Tag: Creston News Advertiser
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Girl on Fire: My first half marathon finished, second coming up
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, May 1, 2014] Rain and hail felt like pinpricks against my skin as I ran, staring at the sidewalk, through Olathe, Kan. Soon after, the rain slowed to the occasional drop and the sun peaked out through the clouds while I ran along an asphalt trail through trees. I […]
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Girl on Fire: Dispatchers deserve recognition, too
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, April 17, 2014] What I love about having a column is being able to describe what so many people do in the community to make it a better place. This includes local fire departments and rescue teams, usually. But, this week is dedicated to a group of people who […]
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Girl on Fire: Progress made to equal rights
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, April 3, 2014] Last week, I found a story written by an employee of Al Jazeera America, an international broadcaster headquartered in Qatar, titled “Former President Jimmy Carter’s call to action.” Carter gave a speech about his new book, “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power,” during […]
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Girl on Fire: Chivalry isn’t totally dead
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, March 6, 2014] A few weeks ago, I bought a latte from Adams Street Espresso and went to work writing police and fire reports. I wasn’t paying attention, and hit my full cup of coffee. It toppled, coffee dribbled out and then the lid released itself from the cup […]
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Girl on Fire: How meth has slowly changed the firefighting game
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, February 20, 2014] Sitting in a classroom full of firefighters from across the state of Iowa, I watched as John Ticer, special agent with Iowa Fire Marshal’s Office, flipped through a PowerPoint slideshow explaining the recipe and how to make methamphetamine. Ticer taught Meth Lab Awareness, a class available […]
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Girl on Fire: A trip to sunny Phoenix in the dead of winter
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, February 6, 2014] Over the weekend I took a short vacation in Phoenix, Ariz., a nice break from the snow and bitter Iowa cold. While I was there, I saw Russel Finehout, my boyfriend, and my aunt and uncle, who winter there. My flight from Des Moines to Chicago […]
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Girl on Fire: A little down home delicacy
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, January 30, 2014] The smell of grease and seasoned flour wafted through the air at Elks Lodge on West Montgomery Street. Tables were filling up with couples and families out for dinner. I bartended and served meals and Eric Shawler, Dick Hammond and Monica Fastenow were sitting at the […]
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Girl on Fire: Quiz creates laughs in the newsroom
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, January 16, 2014] I took a quiz my coworker Sarah Brown suggested to me, titled “How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk,” (the URL is http://tiny.cc/dialectquiz) through the New York Times. And, of course, I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the choices the questions offer. For example, […]
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Girl on Fire: New year, new resolutions
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, January 2, 2014] As so many other people have done, I’ve set several resolutions for the new year. This year, I’m focusing on fitness, finances and writing. It seems to be a constant battle for me to lose those few extra pounds. I love working out. Even though jogging […]
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Girl on Fire: How literature opens doors to opportunity
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, December 19, 2013] For the past few weeks, I’ve been spending a lot of my time playing video games. But, recently, I decided to finish a few books I’d started more than a year ago. I’m glad I did, because I realized just how much I missed reading books […]
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