PSA: Generosity meets strategy with tax-savvy donations

   Are you thinking about giving to charity?  If you itemize your tax deductions, your donations to qualified charities may be tax-deductible.  For that to work, your total deductions must exceed the standard deduction.  In 2025, that's $15,750 for single filers and $31,500 for couples.

"Reel Reviews: ‘Playdate’ one of the worst streaming films I’ve seen all year" by: Jessica Shepard

   I have to be brutally honest with you – I hadn’t even heard of this week’s movie coming to any theater, let alone a streaming service.

"Timing, my good Raiders, is everything in football " by: Mike Reddell

   At my age, I have lots of friends who attended the broad berth of Texas colleges and universities.  But it so happened that three esteemed Texas Tech graduates – all three close and two go back to high school football years – felt the need to call mid-day Saturday.  Coincidence?

"Inspiration can come from anywhere, anything" by: Jessica Shepard

   I’ve been asked a few times how I come up with story ideas and the things I write about for the newspaper.  And while every iteration of those questions never ceases to appear in my life – I don’t have the same answer every time.

"The holidays are upon us so get ready to do your job to support the economy" by: John Sample

   We survived the longest government shutdown and the economy seems to have shrugged it off.  I am sure there will be those who had their travel by air compromised and government workers went without pay for over a month.  It doesn’t appear the nation’s economy even blinked.

PSA: Smart financial moves to make before end of year

   As the year winds down, it’s time for a financial tune-up.  Here are some steps to consider:  If you’re 73 or older, you’ll need to take required minimum distributions from traditional retirement accounts to avoid a 25% penalty on any amount you should have withdrawn but didn’t.

"Reel Reviews: ‘Now You See Me 3’ one of the better trilogy entries I’ve seen" by: Jessica Shepard

    I’ve always thought magic was a cool concept and was always watching magicians perform while growing up.

“Anxiety-ville Horror”

   A long time ago in a memory far, far away the movie “AmityvilleHorror” (1979) had a seismic effect on American cinema.  Just the image on a poster of the house with its two attic-style lit windows peering out on the neighborhood conjured up primal fears in the hearts of moviegoers.

"Officiating shouldn’t leave game in tatters" by: Mike Reddell

   Friday night’s sorrowful spectacle of how the Blackcats had their season end on a 7-6 score against Calhoun was both unbelievable and frustrating.  With seconds ticking away, the Sandcrabs tried a lateral at midfield but the ball hit the turf and a whistle blew.

"Diamond art painting requires more patience than I have on hand" by: Jessica Shepard

   While I’ve previously mentioned growing up with plenty of free time spent doing arts and crafts, it’s mostly been faithful standbys.