend recently told me his cousin ate a cow’s heart. It wasn’t a dare; he just considers organ meat healthy.

KENNETH HART: Ashland needs a bookstore 111509
Back in the days before I lived in Ashland, I always enjoyed making trips here for shopping, work-related matters or whatever.

TIM PRESTON: Great food in Grayson, dog news 111509
We ended up in Grayson on a misguided mission Monday evening and decided to take advantage of the situation and have dinner at a place I’ve been hearing good things about for a couple of years. We were not disappointed.

A piece of the wall
There’s a fundamental rule in my business about freebies: journalists don’t take them.

Mike Reliford: 11/12/09

MARK MAYNARD: Me and The Mick back in 1989
One great thing about this job is the chance encounters we have with the celebrity world.

John Cannon: Needing a piercing like a hole in the head: 11/11/09

MARK MAYNARD: Yankees have big fan in Genung

Cathie Shaffer: Smashing the competition: 11/10/09

TIM PRESTON: Fast pizza, charm school and leftovers 110809
I spoke to Larry Pennington, owner of the new Zanzi’s Pizza To Go at 3301 13th St. in Ashland, and he reported excellent business during the restaurant’s first days in business.

KENNETH HART: Bye-bye, Bardwell 110809
Well, it was about time, don’t you think?

Concert karma

Lee Ward: 11/08/09 — Puppy problems plague parents
I thought my dogs were trouble. Well, they are. But I’m thinking they’re not as much trouble as my mom’s dog.

Mark Maynard: Tank was memorable to many: 11/05/09

John Cannon: Musings about faith and the national anthem: 11/4/09

MARK MAYNARD: Time to give back to Putnam Stadium 11/01/09

Lee Ward: 11/01/09 — Panning for magnesium, not gold
Magnesium is one of Earth’s most precious and rare minerals.
To me, it is, anyway.

MIKE JAMES: ‘They’ have given much 10/30/09
A correspondent on The Independent’s editorial page Tuesday posed an interesting question. He was critical of a presentation made last week at an educational conference at Ashland Community and Technical College.