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 A NewsJournal for 21st Century West Kentucky

Vol. 16  No. 3 March 2024 (c)

My best friend, life partner, publisher, editor, husband
Ivan Potter passed away March 3, 2024.

The stories below were written by or about Ivan

FrontPage News

Saying Goodbye to General Mosby, Kindred Spirit and Partner
Saying Goodbye to General Mosby, Kindred Spirit and Partner

Mosby, part of my spiritual connection with the rhythms of nature is no more of this world. He left me today at 11:35 am. I held him in my arms for the last time. Stroking his gray furry head, life left him battling a rare disease.

Mosby was my special gray Maine Coon kitten who grew over 12 years to be my personal side kick in pushing the boundaries of personal growth.

 See the full story ...
Ivan Potter

Tradition: carrying on - a reprise from 2013 | US Post Office

Marie Edwards- service with a smile even in the snow and cold
Tradition: carrying on - a reprise from 2013

The Good: People and Tradition at Their Best

....And then there was Marie. I saw her, a lone figure in uniform, walking up and down the street.

She is our mail lady. Each day somewhere between 9:30 am and 10:15 am, she makes the rounds of our part of the universe... No matter the weather, rain, snow, and extreme heat or like today, perfect 50 degrees with bright sunshine, she always has a kind word for you and a warm felt smile...

 See the full story ...
Ivan Potter

Food Zombies are lurking nearby...Be afraid

"At J. Skinner, we feel life should be full of delicious moments..."
Food Zombies are lurking nearby...Be afraid

Editor's Note: I asked Ivan to do a food story this week and he produced a scary story that happens to be all true.

...The cart stopped of its own free will. There in front of me was the store’s collection of everything that was bad for me. Glazed donuts, peach pastries, cinnamon buns, those swirly buns I don’t know the name of. And then, my eyes found the most evil of all the baddies... the Bavarian Dream Danish...

 See the full story ...
Ivan Potter

Ode to the Passing of a Pool Hall
Ode to the Passing of a Pool Hall
  UPDATE: Daily Yonder picked this story up for its webpage. Thanks to them and we hope many other small town folks like us enjoy it.
 Friday night was the best. Cruising with friends between Clinton—Arlington—back to Clinton and then on to Fulton and back again to Clinton. With four to six guys in an old 1957 Chevy or 1956 Ford, we were looking for girls and the girls were out cruising, looking for boys.

 On these nights, dinner was often at the Pool Hall. Sizzling hamburgers spitting hot grease up against the walls provided us with background noise, as we watched the action on the pool tables.     
 
 See the full story ...

Legend of the Purple Chicken

Author counting his chickens - the beginning of a legend.
Legend of the Purple Chicken

It all started on a quiet Friday afternoon. It was one of those very rare times when all forces of the universe line up in perfect harmony...

From out of nowhere, a truck appeared pulling a 30 ft. wagon. This rig parked right in front of the house. Right away I knew something was up and about to destroy my very perfect afternoon.

A very firm male voice, bullhorn blasted out, “You the Potter for these chickens?”..

 See the full story ...
Ivan C. Potter, Publisher West Kentucky Journal

Drought and LPs - Potter enjoys a visit with WKMS | drought, WKMS, west kentucky, Ivan Potter, Todd Hatton, NPR, sounds good

Todd Hatton, left, listens as Ivan Potter speaks and gestures for radio audience.
Drought and LPs - Potter enjoys a visit with WKMS

(Murray KY September 14, 2012) – Ivan Potter, an expert on the drought of 2012, discussed his findings on WKMS radio with Todd Hatton on the station’s newest offering, a show called “Sounds Good” a blend of music and local interview.

 See the full story ...
Mary Potter

Gas Pump Blues

Moon Pie goodness. A man, a dog, an empty gas tank and a $5 bill.
Gas Pump Blues

Editor's Note: A recollection of when gas prices first spiked. Mr. Potter began singin' the gas pump blues. For the whole sad story, follow the jump.

Gas Pump Blues
August 2005


Hot August day,
Sweat pouring down my brow
As me and my old dog, Blue
Set in the Chevy truck, thinking about how
George Bush done stuck it to me.

I came to town with $5.00 in my pocket,
Enough for a gallon of gas,
A Dr. Pepper, and two Moon Pies,
One for me and one for old Blue....

 See the full story ...
Ivan Potter

The Joys of a Small Town Soda Shop
The Joys of a Small Town Soda Shop

The summer of 1962 I discovered small town America up close and personal...

With the wind at my back as I, a newly minted 14 year old, walked into downtown Clinton, Kentucky, I mentally contrasted the world of my grandparents in Clinton to my world in Jacksonville, Florida.

 See the full story ...
Ivan C. Potter

Thanks to Courageous Work, History Saved From Pit

Years of history lost under the rubble? Enter the cavalry.
Thanks to Courageous Work, History Saved From Pit
...At first dawn’s light, the worst fears of local historian LaDonna Latham and her mother, Norma Gene Humphries were realized. On this date in history, Monday, February 11, 2013 the 100 year old brick building at the corner of North Jefferson and West Clay housing the Hickman County Historical & Genealogical Society office and museum collapsed...

Like a scene out of a John Wayne movie, where the little band of settlers have circled their wagons to fight off the hostile natives, the cavalry came over the hill in the nick of time to save them...

 See the full story ...
Ivan Potter, President Hickman County Historical & Genealogical Society

I Get Polled! A Firsthand Account
While I was in the midst of frying potatoes for supper last night, the phone rang. It was a very young lady asking if I would consent to do a short poll / interview. I love being polled so with the cordless in one hand and spatula in other, I settled in to be polled.  See the full story ...
Ivan Potter

Futurist Potter discusses end of federalism and FAR on WKMS

Todd Hatton and Ivan Potter in an earlier radio discussion. This latest talk is about the Jackson Purchase being a frontier.
Futurist Potter discusses end of federalism and FAR on WKMS

Ivan Potter, futurist, geographer and publisher of West Kentucky Journal, discusses what Frontier and Remote (FAR) designation means for the Purchase with Todd Hatton on WKMS.

Follow the link to hear their discussion.

 

 See the full story ...
WKMS Sounds Good

Legends and ghosts of Clinton, Kentucky
Legends and ghosts of Clinton, Kentucky

...Yet, this wall and its sidewalk stand guard, as best as they can over the comings and goings of spirits, both human and ghost to the entrance of the old Jewell House on Clay Street.

This is the place I stand before approaching a stately two story clapboard wooden house, with full wraparound outside porches, upstairs and downstairs, framed with gingerbread trim.

We now call this house the Van Slambrouck Home. Tom and his wife, Reena, have undertaken to restore the old mansion to its earlier glory. They have done much work on the old home place, where once Ramer B. Jewell was born. He later married Virginia.

This is my connection. Virginia Jewell...

Editor's Note: What Ivan calls the "Jewel House" is on the historic register as the Watson House (see related story)

 See the full story ...
Ivan Potter, West Kentucky Journal - 1 opinion posted

About Us- A Futurist in West Kentucky
The West Kentucky Journal of Politics & Issues is a non-profit news platform for analyzing the geo-political events of 34 counties. See the full story ...

Farewell to a Summer Paradise...West Kentucky Style | Grand Rivers, Kentucky, Lake Barkley,
Farewell to a Summer Paradise...West Kentucky Style

Life's tempo has shot up several levels with the promises of a very busy fall before the harsh storms of winter set in.

Yet, there is time for me to savor one last remembrance of a few days and nights just spent in a Kentucky tourist paradise..

 See the full story ...
Ivan C. Potter, Publisher West Kentucky Journal

America: a beacon of light with more work to do
America: a beacon of light with more work to do
Editor's Note: Brother Aaron Dowdy of the Clinton First United Methodist Church asked futurist Ivan Potter to share his thoughts on America, past, present and future on the 4th of July. Here is the transcript of what he said.

"...We have, since day one of our birth, been “the beacon of light" in a world clouded with darkness and the shadows of slavery, hunger, ignorance, war, and man’s general cruelty  to man.
 
However, somewhere in the hope of the 1980s we, as Americans, lost our way.
 
No, let me be brutally honest.
 
My generation of baby boomers who voiced a new idea of change with our government’s polices in the 1960’s and 1970’s lost our way...."
 See the full story ...
Ivan Potter

A Short Rant by Ivan Potter | Google, advertising, humor, survival guide, internet

What does Google know and when did it know it?
A Short Rant by Ivan Potter
The End of Western Civilization, Blood Pressure, and Google
 
...Yet, as I had just hit the final edit e-mail transmission, I noticed that there was an odd look or feel about the ads that appeared on the initial story page from Google.
 
As we all know, Google makes money from advertising. What I didn’t know was just how precise they are in marrying up requests to advertisers on a one to one basis.
 
Five advertisers were linked to my request for data. These five advertisers are shown at the end of this rant...
 See the full story ...

Ford's legacy -  building a modern 20th century gov't  | Wendell Ford, Kentucky, Frankfort, government, state government,
Ford's legacy - building a modern 20th century gov't

...By 1970, there were almost 300 separate boards, commission, agencies that operated outside the control of the Governor's Office.

Frankfort, KY at this time, was a state capital divided into two warring camps. Governor Nunn and the Republican Party held control of the operations of state government. Democratic Lt. Governor Wendell Ford was building a massive campaign structure for the elections of 1971...

 See the full story ...
Ivan C. Potter, Publisher West Kentucky Journal

Showing a girl a good time - Potter style

My birthday "present" - Ivan files for a second term on city council
Showing a girl a good time - Potter style

When married to Ivan Potter, one has to be prepared for a continuing series of adventures. Our birthdays and anniversary this year were no exception.

After almost thirty years, he still knows how to show a girl a good time (even when the girl is not a girl anymore!)

 See the full story ...
Mary Potter

No Man is an Island | Maldives, climate change, Copenhagen, floating homes, environment,

The Republic of Maldives, 1200 small islands, faces extinction as the Indian Ocean rises.
No Man is an Island
Thus, in my e-mail this day was a story about the island nation of Republic of Maldives. This small nation in the Indian Ocean is actually a series of 1200 islands linked into a common culture and nationhood. The story I was following is their attempt to survive in this new era of extreme weather and results of climate change. See the full story ...
Ivan Potter

Taming the Wild Budget Beast

FRANKFORT - Senate Democratic Floor Leader Ed Worley, D-Richmond, participates in negotiations during a meeting of the state budget conference committee in Frankfort. Photo by Bud Kraft, LRC Public Information.
Taming the Wild Budget Beast

Mark Twain once said "Those that respect the law and love sausage should watch neither being made." Once again in Frankfort we are down to the final hours of the Kentucky 2008 General Assembly. The House and Senate have had one major responsibility for coming to the state capital and that has always been passing a two year budget.

 See the full story ...
Ivan C. Potter

Potter photos on display through end of March | art, photography, Hickman County, Jackson Purchase, Ivan Potter, Mary Potter, Kentucky

Tootsie Roll truck rolling up US Highway 45 taken by Mary Potter
Potter photos on display through end of March

(Clinton, KY - March 17, 2016) Twenty photos taken over a span of thirty years by Ivan and Mary Potter will be on display in the Hickman County Arts Council display case in Hickman County Courthouse in Clinton through the end of March.

 See the full story ...

Writers' Day showcases local authors

A program honoring Robert Penn Warren also honored local writers in a program at the Hickman County Library.

Writers often draw inspiration from the works of their imagination, devoting their lives to creating a parallel world from their imaginations. Author Micah Gardner, one of the writers recognized during the event, draws her inspiration and ideas from landscape. "By day I am a biology teacher and at night, on weekends and whenever I can find the time, I write."

Gardner first began with poetry and short stories, taking two years to write her first novel. She has written two novels of a trilogy. "The Triskel Devices" series is a time travel series.

 See the full story ...
Ivan Potter

About Us

Our Sad News

39th wedding anniversary - Patti\'s in Grand Rivers
Our Sad News

My best friend, life partner, publisher, editor, husband Ivan Potter passed away March 3, 2024.

I will try to get back to writing but be patient with me. Sorting through 41 years of memories takes time.

His Celebration of Life will be Saturday, April 6th at 11:00 at Clinton First United Methodist Church. I welcome all those who knew him to attend.

The celebration will be live streamed on First Methodist's Facebook page. If you can't make the trip, please share it online with us.

 See the full story ...
Mary Potter


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