The following columns appeared in 2008. Dear Carolyn: My half sister was raised by her mother and I by mine; our father died when we were kids. We have an aunt on our dad’s side…

Iola High’s basketball teams aren’t waiting around for school to resume before hitting the hardwood once again. The boys and girls Mustang squads travel to Fort Scott Tuesday to kick off the  post-Christmas portion of…

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In an age of opt outs in college football, the best NFL prospects for Alabama and Kansas State are opting in at the Sugar Bowl. Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young and…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are perhaps the most stable franchise in the NFL these days, led by a coach in Andy Reid who commands league-wide respect and a quarterback in…

NEW YORK (AP) — Pelé was remembered for a life beyond the field, for transcending the sport of soccer and becoming perhaps the most well-known person on Earth. “Before Pelé, ‘10’ was just a number,”…

SEMMERING, Austria (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin made ski racing history once again on Thursday night. This time, however, she wasn’t the only American skier doing so. Shiffrin led teammate Paula Moltzan for the U.S. ski…

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Did you win money betting on Saint Peter’s, the longest-of-longshots men’s college basketball team that got to the Elite Eight in the national championship tournament this year?  If so, you’ve…

So this is how it goes, I guess. Every year, the Thrill of Christmas will be followed by the Agony of the Vote. Deciding on another man’s right to immortality is, indeed, an agonizing exercise.…

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Major aid agencies on Thursday warned that Afghans will die because of the Taliban order banning women from working at nongovernmental groups, and stressed that female staff are crucial for the…

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles hit Ukraine Thursday in the biggest wave of strikes in weeks, damaging power stations and other critical infrastructure during freezing winter weather. Russia fired 69 missiles at energy facilities…