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So many people make New Year’s resolutions, but why you ask, and where did it start? Those are the questions I wanted to find the answer to.
The New Year Resolution tradition started in 153 B.C. by a mythical king named Janus (Jan-us). He had two heads, one looking towards the past for forgiveness and one towards the future for opportunity and hope. Janus (Jan-us) became an ancient symbol (and a god) to many Romans. He was featured on the calendars with the two heads pointing the opposite directions to show the past and future.
When people make New Year’s resolutions they want to change something they did wrong in the past year or they want to do better in something they did the past year. Also, they want to have a new beginning to their lives and the New Year is a good place to do it.
When people say “If only … this year” they try to fill in the blank with something positive that they want to accomplish that following year. They also make goals to complete to help them in their lives. Like weight lost or getting a new job but, for kids they cant really make those kinds of goals.
For students, they could make goals like they want better grades, to do better in classes or be a better friend.
Most of the people (around 75%) who make resolutions usually break them by the third month.
Many traditions live on forever from the ancient world and this one I believe will keep going on for a long time. I think I will make a New Year’s resolution that I will keep. I hope all of you can make a New Year’s resolution and be able to keep them too.
Happy New Year and I hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

by Mary Coblentz
This morning I ate breakfast with a group of friends and, after the usual subjects were covered, talk turned to politics. One of my friends mentioned that she shook hands with our now president-elect Barack Obama. This was before he was even a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, but a handshake with Obama is a handshake with Obama. This same friend has shaken hands with Gerald Ford and Jesse Jackson as well.
I have no political shoulder-rubbing or handshaking claims, but last summer, our oldest son had the opportunity to meet former president Bill Clinton. Elias was training for a job and was with a person making a sales call at a school in Kentucky. This was before the Kentucky primary, and Clinton was in town to support his wife, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

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1½ cups flour
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
¾ cup softened butter
Mix together the flour, sugar and butter until crumbly. Set aside ½ cup. Spread half of the remaining mixture in a 8 x 12 inch pan and pat down. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and spread on the filling listed below. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top and bake an additional 25 minutes.
Filling:
½ dates, cut up
1 cup shredded coconut
½ cup chopped nuts
2 egg whites
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine dates, coconut and nuts. Whip egg whites until stiff and add sugar and vanilla. Fold in the date mixture.
That is it for this week. The greatest joy is giving.

2 cups cooked and deboned chicken
2-10-oz. pkgs. frozen broccoli, Steamed
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
¼ tsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. melted butter
Grease an 11 x 7 inch casserole dish or pan. Place chicken on the bottom and then the broccoli on top. Combine the mayonnaise, soup, curry powder and lemon juice. Pour over the broccoli. Sprinkle with a mixture of cheese and bread crumbs combined with the butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

by Ryan J. Miller, Mayor of Wellman

We should be proud of our area fall sports teams who all had very successful years. The Mid-Prairie boys’ cross country team made it to state, along with Sofia Chmaruk from the girls’ team. The football team had a great year and had a good run in the state playoffs. The IMS boys’ cross country team also had a great year and finished second in the state.
I would like to thank everyone that helped with the election last week. I know that it is a long day setting up, working the polls and cleaning up afterwards. The Wellman precinct had one of the biggest (as a percentage of registered voters) turnouts in the county.

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I have been thinking about the south so much lately, and I decided on Jambalaya…enjoy.

1 lb. bacon
½ cup chopped onion
2 green peppers, chopped
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-16 oz. can tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp. thyme
½ lb. cooked ham, cubed
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. Tabasco sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 lb. shrimp, cooked, shelled and deveined
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bacon into ½ inch pieces and cook in a heavy, oven-proof pan or dutch oven with cover. When browned, remove with slotted spoon to paper towel and drain. Saute onion until transparent. Add green peppers; cook for 1 minute. Add rice; stir and cook rice for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover pot and place in oven. Bake at 350 degrees covered for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

by Montana Hart
This week I’d like to introduce Mr. Jim Cayton, Kalona Elementary School’s new principal. I interviewed him so that the students might learn something new about our principal.
Mr. Cayton was born in Maquoketa, Iowa, and he has two brothers and two sisters. In grade school he played sports and also was the president of the science club. In the science club he helped plant trees around his school.

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