My mother taught me many things. Nary a day goes by that I don’t remember one of her sayings, actions or example lessons. She was predictable, old fashioned, conservative, tall and willowy. She was dependable, loyal to a fault, gregarious and seemed to never experience fatigue. She was selfless, frugal and loved to hug and be hugged. Read MoreCOLUMN: Walk on the inside son

Back in 2013 several West Virginia University students were able to acquire and test some of Volkswagen’s popular fuel efficient diesel vehicles. They discovered that the engines were programmed to watch for conditions associated with emissions testing and to immediately activate pollution controls during the tests but not during ordinary driving, thus passing the tests but giving owners spectacular fuel mileage. This discovery led to a massive scandal and backlash against the company, resulting in over 20 billion dollars in fines and legal settlements. Along the way, executives and en… Read MoreLETTER: Elections and emission tests should be thorough

Here we are again. Primary election season is well under way. Seems like we just finished this gauntlet a few weeks ago. As we all know, primary elections in Idaho are often the general election. However, for the first time in my memory, our general election this November will have more Democrats running against incumbent Republicans than we are used to seeing. In a bit of a repeat from my column of the same title 2 years ago, I thought I might share some of my personal thoughts on voting. This column is not an endorsement of any candidate or even party affiliation. Just offering up my… Read MoreCOLUMN: My Voting Criteria

I admit to feeling flattered when Mr. Wayne Schow took the time to not only read my column entitled, “Who picks your starting pitcher?” but wrote a professional and cordial rebuttal. I find myself thinking he would have been an outstanding professor if I had chosen to attend ISU and declared English as my major. But instead I chose a more distant BYU and music. A campus where Mom would be less likely to “drop in” to check on me. BYU? A university that offers college credit for studying the effect on society of Taylor Swift’s music and celebrity status!? Seriously? But I digress… Read MoreCOLUMN: Let's Talk