Following a tragedy, we need honesty, not judgment

July 14, 2026

As the tragedy of Nolan Wells' death continues to dominate the news, there are so many unanswered questions. Perhaps the most significant one is what his grieving parents shared in a recent interview with "Good Morning America's" Michael Strahan. Why did their 18-year-old son separate from his friends during their July 4 trip to Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast? Nolan's father, Elmore Wonsley, told Strahan, "We always taught him that if you go with a group, you stay with a group. If you go with five, you come back with five. Do not separate from the group. ...

Dropping candidates is getting to be a habit — and it’s not a sign of strength

July 14, 2026

It's beginning to be a habit. It, in this case, is the messy business of center-left political jettisoning one leader suddenly deemed unelectable and, without resort to the usual rules or democratic procedure, designating a replacement. It's the process that came fairly close to giving ...

Before museums, there were cabinets of curiosity

July 13, 2026

When you hear the word museum, what is the first thing you think of? It's my favorite question to ask people, especially the field-trip kids who fill the Besser Museum every spring. For many of them, it's one of the first museums they've ever visited, and their answers are pretty consistent: ...

Engaging with the arts

July 13, 2026

My grandmother died in October, 2020. I watched her body deteriorate. I write of her voice. Doctors took it away during a time I don’t remember and replaced it with an external device. She spent her remaining years practicing speech to release herself from the tether of this machine. Her ...

The future of gorillas depends on zoos working together

July 13, 2026

Two Western lowland gorillas just arrived at Louisville Zoo's Gorilla Forest from Zoo Knoxville in Knoxville, Tennessee. Obi and Andi are half-sisters and will hopefully create Louisville's next family group with 29-year-old male gorilla, Kicho. Their arrival piqued my curiosity about how zoos ...

It felt good being Up North

July 11, 2026

“North, I knew down deep, was where I belonged, north being as much a philosophy as a direction or destination. You knew when you were there, or you didn't. Those who couldn't feel it and embrace it generally only tried it once.” ~ Joseph Heywood, “The Snowfly” I’ve always thought ...