Tag: Opinion

CULLMAN, Ala. - In the next three weeks, Alabama (April 11) and Auburn (April 18) will play in their "A-Day" spring games, and UAB...

One of the most complex things you can do for yourself when becoming a parent is allow yourself to grieve who you were. This...

What? Well, that’s how they said it where Jean and I recently spent a little more than a week. The translation in my native...

Alabama has legalized medical cannabis. That is not a debate; it is law.  Yet as the program begins to take shape across the state, a new...

Howard Cannon, a restaurant expert witness and forensic scientist, last year released his book “Restaurant Ridiculous: Dram Shop & Alcohol Liability Personal Injury Lawsuits.” It advises the reader of...

As if by magic, he pulled a folded $100 bill out of a pile of gray lint.  “Look what I found,” he said, waving it in the...

Worms…some of the first money I ever made came from selling worms. With two ponds and a creek right beside our house, I grew up...

After marching the streets of Birmingham to get their program back then watching the most successful run in school history under Bill Clark, securing...

It seems there’s so much nastiness, rudeness and hate in the world now. It’s everywhere, and it makes me sicker than the thought of drinking warm...

If Murphy’s Law is, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” the Mechanical Law would be, “What can break down, will break down.”...

In honor of “Read Across America,” I would like to share my two cents on what it means to be a “reader.”  I didn’t always love to read....

The closure of Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) left a significant void in West Birmingham. For decades, the 192-acre campus served as an educational and cultural hub. Its vacancy represented a loss of activity and uncertainty for the surrounding community and local economy.  The recent purchase of the campus by the United States...

Election season produces a familiar pattern.  Bold promises. Absolute declarations. Assurances that sweeping change will occur the moment one candidate takes office.  Then governance begins. And...

Seventy-two years ago, Capital Records released a recording of a young Andy Griffith. He recorded under the name Deacon Andy Griffith. Side A of...

There is a difference between launching a Facebook page and operating a newsroom.  In recent days, a newly created local social media news platform generated...

A letter to the editor recently questioned Cullman Electric Cooperative’s motives behind our Community Cupboard initiative. While we welcome open dialogue, it’s important that...

I walked about 75 yards from the visitor center, stepped to the railing, looked both ways and gawked.  I’m not a big gawker. In fact,...

Last week I was listening to a Christian radio program when the host of the show asked the radio audience, “Is your Christmas tree...

Like many kids in Alabama in the 2000s, I didn’t grow up in a boxing-centric household. I heard stories of Marino, Sanders and Favre...

For most of my life, my personal motto has been, “I had rather be busy than bored.” Honestly, I don’t remember if I heard someone...

I used to be so scared to talk to people that I would have to avoid eye contact. If I were in a situation...

Sonder, defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the awareness that other people all have their own complex set of feelings and experiences.”   As a child...

Hurricane Creek Park is widely known for its rock formations and waterfalls. It is roughly 70 acres of peace and tranquility – a perfect...

I wish every boy could experience snow the way we do in the South. Since it’s a rare occurrence here, there’s a sense of...

Have you heard about “Theo of Golden?” If you have not, let me tell you, it is a fabulous book that is sweeping (if not the...

I have decided, sometime in my not-as-young-as-I-once-was years, that I don’t like cucumbers. Well, at least I don’t like raw cucumbers. I’ve given them...

The following a guest article from Cullman County EMA Specialist Brent McDonald.  In emergency management, one thing has always remained constant: the responsibility to protect...

Every Feb. 14 arrives with the same confidence, dressed in red, trailing balloons, chocolate and the unmistakable belief that it is doing the Lord’s...

What bothered me most of all going into parenthood was that I knew there were things I would have to learn on the spot....

Valentine’s Day is a day to convey love and admiration. Though at any store you are almost forced to see the stuffed animals, heart-shaped...

What kind of lunchbox did you have when you were growing up? Perhaps, I should have said lunchboxes, because you may have had more...

There comes a moment, sometimes quietly and sometimes after damage has already been done, when you realize your level of self-respect was never where...

At a Lieutenant Governor political forum in Hoover last month, one of the moderators posed a simple question: name your favorite historical figure. Without...

I have spent my life serving the people of Alabama, from joining the US Marine Corps at 18 years old, to serving the last...

Among all of the things going through your mind in the last stages of your pregnancy, hospital bag preparation is one of the most...

There is a quiet truth many families in Cullman County already know but rarely see acknowledged in public.  If you are experiencing a mental health...

It looks like we dodged the storm down here in L.A. (Lower Alabama). Much of our nation is caught in the grip of more...

Every year, people create New Year’s resolutions. As the beginning of the year approaches these are goals commonly set to support their “New year,...

I think some make themselves appear as a “good person,” but what really defines us as that? Are you a good person because the...

The Lincoln Lawyer is back with the eighth novel of the Mickey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer) series.   Mickey Haller is the half-brother of Harry Bosch, a...

Where were you when the phones stopped ringing, that January day? That January day was Wednesday, Jan. 14. For roughly 10 hours that day,...

I have come to understand that rest is not simply a matter of distance. I can leave town. I can change scenery. I can stand...

I had never experienced anything quite like it. To say I was shocked would probably be an overstatement, but I certainly didn’t see it...

It has become very common for electronics and media to be incorporated into children’s everyday routines. Highly stimulating shows, for example, are used as...

There was a time when hobbies were simply for your enjoyment. You had one or two, at the least, that perhaps you were good...

Learning when to stop being available to those who never planned to stay  There comes a point when you realize you have been the last...

We have lost another old friend. Not to be morbid, but I’ve come to that age in life where I begin each new year...

I have a character flaw, one I can no longer dress up as self-preservation or strength.  When relationships fracture in my life, with family, friends,...

Do you know the Hokey Pokey song? It begins with, “You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out. You put...

The Cullman Tribune supports open public discussion on issues that affect community safety, criminal justice and accountability. Those conversations matter, and strong emotions are...

Death comes to everyone and we all realize that devastating fact. However, there are some deaths that are extremely brutal, and difficult to ever...

For years, residents across Cullman County have endured inconsistent and unacceptable mail delivery. Nowhere has that frustration been louder than in the 35057 ZIP...

Most years, New Year’s Eve arrives with a familiar ritual. Resolutions are made. Promises are declared. Jan. 1 is treated like a universal reset...

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived a young lady named Mary. Mary was engaged to be married to a man named...

I went into my pregnancy journey knowing the absolute basics. I’d read all the highly praised books and even listened to a few parental...

Over recent months I have noticed an increase in AI content on social media. It was horrific to see several people interacting with the...

I’ve done some dumb things in my life. Over the years, I’ve displayed an All-American level of stupidity on a number of occasions. Once,...

Christmas meant something different to me growing up.  Santa was never part of the equation. Not because I was cynical or angry or deprived of...

There is a kind of tired that has nothing to do with sleep. It does not go away with rest, routine or time. It...

‘Tis the season to be jolly. ‘Tis also the season when we hear the question, “What do you want for Christmas?” For some, that...

Pregnancy is the closest equivalent to a baptism/rebirth I have ever experienced. You spend your life in this daze and suddenly you just –...

You know him. You’ve sung about him, watched him on TV and probably even worn his likeness on an ugly Christmas sweater. But how...

There is a growing sickness in our information culture. It is not new, but it is getting bolder, louder and far more destructive.   It is...

We have spent 50 of them together. Jean and I spent our first Christmas together as husband and wife in 1975. We were still...

The Alabama Press Association Journalism Foundation is stunned by the recent decision by the University of Alabama to suspend the publication of two student...

‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving, when all through the store – shoppers came early, for bargains galore – Some arrived early, to wait in...

Let’s talk about the one-hour glucose test.   For those of you who don’t know what this is, allow me to explain. This is a mandatory...

There is an old story of a person who used to complain because he had no shoes, until he saw someone who had no...

Ah, Thanksgiving — the holiday built around gratitude, family and, of course, food. I could add football to the list, but most games on...

The penny has been pronounced dead. Well, actually, there’s plenty of them still rolling around, but rumor has it that their production has stopped....

Recently I have been re-reading some my favorite books. I just finished Ann B. Ross’s novel, “Miss Julia to the Rescue” and Ann George’s “Murder...

I left the doctor’s office, got into my car and began screaming obscenities at the top of my lungs. I have had enough. When...

When I was a kid, I loved to make crazy faces. I think I learned it from watching the late, great Red Skelton. Skelton,...

A couple of days after our recent visit to Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, we visited the home and library/museum of...

It was total chaos at the Dollar General store in Margaret, Alabama. People rushed out the doors carrying poster board, silver balloons and rolls...

The third week in October is one of my favorite weeks of the year. No, I’m not talking about a game…I’m talking about fall,...

Over the past month, changes at the Cullman Post Office have begun to show. Packages and letters are moving again, thanks in large part...

The United States Postal Service (USPS) was built on one promise: to deliver the nation’s mail, fairly and without exception. But this week in...

During the 2025 regular session of the Alabama Legislature, lawmakers have worked hard to address the needs and issues in every portion of our...

America’s economic future hinges on energy — its reliability, affordability and availability. Nowhere is that future being written more decisively than in Alabama. While much...

The need for accountability and broader perspectives In recent times, Cullman County residents have witnessed a concerning trend among some elected officials: a shift in...

Wait for a rainy, cold, black-and-white movie kind of afternoon. Have a box of tissues handy, then grab a pint of Ben and Jerry’s....

I’m wondering if Saturdays have always been cake-baking day. That seemed to have been the case when I was a child, and now, many...

President Abraham Lincoln said, "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but...

I did not grow up in a family of readers. Oh, I don’t mean my family was illiterate.  My parents could read; they simply...

Here’s a friendly reminder to all of you travelers hitting the road this spring and summer: your GPS routing system is only as good...

Keeping to his word, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has initiated the re-renaming of military bases. Renaming, not to their original names, but their rightful...

Editor’s note: This column was written last week. I am a Baby Boomer. There, I said it, and I’m not ashamed of it. I was...

Happy NCAA Division III Week from Alabama’s only NCAA Division III institution – Huntingdon College in Montgomery. This week, Huntingdon joins the over 400...

If you have a minute to read an excerpt from long-winded Lauren’s heart:  I run. I run often. I enjoy it. It relieves stress for...

Today (March 19, 2025) is the 15th legislative day of the 2025 regular session, which marks the halfway point allowed by the Alabama Constitution,...

ADDISON, Ala. – In today's world of instant gratification and what have you done for me lately, it begs the question, what does a...

Well, I said, “Let it snow,” and it did. Thankfully, this one was no blizzard, but it was deep enough to make some snow...

To those feeling trapped in a desperate place — whether by financial burdens, the absence of meaningful relationships, or an overwhelming sense of being...

When residents of Cullman County open their wallets to donate or when city and county entities contribute significant funds to local organizations, there’s an...

I began shaving when I was around 13. Why, you might ask? Not because I needed to, but because I wanted to. I did have...

I was born in the South. And I live in the South. That means I eat fried food – me and about everybody else...

People can say some strange things. Some of these statements are quite annoying, while others may be funny and enjoyable. Some of the things...

Mama had a mysterious situation. Her dried apples kept disappearing. Each day their number seemed to be less than it had been the day...

Youth football has changed in the past handful of years. Gone are the days of “Good game!” and “We will work harder next time.”...