No public official or employee shall solicit or accept anything of value that is of such a character as to manifest a substantial and improper influence upon him with respect to his duties. (Where have we heard this before? Anyone? The first caller with the correct answer wins a date with Sasquatch. Caller has to drive.)

But if Ohio voters do make a statement on Nov. 6 and support Issue 2, I'll understand. Sometimes frustration with the system outweighs sound judgment. Partisan politics reaps what it sows. Just deserts, etc. etc.

One day ago, I was perfectly satisfied in my lack of familiarity with a website that claims to be "The Global Leader in Analytics." One day ago, I was also equally content in my lack of knowledge of the phrase "Global Leader in Analytics." But, as John Lennon might say, That was Yesterday.

One day ago, I was perfectly satisfied in my lack of familiarity with a website that claims to be "The Global Leader in Analytics." One day ago, I was also equally content in my lack of knowledge of the phrase "Global Leader in Analytics." But, as John Lennon might say, That was Yesterday.

World War II Navy veteran and former Highland County resident Clyde Pidcock turned 94 years old today. "I've got six more years to go to make 100," Clyde told me this morning.

World War II Navy veteran and former Highland County resident Clyde Pidcock turned 94 years old today. "I've got six more years to go to make 100," Clyde told me this morning.

Some weekends are full of surprises. This past weekend was one of them. Friday night football had a surprise or two. We'll get to that in a moment. On Saturday afternoon, we were driving east on Harry Sauner Road. As we approached the motel, a horse-drawn carriage passed us in the westbound lane.

Tami is a former newspaper journalist who has moved on to a more noble occupation. Without doubt, when Tami worked in the newspaper profession, she was the absolute best at providing local fair coverage. No one – before or since – has covered the fair as thoroughly and as accurately as Tami.

Having actually paid attention at six years' worth of ethics training sessions as a former Ohio public official, I can tell you that lawyers from the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Ohio Ethics Commission often like to use this familiar phrase: "Does it pass the smell test?"

Sometimes, a column idea is as hard to find as a cabana shirt in January. Other times, the idea just walks into the newspaper office. Or, in this case, the idea just walked into Holtfield Station last week. Longtime friend Chuck Emery had mentioned to me that his mother kept a comprehensive collection of junior high and high school sports memorabilia from the Mowrystown, Sugar Tree Ridge and Belfast schools from the 1960s.

Sometimes, a column idea is as hard to find as a cabana shirt in January. Other times, the idea just walks into the newspaper office. Or, in this case, the idea just walked into Holtfield Station last week. Longtime friend Chuck Emery had mentioned to me that his mother kept a comprehensive collection of junior high and high school sports memorabilia from the Mowrystown, Sugar Tree Ridge and Belfast schools from the 1960s.

Senior UPI editor H.D. Quigg offered : “It can be said of three men that, in their time as communicators, this nation hung on their words: Mark Twain, Will Rogers and Walter Cronkite.” All agree that Cronkite’s lasting media legacy boils down to a single word: Trust. Americans trusted Cronkite. It may be a long time before we trust the multitudes of today’s news media purveyors as we once trusted Walter Cronkite.

How messy is your desk? Or, if that question doesn't fit your pistol, how clean is your desk? Granted, these are personal questions. But I'll share if you will.

According to a relatively few media reports, the Social Security Administration – the gang that can't shoot straight and can't guarantee its future obligations – has purchased 174,000 rounds of ammunition. This adds the SSA to a growing number of federal agencies that have purchased thousands of rounds of ammunition this year.

While Gutenberg was a professional printer, he was not an e-mailer. In fact, there are absolutely no records of Gutenberg e-mailing anyone. There's no evidence that Johannes sat around on a rainy Saturday morning and fired off an e-mail or left a voice-mail to Christopher Columbus or Joan of Arc or Montezuma, for that matter. Granted, there are considerable rumors on the Internet that Gutenberg did, indeed, exchange a number of e-mails with Queen Isabella.