There happens to be a little hole-in-the-wall joint in Adams County – in Winchester, to be precise – that does barbecue as well as anyone else in our neck of the woods. It's called Smokin' J's BBQ, located on S.R. 136 near the center of Winchester. In fact, Smokin' J's BBQ is on par with the famous Jack's Bar-B-Que at 416 Broadway in Nashville. Yes, the Ryan clan has been to both.

A tip of the cap (or mortarboard) goes to Washington Schools Superintendent Tom Bailey, Board of Education members Jennifer Lynch, Mark Chrisman, Kenneth Upthegrove, Zach Camp and Dennis Garrison and the faculty and administration. The new graduates will come to appreciate all you've done through the years. I'm guessing their parents also appreciated a formal and dignified commencement ceremony for the class of 2023 – a great example of how it should be done.

This past week’s mail brought a couple of interesting items. First off, while I was anticipating the arrival of a new gas cap for my wife’s Jeep Compass to correct an emissions issue, the package that arrived felt more like a hardcover book than a Jeep gas cap. Much to my surprise, I received a copy of Dr. Robert T. Sharp’s new book, “The Bull in the Darkness and the One-Eyed Dog,” a followup to his well-received classic, “No Dogs in Heaven? Scenes from the Life of a Country Veterinarian.”

If any of us needed to hear that word more than the others, it was me. There is parental value in saying "no" to some of the whims of your children. They will thank you for it later in life. Happy Mother's Day to all good mothers everywhere.

A 4-year-old girl is being punished – both financially and inherently – for the sole reason that she had the audacity to be conceived out of wedlock in a brief relationship that proved compromising for the first family. For that, her existence does not register with the Bidens. 

Recent public meetings have had ample debate regarding the disbursement of what are taxpayers' dollars. That is not necessarily a bad thing.

Special thanks is extended to two area residents – Bob Hodson and Jim Lukens – for recently sharing a bit of local history with The Highland County Press.

Buc-ee's are located in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee, with new locations planned for Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin. There's land available for development along the Appalachian Highway (Route 32) in Ohio. Who knows? Maybe the Buckeye State is in Buc-ee's future. Just south of Beaver in Pike County would seem appropriate.

In true Iron Man Mark Purdy fashion, let's delve into one of those infamous "Better Mail Than Jail" columns on this cold, late January day. The HCP mailbag news begins on a positive note with a recent handwritten letter from our friend Bob Hodson. Bob wrote that he was going through some files and found a 2011 column I'd written about the passing of Country Music DJ Radio Hall of Fame member Chuck Collier.

"I have always had a deep faith in God and through all of this, I have asked Him to guide me all the way. I have been reminded over and over again of the greatness of God. Not my will, but His. He was my God before all this started, and He will be my God throughout Eternity. Again, thank you all." – Betty Bishop, April 2022

Aside from a moment or two in the country's history, men have held the POTUS office since 1789 when Commander in Chief of the Continental Army George Washington became the nation's first president. Maybe it's time for an all-female presidential ticket and Cabinet. Could they be any worse than the current hot mess in Washington, D.C.? Without further proprieties, let us consider the following for future leadership of the greatest nation on earth.

Aside from a moment or two in the country's history, men have held the POTUS office since 1789 when Commander in Chief of the Continental Army George Washington became the nation's first president. Maybe it's time for an all-female presidential ticket and Cabinet. Could they be any worse than the current hot mess in Washington, D.C.? Without further proprieties, let us consider the following for future leadership of the greatest nation on earth.

Aside from a moment or two in the country's history, men have held the POTUS office since 1789 when Commander in Chief of the Continental Army George Washington became the nation's first president. Maybe it's time for an all-female presidential ticket and Cabinet. Could they be any worse than the current hot mess in Washington, D.C.? Without further proprieties, let us consider the following for future leadership of the greatest nation on earth.

As reported this week, several Democratic senators have spoken out against raising interest rates – less than one week before the midterm election – the horror. The Dems say this will put more Americans out of work and result in a painful recession. I thought the president's mouthpiece has insisted we are not in a recession. Why are top Democrats breaking from the team's talking points just before the general election?

The Highland County Press reported that Bill has served as county auditor since 1990. I told Bill this week that since I have been a newspaper editor in one form or another for the last 32 consecutive years, I should retire as well. But Bill corrected me and actually acknowledged that I am much, much younger than he is. Bill's public service began well prior to 1990. He was a schoolteacher beginning in 1969. If memory serves, he also worked in the public realm (today's Word of the Day is "realm," by the way) for Congressmen Bill Harsha and Bob McEwen. Thus, Bill has maybe parts of seven decades in public service. (Forgive me for pointing this out, Bill.)