Mill Creek Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

I’ve concluded that over the past year, I’ve deleted far more words than I’ve published or posted. This might make me sound like a very careful writer, someone who measures... — Updated 1/29/2021

Who likes a roller coaster as much as I do? Strapped in tightly by a three-point restraint to a plastic seat, looking about anxiously from several stories high, anticipating (and... — Updated 1/15/2021

"A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let's hope it's a good one Without any fear And so this is Christmas And what have we done? Another year over And a new one just... — Updated 1/15/2021

It is almost 2021. A new year. A shift in the calendar will at first seem inconsequential. Most of us will live the same life we were living before the new year: obsessive... — Updated 1/4/2021

My father was a practical man. When I was young and full of myself, one of the first cars I bought was a 1960 Triumph TR3 roadster. Very impractical. It had removable side curtains... — Updated 1/2/2021 Full story

Transparency is definable, even though it is achieved differently by various agencies. In fact, Ballotpedia has a 10-point checklist on transparency. That list includes something... — Updated 12/20/2020 Full story

Albert Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." So what are some of these definitions? I’ll start... — Updated 12/20/2020

Secrecy and privacy are different things, but sometimes they get muddled. We apply that precise understanding in the news business: an eye on that particular distinction. We are... — Updated 12/11/2020

"I have good news and bad news," the young woman said, and I had to smile at that alone. I think I've found the perfect 2020 line. I don't know if there's an original source for... — Updated 12/10/2020

'Tis the season of "Joy to the World." Sitting down with friends and loved ones exemplifies the time-honored truism: that the togetherness of watching those oldies-but-goodies... — Updated 12/4/2020

Pull up a chair. Or don't. You are free to make your own decisions. Media. Information. Democracy. Freedom. It's all on the line right now, and surely you all see that, right?... — Updated 12/4/2020

It's a weird time to be a writer. I automatically assume that you are not even listening. The reason I assume you are not "listening" is that we were already in the era of too much... — Updated 11/27/2020 Full story

After a long, chatty call with my daughter the other night, she mentioned that it was time for her nightly routine. She and my son-in-law apparently do the New York Times crossword... — Updated 11/27/2020

HED Science, skills and tenacity are our friends W/PHOTO Courtesy of Chuck Wright Packs of playing cards were handed within jails and prisons to help jog memories of inmates, who... — Updated 11/19/2020

The first noise was the worst, although I was asleep. This raises a sort of empirical question: If a horrific, tearing, crashing sound occurs outside your window and you’re uncons... — Updated 11/19/2020 Full story

Well, I’m certain, no matter which side you’re rooting for, that the great presidential debate of this political season was a massive underwhelming and disappointing event. I... — Updated 11/19/2020

I was visiting Mill Creek last night in a downpour, and I met a chicken. Her name is Hazel. She seemed to be on tour and having a lovely time seeing what work looked like, for the p... — Updated 11/19/2020 Full story

A local guy that used to play tennis with us passed away last month. He had reached the age of 100. In fact, he played tennis until he was in his early 90’s (automatically... — Updated 11/13/2020

I am a storyteller since childhood – my first writer’s conference was in fourth grade. I remember going to Seattle and looking upwards at a brick building covered in ivy that... — Updated 11/13/2020 Full story

I have unremarkable taste in everything, which should come as a surprise to no one. And when it comes to culture, I only pretend to march to a different drummer. It’s usually the... — Updated 11/12/2020

We are in an odd era where the lines are being redrawn, and we are tasked with asking a question once asked in 1954, in Rev. George Doherty’s sermon near the White House, that... — Updated 11/6/2020

We all have our daily chores to do. I am always joking with my wife about whether doing our daily chores actually accomplishes something – or whether it is an exercise in... — Updated 11/6/2020