Columnists
REPLACING MISSING TILES
I tend to lose stuff. Once, I lost a cell phone and found it in the freezer. Then, I misplaced my wallet and found it at the bottom of the dog food canister. There is a logical explanation for both of those incidents—sort of. My wife has told me many times that I am clearly…
Read MoreHave I Saved Social Security Money by Claiming at 62?
Dear Rusty: I had to start collecting Social Security at 62, and I am 75 now. I believe that in the last 13 years I have saved Social Security money, so I do not know why I cannot draw my full benefits now. If I had started drawing at 65 at $1,200 per month, then…
Read MoreRanking Recruiting Classes for 20 Years Under Coach Matt Painter
If you go strictly by the recruiting rankings, it seems impossible that in Matt Painter’s 20 seasons as Purdue men’s basketball head coach that the Boilermakers have five regular season Big Ten championships, two Big Ten tournament titles and a trip to the NCAA championship game during his tenure. Only once has Painter recruited a…
Read MoreSaluting 2024
Notable Nineties, Sensational Centenarians From Time to Thyme By Paula Dunn Normally, I would have saluted our Notable Nineties and Sensational Centenarians in the last column of 2024, but the holidays interfered with that, so I’m paying tribute to them at the beginning of 2025 instead. For anyone who doesn’t know about the Notable Nineties,…
Read MorePecan Pie and the Poinsettia: God’s Recipe of Grace
The anticipation of our first major snowstorm of 2025 seemed to go on for days. All the meteorologists in the area were projecting a huge storm with treacherous ice accumulations similar to the one that crippled Kansas City and millions of other towns on Jan. 4. Yes, we were all waiting for the big mess!…
Read MoreClock Keeps Ticking
One of the folks I hold in high regard reached out a few days ago. Like many of us, he’s upset over the current political reality that is today’s country. He – in my humble – very much hopes that Trump can make things better, but also understands that it’s a matter of time before…
Read MoreMontgomery Medicine No. 789
Norovirus You may have read that cases of Norovirus are really ramping up in America. I have been asked to rerun my column on this nasty virus. Most people describe these infections as “stomach flu.” This term, however, can be misleading. Unlike the seasonal flu that affects the respiratory system (also on the increase), the…
Read MoreColts Aren’t Measuring Up to Snuff
For those 10 or 12 of you who follow these scribbles, you know that once in a while I wander off into sports. Sorry. As an old sportswriter who wore out several pairs of Weejuns on courts, fields and arenas, sometimes I just can’t help myself. This hot mess that is the Indianapolis Colts has…
Read MoreCan Wife Claim Now and Get His Half Later?
Dear Rusty: My wife will reach her full Social Security benefit at 66.5 years of age which is just under 2 years away for her now. If she were to begin to get her monthly check now (i.e. early), would that prevent her from being eligible for the spousal benefit to receive half of what…
Read MoreMontgomery Medicine No. 788
Colorectal Cancer Screening Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) has become increasingly common thanks to growing public awareness and campaigns like the CDC’s Screen for Life Action Campaign. Each year, over 150,000 new cases of CRC are diagnosed, and about 53,000 people die from the disease. This makes CRC the third deadliest cancer in men, after…
Read More