Stormont Vail’s announcement that it is building a $38 million medical complex in Manhattan is a transformative event, for a couple of reasons.

It’s certainly worth celebrating the state government’s approval of a proposal to build a new museum here. It’s also remarkable how fast it all happened.

I’d like to brag for a minute. Not about myself, really, but about the newspaper that you’re currently reading. And ultimately, I’d like to say thanks.

Last week, I appealed for patience. Now, since The Mercury has obtained and published quite a bit more vital information, it’s time to draw some conclusions about the matter of the Manhattan school board’s approval of a teacher-training program.

I like to wait until the first of July to bag my worms. There has been a lot of interest about them already. Bagworms feed on just about any plant but usually favor the evergreens. Look for the small bagworm on your spruce, arborvitae, and junipers which includes the eastern red cedars. Be s…

When this column goes live on the Mercury website, I should be sitting in a theater in my hometown with two old friends watching “In the Heights.”

Investments in ag research facilities are critical to maintain our global edge

Looking back over columns I wrote a year ago, isolated and afraid, I hesitated over this little tidbit:

Get your forks ready: Today is the beginning of Manhattan’s first-ever Restaurant Week, and we think it sounds pretty neat.

Gotta say, I’m completely on board with Rob Ott on this one.

The firing of Manhattan’s Kelly Stewart from ESPN before she even started working there has become national news. It is, depending on how you look at it, a cautionary tale for young people, a story of an overbearing employer, changing standards of what’s acceptable, or a form of sexism.

The shutdown of Manhattan High’s football program is a reminder that the coronavirus is still out there, still capable of disrupting life at the very least.

On the hot topic of the training program for Manhattan teachers, I’d like to argue in favor of something in tremendously short supply: Patience. Oh, and an open mind.

There are concerns when insects and diseases appear on plants. These biotic or living pests can reduce plant vigor. Sometimes they can kill a plant. Control measures are available and will help.

Let’s use our freedom to draw lines in Kansas!

There’s an event coming up next weekend that I’d like to get behind. I’m not directly involved as an organizer, but I like the idea a lot and I want to help it take off.

The Manhattan City Commission has moved a step further down the path toward creating a new museum here. That’s good. The harder questions are still unanswered, but those are for the state government to examine, and for the museum’s advocates to answer.

Representative government is alive and well in Manhattan.

Naomi Osaka has backed out of the French Open tennis tournament, one of the premier events in that sport. She’s the second-ranked player in the world, so it’s a big deal.

The Wamego school district is in a tough spot, and there’s a pretty simple reason: There’s a divided school board micromanaging the operation.

The growing season started out on the dry side. I decided to upgrade a garden hose to be prepared. That hose still has its curl. It has mostly sat on the sidelines, waiting to be used.

Lately, I’ve been asked a lot, “What’s your most favorite story you’ve worked on?”

USD 383 would benefit from race education panel

The boys’ track team at Manhattan High won the 6A team championship Thursday, a remarkable accomplishment. It was the team’s second in three seasons — last year’s spring sports season was eliminated by the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s Memorial Day weekend, meaning lots of people will head to the cemetery.

There’s still time to fix commissioners’ mistake

I’ve pretty much quit wearing a mask.

It’s easy to be skeptical about a proposed new museum right next to the Flint Hills Discovery Center. I would advise skeptics to learn more. It’s a very low-risk proposal.

Richard Myers’ tenure as president of Kansas State University wasn’t long, by the standards of that job. But it was certainly eventful, and we in Manhattan are fortunate that he was able to steer the university through those events toward a brighter future.

Some plants have been slow to respond to our growing conditions. Dieback occurs every year with some more noticeable than others. The location is a major factor on how plants grow. Being patient is the first step in helping plants.

I’m among the minority of people who think severe weather is beautiful.

Two things really annoy me about local government meetings: One, grandstanding, and, two, ignorance. When they combine — as they have three times recently — I want to throw the newspaper out the window.

It is no secret that Manhattan has seen some recent online activity from people outside our community who have questions about why we’re building the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in the Midwest. Unfortunately, some claims have misrepresented the mission of NBAF, reminding us how im…

The crisis in the Middle East has raised its ugly head again. After almost four years of relative calm, Hamas is once again raining rockets down on Israel. In response, Israel is targeting the locations the rockets are coming from. This could end as in the past with some temporary cease-fire…

Commission’s vote to destroy church building ‘disturbing’

We’re going around again about the makeup of the board that oversees the police department.

Taxpayers in Junction City are paying two people to be the principal at the public high school. They need an explanation.

While I’m on this subject…

Last week were Irises, this week the peonies are off to a good show. Like many perennials, there are ones that bloom early, mid-season and late. Planting a mixture of these helps ensure bloom when needed. Check out the peony collection at the K-State Gardens at 1500 Denison Ave. soon to enjo…

Still half-asleep in my jammies, at age 4, I shuffled down the hallway of the Rooks County farmhouse. Clutching my trusty stuffed dog, Bowser, a golf-ball sized hailstone zoomed toward me on the hardwood floor.

In Kansas, we have a problem. Nearly 100,000 of us do not have access to the internet. Although this is only 3.5 % of the state’s population, every Kansan without internet access is missing a vital resource and opportunity to compete in an increasingly online world.

Tip of the editorial cap to a Kansan who has achieved rock-star status in journalism. She’d probably cringe at that, as she should. But it’s true enough.

Fascinating development in the way Manhattan City Commission meetings will be conducted in the post-coronavirus era.

Legalized marijuana in Kansas is on its way. If you’ve been wondering, that’s my take.

So far, the effort to come up with a “strategic plan” for Manhattan is doing, well, fine.

The herky-jerky tale of the county government and an old church building took another turn this week, with predictable dynamics.