When you are growing up, a neighbor can be a lot of things. A mentor, a role model, a friend. I have always counted myself lucky that I was raised next to a couple as kind, caring and friendly as Donny and Ginny Dickrell. Throughout my childhood, they were a constant presence and left a considerable impact on my life.

Last year, I shared my picks for the best Christmas movies of all time. In a similar vein, this year, I would like to offer my selections for the top Christmas songs. For me, the music is one of the biggest and most important features of each holiday season, and I look forward to breaking out my favorites each year.

By this point, you have probably already heard about the despicable incident that took place at the Cinnabon in the Bay Park Square Mall where a now ex-employee unleashed a racial tirade on a Somali couple. The altercation made national headlines and sparked heated debates from talking heads and online commenters.

EDITORIAL

Christmastime all around the world

On Saturday night, I had the pleasure of attending this year’s second annual Denmark Christmas Tree Lighting Event on Railroad Avenue. Despite heavy snowfall, hundreds of community members made the trek out for a fun night of togetherness and holiday fun. For this week’s editorial, I would like to share my thoughts on the event and what I believe it demonstrates for the community as a whole.

This weekend, I utilized the rare opportunity of a free Saturday afternoon for a trip out to Tisch Mills and a visit to the historic Forst Inn to catch a showing of their production of Sweeney Todd.

Over the past three years, I have had the immense honor of serving as the Assistant Director for three fall musicals and three spring plays at Denmark High School. This experience has been endlessly rewarding and has taught me so much about theater, leadership, organization and myself.

Over the course of working on this year's Denmark High School (DHS) production of Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, and writing the related article, I have found myself repeatedly fascinated with the original story's author--Roald Dahl.

My work for The Denmark News has brought me to a wide variety of celebrations of the fall season including the recent Mishicot Pumpkinfest and Saturday's newly-expanded Denmark Trunk or Treat. While I always enjoy these autumnal events, they always lead me to remember and miss the former Denmark tradition that has been missing for some time.

Last Monday, I had the privilege of attending a learning and discussion session presented by experts in rural community organization, development and sustainability and attended by representatives of a number of local organizations, institutions and businesses. For this week's editorial, I would like to share my thoughts on the experience and the conversations had.

Over the past couple of years, there has been extensive conversation about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the far-reaching implications of its rapid and haphazard integration into so much of our daily lives. Along with the litany of social, moral and ethical implications of this technology's advent, the rise of AI has also led to many controversies relating to the hardware and resources needed to carry out its tasks.

When we are young adults, many people work less-than-favorable jobs to earn money. When I was in college, I washed dishes, worked in a sausage factory and cleaned a bank among other positions. While none of these were particularly great lines of work, none were anywhere nearly as dreadful as my worst job ever. For this week's editorial, I would like to talk about my time as a paid political fundraising caller.

Last week brought with it the yearly occurrence most children dread and many parents eagerly await. This school year began like many before it with the usual hustle and bustle as young people and their parents ease back into their regular routine. For the newspaper, this is a busy time that brings with it many opportunities and possibilities.

This summer, people across the country have fallen in love with a new twist on a classic American sport. The Savannah Bananas and their affiliated teams have been taking the nation by storm hosting massive crowds in stadiums across the country. While the newly created "Banana Ball" may be a break from strict baseball tradition, it is a fun and exciting version of the game and is attracting more and more fans with each game.

While the summer heat may just be over for this year, 2025 brought with it several very hot and very humid days. This summer also featured a lot of people across the Midwest talking about the concept of "corn sweat" with many journalists and commentators weighing in about the relationship between the crop and stickier weather.