Dear Editor: There is a transportation bill in Congress making available $138 million for Georgia projects upon request by our U.S. representatives. The 9th and 10th districts, however, will not be receiving funding for roads, bridges and other projects our districts need because U.S. Reps A…

Flies can be a pesky pest, especially indoors. Although they may occur year-round, the usual abundance of ripening produce this season in many homes tend to attract more fruit flies. Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, so don’t let fruit flies deter you from …

How should small companies handle a data breach?

A marriage cannot work if one or both people are constantly questioning whether the other is cheating. That’s what our current political climate feels like to me.

To answer that question we have to go back to compare to just last year. As you may remember 2020 was a rough year on many fronts, not the least of which was the deadly and destructive record-setting tropical season in the Atlantic basin.

Dear Editor: Madison County, the future is in your hands.

Beyond the local petro panic, Madison County has been involved in this fuel crisis in another way, too. Colonial Pipeline, which faced a shutdown due to a cyber attack, runs a petroleum line up the eastern seaboard, which cuts through this county and includes a booster station just south of …

The kind of tornado that struck Madison County last Monday afternoon was a typical example of the fairly small, fast-moving, mostly invisible tornadoes so common east of the Mississippi.

Dear Editor: The Madison County Senior Center would like to extend a giant thank you to the Madison County Sheriff's Department for hosting the first-ever “Firearms for Seniors” class Thursday, April 29 at their training facility.

May has arrived and spring is in full bloom.

If people get more money in their hands, they’re going to serve themselves as best as possible. That’s true for poor, rich and everyone in between.

We all know about “Word of Mouth,” but now it’s time to make it work as part of your marketing strategy.

When the weather warms up and folks begin to dig out their fishing poles to go drop a line in their favorite pond, I start getting calls about pond weeds.

Acceptance, in my opinion, is one of the hardest things that we humans do in this life.

Dear Editor: Since taking office, our president has used the government to help ordinary Americans. His administration’s American Rescue Plan increased the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under age 6 and $3,000 for other children under age 18, immediately offering monthly…

Dear Editor: The rest of America and the world are getting an inside view of the complex and colorful fabric that is our State of Georgia. On the political stage we give them a wise and thoughtful pastor who grew up in the projects of Savannah, a privileged young man who could have chosen a …

Our highly emotional partisan politics shouldn’t make us illogical in dealing with global matters. And an exit from Afghanistan, which Biden has promised by Sept. 11, 2021, is long overdue. It’s a move toward logical decision-making, not emotion-driven choices.

Back in the 60s, Simon and Garfunkel sang about parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Today, the list of herbs found in gardens would fill up the whole song. For centuries, herbs have been used for food and medicine.

Dear Editor: During the month of April, you may have noticed some new décor around town to signify that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

If you’re of my generation, then nearly half of your life is divided between one-foot-in and one-foot-out of the internet age. Maybe others don’t feel this, but I still have some version of shell shock about the complete alteration of information flow.

The Georgia General Assembly adjourned on day 40, “Sine Die,” on Wednesday, March 31. This session was difficult, due to the pandemic, with social distancing in place, and mandatory COVID testing, twice a week. Members of the House were divided between the House Chamber, House gallery and in…

Dear Editor: Mr. Glenn Guest was certainly correct about President Joe Biden in his comments in the March 25 edition of The Madison County Journal.

Dear Editor: We live about seven-tenths of a mile from the Georgia Renewable Power (GRP) biomass plant in Colbert.

As I sit here this Monday morning, I can see my newly installed hummingbird feeders hanging just outside our living room window. I haven’t seen many of the delicate creatures yet, but Charles said he spotted more over the weekend. Our front yard is a busy place between the birds and squirrel…

Spring is here, and despite our cold snap last weekend, folks are busy getting gardens ready. Gardens can come in all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, not every landscape is suitable for in-ground gardens. In these situations, raised bed gardens have become increasingly popular. Raised beds …

There is a loneliness within each of us, because only we are in our heads. We fill that void with all sorts of things, good and bad.

Dear Editor: In last fall’s Presidential election, the Madison County election office with the help of Republican, Democrat and independent volunteers alike (all working under significant duress in the midst of a pandemic) did an outstanding job. We were encouraged by the voter turnout, whic…

Some consumers itch for whatever is new, but many of us just want to keep what we have for as long as possible.

Dear Editor: Regarding Julie Buffalo’s opinion letter in the March 18th edition, I am infinitely appreciative of the amazing efforts of the scientific community to come together so swiftly and in the face of significant and unnecessary political obstacles, at least in this country, to develo…

Dear Editor: I appreciated Congressman Alan Powell’s summary of HB 531 in last week’s Journal, though I confess to reading it with some resignation. Powell says that opposition to proposed voting reform legislation that uses words like “voter suppression” and “Jim Crow” are disingenuous hype…

Dear Editor: The popular American Rescue Plan addresses the COVID-induced crisis we continue to experience.

Dear Editor: I raise a glass to all who showed up March 16 and helped overwhelmingly pass the liquor-by-the-drink measures in Comer.

Roses are one of the most popular plants among Georgia gardeners even though growing roses in the southern climate can be challenging. Their large, fragrant blooms can be cheery and dramatic. Proper site preparation and planning and knowing which rose varieties to choose is the key to success.

Dear Editor: I begin this letter by saying I am not a member of any political party nor have I made any donations to any political party. I am, like many Americans, one who cherishes the heritage of our country and desires its peace and prosperity.

As we are approaching day 40, “Sine Die” on March 31, more Senate bills made their way to the House for consideration, and at the end of week 10, the House began working on SB 202 to begin strengthening Georgia’s election laws. Major points of SB 202 are:

Four more legislative days have come and gone and our time under the Gold Dome is beginning to dwindle. This week was a productive one, with committees convening to consider long lists of House Bills and senators presenting their legislation in House committees to carry their bills over the …

If you’re like me, you drive by one of our county’s 11 volunteer fire departments and you’re probably consumed in your own thoughts.

Dear Editor: It would be amusing if it were happening in another country. I refer to the complaints of conservative politicians about the enormous cost of the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package. Enormous it is, but according to conservative sources such as Forbes magazine, that $1.9T is…

At the Vernal Equinox, the Sun crosses the celestial equator on its way north along the ecliptic. For those of us without a sun dial or a farmer’s almanac, the previous sentence can be simply translated. Spring is here!

Good news, the end is near! Crossover Day has officially come and gone and the Senate is already hard at work considering the many bills that were passed over from the House. Crossover Day, like in most other years, had us debating and passing legislation well into the evening. When the gave…

Dear Editor: I have been a professional nurse for over 35 years and I have never been so proud of our scientific community, and now our Federal administration. We are tackling the COVID pandemic head-on. I was also part of the clinical trials that helped bring this vaccination process to fruition.

House Bill 531 was crafted by the House Special Committee on Election Reform to re-tool the mechanics of a flawed system. The elections of 2018 and 2020 created a lack of confidence and trust by citizens of both political stripes. Confidence and integrity of our elections are the bedrock of …

Dear Editor: By joining forces and investing billions of dollars in research based on scientific evidence we created a vaccine to protect humans from a deadly disease in less than a year. This is something to be proud of and grateful for. For those of us who remember growing up with friends …

Dear Editor: I appreciate Zach Mitcham’s opinion “Is voting an American right or a privilege?” (March 11) that the vote is not just a right of each citizen but a duty.

Dear Editor: I want to personally thank our Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock for their integrity and fortitude in getting the Relief Bill signed.

That distinction matters.

Dear Editor: Polls show that 76 percent of Americans like the coronavirus relief bill, including 60 percent of Republicans. It includes $1,400 stimulus checks, improved unemployment benefits, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, tax credits for children, money to schools, $8.5…

The historic, record-setting cold outbreak last month in the Plains states could have been our problem to deal with. In fact, some of the earliest model projections had the tip of the spear of the coldest air coming right down across the Ohio Valley and into the Southeast instead of the sout…

March 8 marked our “cross-over” day and legislation that doesn’t pass from one chamber to the other by adjournment will be taken up in the 2022 legislative session. Committees in House and Senate have been working hard to pass out meaning legislation:

Well…this week (March 7-13, 2021) is National Groundwater Awareness Week and it can be a deep subject. The United States uses 82.3 billion gallons per day of fresh groundwater for public supply, private supply, irrigation, livestock, manufacturing, mining, thermoelectric power, and other pur…

The plane, which was transparent, like Wonder Woman’s, crash-landed into a lake by my childhood home, which was not in Macon but some cold Northern European setting, like Norway, on an overcast day. I could see the airline passengers putting on lifejackets. The commotion excited a group of k…

Dear Editor: It never ceases to surprise me when Mr. Mark Jenkins, who styles himself a student of weather, routinely sneers at the overwhelming evidence and solid science that demonstrates the effect we humans have on climate. I suggest more study would benefit Mr. Jenkins.

Here’s a grab bag column of various thoughts on a rainy Monday morning:

Although it’s still cold and wintery outside, it is time to start prepping for warmer weather and spring gardening. If your gardening goal is to fill your pantry with an array of homegrown food, then starting plants from seed can help you achieve that goal. Starting seeds indoors under contr…