Latter-Day David Saves Sister With Slingshot

by Kevin Burton     So now you know two stories involving a slingshot. And two extraordinary stories they are.    Thirteen-year-old Owen Burns heard his sister screaming earlier this month, then looked out a window to see someone trying to kidnap her.    Burns grabbed what he had at hand, what he was familiar with, …

Murder She Wrote: Author Under Arrest

by Faith Karini, Andi Babineau and Sara Finch, CNN    Kouri Richins’ husband was found dead at the foot of their bed last March.    She’d just closed on a house for her business, she told investigators at the time. Around 9 p.m., she brought her husband, Eric Richins, a celebratory Moscow Mule cocktail in …

Standing O For Diane Tirado, My Zero Hero

by Kevin Burton    At work you shouldn’t expect pay for, and at school you shouldn’t expect credit for, work you didn’t do.    I give you that conclusion up front, lest it be lost in this strange little tale. There is weirdness in this story, I warn you.    The first strange thing is …

In Today’s America You Have To Pay Attention

by Kevin Burton    Gonna make myself a sign, and I’ll tell you why.    First, by way of explanation, a bit from my coaching days.    When I began coaching the Wichita Sonics beep baseball team, I adopted the three rules that the late John Madden, the old Oakland Raiders coach, had for his …

Racist Oklahoma Officials Caught On Tape

by Corky Siemaszko NBC News    (McCurtain County is in the Southeast corner of Oklahoma, bordering Texas and Arkansas.)      The governor of Oklahoma has called for the resignations of the sheriff and other top officials in a rural county after they were recorded talking about “beating, killing and burying” a father/son team of local …

OKC Bombing “Surreal” 28 Years Later

by Kevin Burton    A bomb blast that killed 168 people in Oklahoma City 28 years ago today, reverberates still.    My wife Jeannette worked at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building for the department of Housing and Urban Development for 5½ years from 1983 to 1989.  Six years after she relocated to Wichita, that …

Dogs In Alaska Being Killed With Meth

by Kevin Burton    Three dogs have died so far, as someone in Palmer, Alaska is poisoning dogs with methamphetamines.    Katie Stavick of the Frontiersman newspaper, posted a story on it April 5.    “Dogs have many titles-man’s best friend, loyal and trusted companion, and beloved member of the family. That’s what makes a …

Any Day, Anytime, Anyplace

by Kevin Burton    You pays your money, you takes your chances.    If we’re being honest, is that not a suitable tagline for the post-national United States?    Isn’t that phrase a lot more indicative of the American experience than say “land of the free, home of the brave?”    Now that phrase is …

Discrimination By The Slice At Papa John’s

by Kevin Burton    Papa John’s Pizza is being sued by the federal government for employment discrimination against a blind man, according to published accounts.    This story has been widely reported. Much of my information comes from a story by Michael E. Kanell in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.      Thought I would mention this …

A New Take On Taxis And Guide Dogs

   If you are blind and use a guide dog for travel, this story is all too familiar to you.   This comes from Calgary, Alberta, courtesy CBC News.        “A Calgary cab company has fined and temporarily suspended one of its drivers for refusing to give a ride this week to a blind woman …