In Our Community
True Detective Mysteries, based on stories in True Detective magazine, had several brief runs before emerging in 1944 as a durable Sunday afternoon Mutual feature.
The earliest True Detective show ran on CBS Thursday nights in 1929-30; another was on Mutual Tuesdays in 1936-37. A third came to Mutual in 1938-39 as a 15 minute Tuesday night show. But none of those had the cohesion or staying power of the show that premiered October 1,1944. This time, True Detective Mysteries ran on Mutual for fifteen years. For eleven years it was a Sunday afternoon favorite. O’Henry candy was its best remembered sponsor, carrying it from 1946 through 1953. It featured Richard Keith as John Shuttleworth, editor of True Detective magazine. Keith narrated case histories of actual crimes, some of them twenty years old, but all proving the theory that crime doesn’t pay. As Shuttleworth, he offered $500 (later $1,000) reward for information leading to the capture of wanted criminals. Clues were given in Gang Busters style at the end of each broadcast, and listeners were advised to get in touch with the real Shuttleworth for the reward, should their tip result in the criminal’s capture. Murry Burnett was writer-director and music was by Paul Taubman on the organ. O’Henry, during the years of sponsorship, developed a distinctive commercial, which become almost as famous as the stories: Man: Hello? Hello? Woman: O’Henry? Man: Hold the phone! Hold the phone! It’s time for O’Henry, public energy number one. Announcer: Yes, it’s time for O’Henry, America’s famous candy bar, to present, transcribed, True Detective Mysteries. If you listen to the Big Broadcast on Sunday nights from 6 to midnight on AM 1370 KDTH, you might capture a wanted criminal and win yourself an O’Henry. 
Veterans Village Opens
We were all there the day Veterans Village officially opened: Sarge, the older veterans brought out in a van borrowed from the senior center, the dormitory crew and even the mayor came, along with a few members of the press and a photographer.
The gravel road had been smoothed, several lots had been cleared and two tiny homes had been installed, complete with a few shrubs and potted flowers next to the steps of both homes. A communal brick barbeque grill, surrounded by a concrete patio and lawn chairs, had been inaugurated into its first service to cook piles of burgers and hot dogs. Voluntary Services up at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital had sent baskets of household stuff like dinnerware and detergent to get the two veterans started. And Sarge’s granddaughter had skipped school to be there and to sing “America the Beautiful” as part of the opening ceremony. And it was a ceremony. Short speeches were given by those who had never done any of the work, but David, the homeless veteran whose idea Veterans Village had been, gave the shortest speech of all. He merely turned to the two veterans who would now live there and said, “Welcome home.” With input from social services in town, a list of other interested veterans had quickly grown, leaving Sarge and David to wonder just how many homeless veterans there were in town. “This could end up being pretty big, almost beyond my capabilities,” David said later, looking around the acreage, his voice shaky until he felt Sarge’s hand on his shoulder. David took a deep breath and let it out. “OK, I guess I better hustle up a few more homes,” he said, pulling a folded site plan out of his back pocket and a pencil from behind his ear. Sarge smiled, patted David’s shoulder and sauntered over to the grill to grab a burger before they were all gone. © 2021 King Features Synd., Inc. 
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Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri States Announces tentative dates for two flights
Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri States is pleased to announce the tentative schedule of two flights for Monday and Tuesday, May 23rd and 24th of 2022. Veterans of WWII, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War will be invited to see the memorials built in their honor.
It is an exciting day for the veterans and this no-cost, once-in-a-lifetime tour is a “thank you,” for the service they rendered and the freedoms they secured for Americans as well as people around the globe, when serving in the U.S. military. The cost to send a veteran on this trip is approximately $600; however, funds to provide this trip, which is free to qualified veterans, come from a grateful public. There is no funding from federal, state, or local governments for these trips. Guardians who travel with those veterans needing assistance will be asked to make a contribution of $500 to cover their own expenses. Veterans are called in the order that they submit their applications, with a priority given to WWII veterans, followed by those serving in the Korean Conflict, and then to those serving in the Vietnam War. Terminally ill veterans from any war will be given top priority. The Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri States, a non-profit organization, understands and appreciates the service of all veterans no matter when or where they served. Consider making a donation in honor of a loved one that has passed away or that has or is currently serving to Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri States. Checks may be mailed to: Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri States
c/o DuTrac Community Credit Union P O Box 3250 Dubuque, IA 52004-3250 Donations are also accepted at all DuTrac Community Credit Union locations.
For additional information or to submit an application, please visit www.honorflightdbq.org, our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/honorflightdbq or feel free to contact Perry Mason, Hub Director, at 563.690.0815 or by email to: honorflightofdubuque@gmail.com. 
Being Available
The least helpful offer I can think of, and one of the most common, is, “Just let me know if there’s anything I can do.” How many people really respond to an offer like that?
What this generalized offer requires of the hurting person is to think about how they want to be helped and then take the initiative and boldness to contact the one willing to help and ask for the help. It just isn’t going to happen! It’s an empty offer in which we’re not really making ourselves available, just sounding like we are. What people need from us is to have us show up and do what needs to be done. It’s all about being available. Availability is the key to pleasing God and serving others. Of course being available takes sacrifice on our part. It can require being interruptible, sacrificing our own schedule to meet the needs of someone else. I’ve observed before, but it’s worth repeating, that of all the recorded miracles Jesus performed, almost all were not planned or scheduled, and most happened when Jesus was interrupted. Jesus was interruptible, and we should be too! “We can’t plan life. All we can do is be available for it,” singer and song writer Lauryn Hill said. Being available also means being willing to listen. When we ask, “How are you?” and the person says, “Oh, so so,” we can let that go by. We let it go because we’re anxious to get on to the subject we really want to talk about or move on to conversation with another person nearby; our eyes have probably already been darting around, distracted by other people and conversations. The person’s non-committal answer of “Oh, so so,” should be a cue for us to pause, look at them, and perhaps gently prompt with another question. Being available means giving them our time and attention so they feel they have the opportunity to share more. It’s so easy to let our bodies be one place and our minds somewhere else. Wherever we are, we should be all there! We don’t have to be a talented and highly gifted person to live for God’s glory and the good of others. Brother Andrew, a Christian missionary famous for smuggling Bibles into communist countries during the height of the Cold War, said, “God does not choose people because of their ability, but because of their availability.” “The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” 1 Samuel 3:10 
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Several years ago while eating breakfast at the well-known, Harlan’s Restaurant, in Davenport, Iowa, I had a conversation with a waitress named Judy, and since the breakfast crowd had left Judy had time to talk with me for a few minutes about a subject that was of interest to both of us. The subject was squirrels. I took notes and was going to come and interview her the next morning before she went on duty. She had told me just enough to stimulate my interest. But when I returned to the restaurant the next morning I learned that Judy was ill and would not be there for a while. Actually, she never returned.
Judy had told me that her mother Mable Jane Hatfield, would sit on the porch swing and a squirrel would come up and eat nuts out of her hand. And then it would sit next to her for a time before it went back to nature. Her mother looked forward to these daily visits with a wild animal. It had became a friendly visitor that added joy to her day. I realize that some people do not like squirrels because they can be menacing. My one neighbor said they had messed up his air conditioner. Another person said that one had built a nest in his attic and cost him a lot of money to have it removed. I’m sure these are justified complaints about some of nature’s animals but they are most likely always going to be a part of our everyday life. I have a lot common squirrels, and ground squirrels in my yard, as do most of my neighbors. But they can serve a purpose. I understand that the thirteen-striped ground squirrels are social animals and live in colonies of burrows and make a lot of underground tunnels. I read that these tunnels help improve the quality of land by bringing up soil from lower levels. But, this can be destructive to agricultural irrigation systems. I do know that ground squirrels are all over my yard. And there is a lot of activity under my back cement stoop because they poke their heads out and run all over the place when I am sitting outside. But if they don’t bother me, I won’t bother them. After all, they eat from my back yard bird feeder when the seeds, nuts, and berries fall to the ground. They should be grateful! I guess I must confess I am grateful also because during the pandemic period I truly enjoyed watching all my back yard creatures amuse me with their busy activities. From just about any window in my home I could watch the squirrels, ground squirrels, birds, rabbits, occasional a raccoon, and any thing that crept about. Naturally, winter took some of the fun away but my time was often occupied with watching outdoor visitors. You might say. I hibernated for a spell but not underground! |
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