Long Live The Frontiersman And Print News

by Kevin Burton    On the morning of my first day as a full-time honest-to-God newspaper reporter, a game of musical chairs broke out.    Musical desks too.    I had been hired by The Frontiersman in Wasilla, Alaska, to replace a local government reporter. I was a second choice. The person they hired first …

Is Ringo’s New Record Better Than Paul’s

by Kevin Burton    I’ve had a ton of fun writing about pop music on Page 7. But I have juuuuust about talked myself out of the notion that I am any kind of knowledgeable, creditable music critic.    And I’m getting close to swearing off all music critics. I mean, we like what we …

Missing My Mom And Defining “Carry On”

by Kevin Burton “And when one of us is gone, and one of us is left to carry on, then remembering will have to do..” “You and Me Against The World” Helen Reddy    The first song I played after learning of my mother’s death on May 4, was “First Morning In Heaven,” by The …

Meet the 98-year-old ‘Angel of Route 66’

by Rebecca Treon BBC    On a dusty stretch of northern Arizona, about an hour west of Flagstaff, the neon glow of Angel and Vilma Delgadillo’s Original Route 66 Gift Shop still flickers to life each morning.    Inside, 98-year-old Angel Delgadillo greets the stream of visitors pouring in from tour buses with a handshake and …

Alberta To Vote On Separation From Canada

by Nadine Yousif and Sareen Habeshian BBC    Alberta will hold a referendum on whether the province should remain in Canada or move ahead with a second binding vote on separation, marking the first significant test of the country’s unity in decades.    Thursday’s announcement by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith comes after a citizen-led petition …

My Friend, “Prepaid” Is The Only Way To Go

by Kevin Burton    I called the cemetery where my mother will be buried next week and told the clerk that the time had come.    The clerk was actually en route to work. She said she would look up our family’s records once she got there, and call me back.    “Everything is paid …

Dave Mason And A Place That’s Far Away

by Kevin Burton    There was just one song that brought Dave Mason into my top-40-based musical awareness in the 70s, but that was enough to keep him there.    Mason died April 19, and tributes began to pour in from people who knew him as I didn’t,  as a co-founder of the British rock …

Tempering Expectations For McCartney Album

by Kevin Burton    I think writers borrow the whole Dickens thing too much. You know, best of times-worst of times. But here I think, it fits.    As a Beatles fan I am of course looking forward to “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” PaulMcCartney’s first new solo album in six years, set for release …

He Is Risen! There Is Hope For The Hopeless

by Kevin Burton    Your tombstone and mine will land with the thud of finality. Jesus’ tombstone was pushed aside in very short order.    This was God’s plan, and we rejoice in it today on Easter, as we serve a risen Savior, who conquered death to make a way for us to be saved. …

Finding Contentment In The Little Dance

by Kevin Burton    Perhaps you noticed that all the teams in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament this year were from the Big Four conferences.    That and Kansas losing in the second round has dialed my enthusiasm down very close to zero.    A pox on all 16 of their houses …