One nation, different public holidays

"Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day narrowly escaped being axed as legal holidays in Massachusetts recently. In the state Senate, South Boston Democrat Jack Hart even suggested that cutting the holidays would put the state on a slippery slope to eliminating Christmas.

But throughout the country, states officially celebrate holidays that range from nationally obscure to highly controversial."

To learn more about the variety of things we celebrate, click here.

The day I held a sobbing WWII medic in my arms

I'll never forget holding World War II medic Tony Acevedo in my arms. He wept and convulsed for more than 10 minutes, his body constricting and tightening in a way I'd never seen before. "I'm sorry," he said, repeating, "I'm sorry. I want to say more, but I can't."

I held his hand and hugged him until he calmed. I had asked what I thought was a simple question. "When I say the name Erwin Metz, what comes to your mind?"

That's when the demons of 1945 took over.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Father's Day and a New Angle on the Prodigal Son

One of the most beloved stories that Jesus told has been called the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Many have identified with his need for mercy after his excursion into arrogance and stupidity.

By focusing on the prodigal son, however, we miss the central lesson of the parable. The central character in this story is not the son, but the father. Perhaps if we called it the Parable of the Incredible Father we’d find it easier to focus on the portrait Jesus painted of him.

He is like no father you have ever known and with Father’s Day approaching, it might be an appropriate time to reexamine this familiar story from an unfamiliar angle.

Click here to read the rest of this story.

Shakespeare Fest has hit: Play about Bear Bryant

"The 26 years since legendary Alabama coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant died have not dimmed his fame nor the urge for 'Bama fans to revel in his story.

Now a drama about the dirt poor Arkansas farm boy who became a college football icon is coming to the city where he showcased the Crimson Tide and recorded many of his 323 victories."

Click here, for more on how Bear Bryant is helping the Shakespeare Fest.

Wall Drug endures as tourist attraction

Ted Hustead's family knows a thing or two about running a tourist attraction during tough economic times.

Consider Wall Drug, on the north edge of South Dakota's Badlands.

Hustead's grandparents, Ted and Dorothy Hustead, bought the store in this small town in 1931 — during the Great Depression.

Click here to read more about Wall Drub.

Donations pour in for pizza deliveryman

"The plight of the pizza deliveryman in Evanston who was beaten up and had his car hijacked and wrecked has touched many readers of the Chicago Tribune who saw the story in Monday morning's paper.

According to Omar Gutierrez, who organized and has managed an effort to raise money to help replace Stephen Walker's ruined Kia, readers have barraged him with e-mails and donations. By 10 a.m., more than $4,000 had been donated to the fund through a PayPal account. Walker will get the money Tuesday from the Clyde Avenue neighbors group."

To read more on this uplifting story, click here.

Chicago Cubs' Ryan Dempster and infant daughter fight rare disease

"Shortly after Ryan Dempster and his wife, Jenny, welcomed daughter Riley into the world on April 1, they learned their daughter suffers from DiGeorge syndrome, a rare congenital disease that prevents her from swallowing and digesting food.

Dempster has commuted to Childrens Memorial Hospital over the last seven weeks as his daughter undergoes procedures to keep her alive while she learns to swallow on her own. After initially asking the media to respect his privacy and not mention Riley's health scare, Dempster decided to speak about the subject this weekend."

For details of the interview, click here.