A young New York Wal-Mart employee was stampeded to death by Friday Christmas shoppers today.  Before his death, the employee tried to control the crowd that would eventually overwhelm him.  He would try to reach for help but was walked upon by a crowd of over 200 people forcing their […]

Submitted by Kay Helbling Last Sunday, we joined the line of families carrying our boxes of groceries for the needy to the St. Vincent de Paul truck. I was struck by the many families who themselves I know have lost jobs, have family illnesses, or have very little of their […]

A Road Well Traveled Church bells were pealing off chime after chime as I wove my way back to George Rogers Park along the pedestrian walkway on Old River Road.  It was the last Sunday in October. The path was abustle with walkers and joggers, runners and cyclists . . […]

By Gienie Assink, Springfield Oregon When planning a wedding, one should take into consideration the total cost and budget for all of those traditional, yet, “interesting” expenses.  At least that would be the smart thing to do.  Weddings have a sense of tradition about them.  A traditional wedding includes the […]

Submitted by Kay Helbling   There were two reasons I moved to Oregon, the ocean and the mountains, the beauty for which I have appreciated for the past thirty years.   Having had neither in the Midwest where I grew up, I plunged into hiking, sand castle building and all […]

By Erika Weisensee A new study suggesting that autism rates are higher in rainy areas has only increased anxiety for concerned parents. But before you start packing your bags, approach these studies with caution. The research linking rain and autism was conducted by economics professors at Cornell University, not by […]

Written by: Gienie Assink, Springfield Oregon Ignorance is bliss, so we’ve heard, but isn’t that true for a child?  Manufacturers of “educational toys” will try to convince you otherwise, and sell you a specialized toy that is guaranteed to enhance your child’s ability to learn.  Thus, “fixing” what they call […]

Submitted by Kay Helbling   Lean times are here. Tougher times may be coming, so I decided it was time to seek the sage advice of my elders who actually lived through the days of the Great Depression. Wisdom that can only come from years of experience, their words fed me […]

By Olivia Rossi, RN, MSN, The Mediterranean diet is a culinary delight.  It is also a heart’s delight.  As poetic as that sounds, it is grounded in history, research and chemistry.  Let’s take look at each and you’ll see why. First, the history.  The modern day Mediterranean diet has a […]

By Evergreen, Portland Society struggles with how to deal with teen sexuality and sex education .  Just last month, Willamette University removed some controversial condom posters which were part of a sex education campaign.  After a new outcry the posters were put up again.  Sometimes the best messenger is not […]