By Jeff Grimes Back in the 1980s, Rockwell had the hit song, “Somebody’s Watching Me.” His paranoia was played for laughs and it was a big hit. Of course it didn’t hurt that he was the son of Motown record chief Barry Gordy, plus Michael and Jermaine Jackson sang backup on the record. Today we can all sing that song as it has become evident that our government has been
By Jeff Grimes Nature is such a great gift we often take for granted. I enjoy the outside more as I age and particularly enjoy sitting on our porch and watching the world go by. As a matter of fact, this column is being written from my favorite chair on the porch on a lazy afternoon. We have two sets of robins which hang around our house. I can tell
By Jeff Grimes In this issue Lorry Myers has written a fine column on the on the fatigue that many of us feel in the wake of Anchor Fest. Car Show Sunday wears me down every time. I get up early to get a spot in front of the Guard and show our vehicle. All told it is about nine hours on site and of course I make numerous trips
By Jeff Grimes The time is upon us when Centralia becomes the center of activity in the region and thousands of folks descend on our community for our annual festival. Ours is not a tourist community, so we are not used to large groups of outsiders on our streets. The crowds bring dollars, many of which end up in local business, but many of those dollars also end up helping
By Jeff Grimes Anchor Fest is right around the corner and some of the busiest days of our year are upon us. For the next few days, we here at the Guard will be preparing the annual Anchor Fest program which will appear in the Guard along with the Monroe County Appeal and the Mexico Ledger next week. For those interested in the city-wide garage sale, our deadline for that
By Jeff Grimes With graduation past, school almost over and AnchorFest just two weeks away, summer is almost upon us, and this has to be the most unusual spring we have ever had. Just a couple of weeks ago I was sweeping snow off the windshield, and the fields have been so cold and then wet that farmers have been very slow to get their crops in the ground. 2013
By Jeff Grimes The General Assembly is again at it with a plan that will limit your voting rights. The argument is that sometimes having a “non-election” election is better because a city can save a few bucks. This could have a big impact on future municipal elections in Centralia, Hallsville and Sturgeon. In Jefferson City, Senate Bill 90 has been amended by the House Elections Committee to allow for