John Beal

John Beal is a contributor to The Shawnee Dispatch, Bonner Springs Chieftain and Basehor Sentinel. He retired in February 2008 as editor of those newspapers.

Recent stories

Springtime has sprung
By John Beal
March 11, 2010
It’s amazing what a difference a few days make.
Beal: Spring has sprung
By John Beal
March 9, 2010
It’s amazing what a difference a few days make. A few days, that is, when the temperatures begin to rise and you begin to get the feeling that spring will really come again this year.
United States has many reasons to give thanks during approaching holiday
By John Beal
November 25, 2009
Like the fellow said, when you’re up to your hips in alligators, it’s a little hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp. OK, he didn’t say hips, but you get the drift
Indoor perspective best for embracing the cold
By John Beal
November 18, 2009
It’s been so nice for so long, I guess we can be excused for being surprised when Old Man Winter finally blows his frigid breath down the backs of our necks.
Beal: With grandkids gone, it’s back to dieting
By John Beal
November 3, 2009
The vision of a new, slimmer me beckons, of no longer having to shop in the “big and tall” sections. Now, maybe if I eat just one or two bites of that cheesecake …
Blazers squeak past Braves in 5A soccer regional playoffs
By Nick Bates & John Beal
October 29, 2009
On a gloomy night in Gardner, the Bonner Springs boys soccer team collected a gloomy result.
Kids say the darndest things
By John Beal
October 22, 2009
Art Linkletter knew, of course.
‘Balloon boy’ proves Linkletter’s axiom
By John Beal
October 20, 2009
Art Linkletter knew, of course.
Another black eye
By John Beal
October 7, 2009
In August of 1896 William Allen White was fit to be tied. Accosted by an angry populist mob on the streets of Emporia, he stormed into his office at the Emporia Gazette and wrote an editorial that he headed, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”
High school reunion math is inescapable
By John Beal
October 1, 2009
I got a letter the other day. Members of my high school class are asked to gather in a Prairie Village park in mid-October for a sort of potluck mini-reunion.

Full story list

Recent photos

Painstaking craftsmanship and attention to detail are evident in this example of the quilter's art.

With quilts from the Bonner Springs United Methodist Church's United Methodist Women's Quilt Show laid out on the pews for all to see, two women in the background begin folding one of the heirlooms.

As mistress of ceremonies Connie Drummond, left, describes the quilt, Kristen Smith holds up a quilt she made. The "Color Wash" quilt was pieced together of hand-dyed fabric.

Several copies of a quilting journal are laid out for participants to examine.

Mary Clark, left, and Judy Anderson (back to camera) hold up a "scrappy" Irish chain-style quilt at the UMW Quilt Show Saturday. About 50 women attended the event.

Full photo list