Starting in the 1830s and continuing until after the Civil War, about 300,000 emigrants slogged along a well-beaten trail from Missouri to the fertile valleys of Oregon.A week ago Beverly and I followed a portion…

I’ve consoled myself over the years that I couldn’t get a good latte in town with the fact that it saved time, money and calories. Now with the opening of the “Right Around the Corner,”…

For whites, it’s easy to write off the significance of today’s 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington.That’s because in our lifetimes, we have never been denied the right to vote.For whites, the…

It’s a terrible foreign policy position: Please, keep fighting.But that’s the position the United States is taking as Syrian rebels duke it out against President Bashar al-Assad’s military regime.Today’s Syria has a president who poisons…

It seems every day of the year is set aside to recognize someone or something — so many they’re hard to keep track of, and a few that get a little frivolous. Folks hereabouts should…

For the past several weeks the Register has been running an opinion poll about the newspaper and what people would like to see more or less of.  Far and away, readers say local news is…

The ax is poised to fall on the Kansas Humanities Council.Before Congress recessed earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee left on its desk a proposal to cut funds to the National Endowment for the…

The numbers show area citizens are flocking to the new Southwind Rail Trail that connects Iola and Humboldt along the old railway bed.It’s rare to experience the pathway in solitude. You’ll almost always see a…

Art thieves facing trial in Romania are hoping to cut a deal with a judge to allow the trial to be moved to Holland in exchange for proof the paintings are in “safe” hands.The seven…

When the news staff settled on the question of the week, I was hesitant.“I’m afraid of the responses we’ll get,” I said.The poll asks whether readers found the “Barack Obama” rodeo clown incident at the…