The historian in me is fascinated by how Americans in crisis make use of the past to predict the future. To those inclined to look backward, the so-called Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 offers pundits…

The more we learn about COVID-19, the more likely it seems most of us will be voting by mail this fall.  Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Colorado and Utah have long been voting by mail. California now…

Like most Americans, Julie Buckles, the owner of Honest Dog Books in tiny Bayfield, Wis., has had to be flexible in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Overnight, we went from hosting music, literary discussions…

Sen. Bernie Sanders is no longer running for president, but one of his ideas, “Medicare for All,” is more critical than ever. With more than 33 million Americans losing their jobs during the ongoing COVID-19…

By all accounts, my mother seemed way too young to die.  She was a busy bee, always involved in church and social functions. She and dad traveled the world. She was a tireless gardener. An…

Humans are magnificent creatures. Our great advantage is our cognitive ability that enables us to think, read, learn,  reason and remember. All of this, folks, sets the stage for a bit of self-analysis, though I…

While I recently ran through the top Senate races of 2020 and the parties’ prospects, I did not include Kansas on the list. That omission — an intentional one — brought plenty of reaction, so…

WASHINGTON — For a moment this spring, Congress rose to meet the challenge of a national emergency and passed four economic rescue bills in less than two months. Somehow, it seemed, the coronavirus had revived…

There will be a lot less “Pomp and Circumstance” this May in Kansas and across the country. Most graduating students won’t have the opportunity to put on those goofy gowns and caps and then join…

How to respond to this pandemic has never been as simple as choosing to risk contracting COVID-19 or go out of business.  And the damage from those promoting this false dichotomy is that it works…