By Lori Bredemeyer, Managing Editor I can still see the two long skid marks on the road where the car screeched to a stop outside my apartment. As I was getting ready to go to church last Sunday, I heard the sound of slamming brakes and tires trying to grab the road, then the distinct sound of car hitting car. I looked out my window and saw that ... [Read More…]

By Jonathan Smith, Editor in Chief If I only read a few news stories here and there, I would use this space to apologize for my country. Apologize for the mess created in Iraq. Apologize for the growing threat of global warming because of carbon dioxide emissions. And most recently, I'd apologize for the deaths of so many in South East Asia's ... [Read More…]

By Mallory Sherwood, Features Editor Face the Facts I was dismayed when I found out I had missed National Pancake Week last week. When else can you celebrate eating delectable pancakes covered in a plethora of toppings such as: chocolate chips, whipped cream, syrup, peanut butter, blueberries and other fruit? But more than celebrating pancakes, ... [Read More…]

By Jonathan Smith, Editor in Chief Forty-nine percent of my peers say I should not have the right to publish this sentence. At least not without the government's approval. According to results released Jan. 31 in a survey of more than 100,000 high school students, 75 percent of the students said they don't know what they think about the First ... [Read More…]

By Jaci Schneider, Opinion Editor Much Ado About Something "There's nothing to do in Abilene" has to be one of the most commonly used phrases on campus. I admit, I've said it quite often myself. We will always be told that it doesn't matter what you do, it's whom you do it with, but us students know that's not completely true. We know that you ... [Read More…]

By Mallory Sherwood, Features Editor Unveiling the Mask An 11-year-old boy full of life, laughter and promise is dead after a terrible automobile accident. Brody Bourland was in the sixth grade at Franklin Middle School. A week has passed since the vehicle he was traveling in rolled on I-20, injuring seven other passengers. Questions linger in ... [Read More…]

By Jonathan Smith, Editor in Chief Three weeks from now, I will receive a letter: "Dear Editor, whoever wrote the article at the top of Friday's opinion page should think about having the courage to sign his name. Is this really a Christian university's stance on that matter? Also, the articles on this page so frequently contain the author's ... [Read More…]

By Jonathan Smith, Editor in Chief Fifteen weeks as editor of the Optimist has taught me more than how to complete a front page from start to finish in less than three hours on deadline. When applying and interviewing for this job last semester, the newspaper adviser told me to be ready because I did not even know what would be in store for ... [Read More…]