Tony Hoffman had a lot of questions as a child. His search for answers would lead him down a difficult path, from drug addiction to armed robbery to prison and, ultimately, toward redemption. After a…

It’s important to remain hopeful after retirement, guest speaker Amber Jewell told Allen County Area Retired School Personnel Sept. 6. Jewell was the guest speaker for the group’s monthly meeting. Even retired educators still have…

The Allen County Area Retired School Personnel organization will meet Wednesday, Sept. 6, in the Mary Ellen Stadler Conference room at Allen Community College.   The meal and meeting will start at 12:15 p.m. Amber…

It’s not easy for a young person to avoid drugs and alcohol, especially in college. Jake White, now a motivational speaker, found most social gatherings at college were house parties where students drank alcohol and…

JJ Davis, head coach for the women’s basketball team at Neosho Community College, held up a dollar bill in front of Iola Middle School students on Friday morning.  “How much is this worth?” he asked…

As an adolescent, Kurt Jackson was hurting. His high school years had been ravaged by traumas he was not equipped to process. In the span of several years, he lost a brother to suicide, his…

Have a plan and practice it every day. That’s the advice JJ Davis got from a woman he calls “Grandma.” Again and again at key points in his life, she encouraged him to work hard…

Over the course of 45 minutes — an eternity, really — Jerry Schemmel figured he was going to die. The date was July 19, 1989.  Schemmel, then 29, was aboard United Airlines Flight 232, along…