NEW KID IN TOWN: Move to Wyoming a mission accomplished

Posted 5/1/18

People you meet, they all seem to know you.

Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new.

Johnny come lately, the new kid in town.

Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down.”

— “New Kid In Town” by the …

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NEW KID IN TOWN: Move to Wyoming a mission accomplished

Posted

“There’s talk on the street; it sounds so familiar.

Great expectations, everybody’s watching you.

People you meet, they all seem to know you.

Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new.

Johnny come lately, the new kid in town.

Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down.”

— “New Kid In Town” by the Eagles

When I was asked to introduce myself to the readers of the Powell Tribune, this song just seemed fitting. And it’s by the Eagles, so it’s hard to go wrong there.

When I was a kid, I wanted to either be a journalist or a private investigator — after all, it was the 1980s and Thomas Magnum lived on an estate in Hawaii, drove a Ferrari and was popular with the ladies. After I graduated high school in 1991, I dreamed of moving out West — somewhere like Idaho or Wyoming.

Well, it’s 2018, and I just started working as the community editor here at the Tribune on Monday, so I believe that I can say mission accomplished.

So what can I say about myself? Well, I take a lot of things seriously.

The first thing I take seriously is my faith. I began following Jesus Christ the summer before my senior year of high school and it has become the cornerstone of my life. One of the highlights of my 44 years is the two years I spent helping lead my church’s college ministry at Three Rivers College in my hometown of Poplar Bluff, Missouri. I met several good friends through doing so to boot.

I take sports seriously, too. First off, I am a die-hard fan of the Tennessee Titans. I covered the team from 2006 to 2009 for the Daily Dunklin Democrat in Kennett, Missouri, accomplishing a career goal — covering the National Football League. I got to meet and interview many people during my 3 1/2 seasons on the sidelines and in the press box at Nissan Stadium — Larry Fitzgerald, Torry Holt, Antonio Gates, Julius Peppers, Cortland Finnegan, Dan Reeves (who I met in a press box buffet line) and Andre Ware.

I also take politics seriously, though I have developed a bit of a love-hate relationship with it over the last two years because of how venomous the partisanship has become.

That said, one of the highlights of my time working in Nebraska at the Norfolk Daily News was meeting several presidential candidates during the Countdown to Caucus across the Missouri River in Iowa. Not only did I enjoy getting to meet political figures ranging from Ted Cruz to Martin O’Malley, but it also taught me to see politicians as fellow human beings — something I wish that all of us would do in this era of venomous hyper-partisanship.

Last but not least, I take my music seriously. Having grown up during the 1970s and 1980s, I am a die-hard fan of the music of that era. My favorite band is Yes; I drove more than 500 miles to see them perform live last year in Elgin, Illinois, plus I got to meet the band afterwards to boot. I also enjoy Toto, Asia, Chicago, Bruce Hornsby and the Range, Pink Floyd, the Imperials and even a little Metallica.

(Mike Buhler is the community editor at the Powell Tribune. Contact him at mike@powelltribune.com.)

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