Dolly Parton: One Thing Americans Agreed On

by Robin Levinson-Kingand and Sheila Flynn BBC    Dolly Parton was a lot of things – a country musician, a philanthropist, an actress, a storyteller and a businesswoman. One thing she never was, however, was a politician.    But don’t think it’s because no one asked her. In 1999, during an appearance on the talk …

Country Music Icon Dolly Parton Dies At 80

by Kevin Burton    Sometimes at the movies, the writers ask you to suspend disbelief. For one 70s song, I couldn’t do it.    The song is “Jolene” by Dolly Parton.    In a quivering delivery, Dolly begs this Jolene character, “please don’t take my man.” I just never could buy that.    I thought, …

Rescue, Restoration After Colombian Quake

by Kevin Burton    A young boy has his mother back. From the jaws of tragic loss, comes delicious, unspeakable joy.    A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Colombia Aug. 10. Since then we’ve read stories with updates on the death toll, the number of people missing and damage to buildings. But one story grabbed me …

Double Takes This Weekend In Twinsburg

by Kevin Burton   You know, if you’ve seen one twin, you’ve seen the other.    And you can see plenty this weekend, if you’re in the Cleveland area, at the 51st Annual Twins Days Festival.    Twinsburg, Ohio is about 26 miles south of Cleveland and north of Akron. The town of Millsville was …

Love To Carly Simon, The Person And Artist

by Kevin Burton    We now know her body to be ailing, but the art of Carly Simon is vibrant, alive and well.    So, this post represents a bit of a puzzle for me, an exercise in basic journalism and in basic humanity. It’s a reality check.    Carly Simon just had a birthday …

Get Set For The Latest ‘League Of Their Own’

by Jay Cohen and Alanis Thames Associated Press    The nation’s first women’s professional baseball league in nearly 30 years embarks on its inaugural season today, in what marks a major milestone in the scattered history of the sport in the United States.    The Women’s Pro Baseball League is also part of a timeline that …

Quibbles And Bits: World Cup Edition

by Kevin Burton    How to wrap one’s heart and empathetic mind around the heartbreak for England as it coughed up a late lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals Wednesday?    Think of a Cleveland basketball fan watching Michael Jordan sink a jumper over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 playoffs …

Quibbles And Bits: Hey Taylor Swift, I Tried

by Kevin Burton    I’ve tried twice now, and I won’t be back here again, to “get” the whole Taylor Swift thing.    The first time around came when Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and started getting mega-coverage by watching Chiefs games from luxury suites.    I said, Oh my …

FedEx Sued For Employment Discrimination

by Sydney Haulenbeek Courthouse News Service    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued FedEx Corp. on June 30, claiming the shipping company discriminated against four blind package handlers.    FedEx has discriminated against blind employees who worked at its Kernersville facility, outside of Winston-Salem, the EEOC said in its suit, by not providing reasonable …

Seeking The American Dream In Other Places

by Blake Bachelor CNN     Drawn by sunshine or a lower cost of living, a growing number of Americans are choosing to live their golden years outside the US, in the hope that it will better suit their financial or lifestyle needs and wants.    While official numbers aren’t available, companies and organizations that specialize …