People ask me all the time, “Do you still read the Herald since you retired?”

I do, and I think everybody should.  There, now that I have fulfilled my retirement contract with the Herald, I can be honest with you.

Reading the Herald keeps me in touch with life in Austin and helps me to avoid embarrassing social situations. For instance, a fellow asked me, “What did you think of that immigration reform rally in July?”

Fortunately I read about it in the Herald. The newspaper had a front page story the following Monday and a whole page of pictures inside.

I confessed I did not attend the rally.  Immigration reform is a serious issue, but this event was organized by a man who identified himself as a sympathizer with the National Socialist Movement.

Whenever I want to learn more about immigration reform, I avoid listening to members of that movement. I don’t know what they could add to the discussion.

The Herald’s account, one that I can now view as a reader of the paper searching for the truth, reported confrontations between people, estimated the crowd at 100 people and displayed pictures showing people pointing fingers, faces contorted, mouths open and hand-made signs.

Obviously, the Herald thought the immigration reform rally organized by a self-avowed National Socialist Movement member was important enough to merit the extensive coverage.

The other news coverage that caused me to take pause was a headline “Chase subject in Freeborn County Jail.”

The headline said it all.  I didn’t have to read the story.  When deputies must chase a prisoner in the nearly new Freeborn County Jail, it’s the end of civilization, as I know it.

I just hope the Mower County commissioners saw that story, too and are taking steps to insure that won’t happen in our new county jail.

There are hundreds of offenders waiting to move into the new facility being built in downtown Austin.  Once they’re in jail, prisoners should stay in their air-conditioned cells watching cable TV, reading girlie magazines, calling friends on cell phones smuggled into the jail on visiting day, surfing the internet for new Facebook friends or waiting for a trip to the dentist, eye clinic or hospital to have a doctor take a look at that back ache suffered crawling out a window during a burglary attempt.

There should be no need to chase subjects in jail enjoying the accommodations provided by taxpayers.

And don’t get me started about seeing that woman’s obituary photo next to the young couple’s engagement photo the other day.  Putting an obituary next to an engagement is … awkward to say the least.

I also read Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg’s July 6 effort headlined “Hamming it up at Spam Museum.”

The columnist began by recounting his visit to Johnny’s Main Event restaurant and the less than satisfactory experience.

Next, he crossed North Main Street and visited the museum.

“As far as humility, well, I’ve never been to a corporate museum that said so many unenthusiastic things about its product, such as ‘Eating Spam is better than eating bugs’ uttered by a life-sized video of a fatigue-clad soldier.”

The columnist writes a less than flattering account of visiting what is to Austin a sacred place.  In closing he suggests he received a lack-luster sales job on other local attractions and claimed the museum staff suggested he could stay at a Holiday Inn in Austin or “Wellington” Minn.

Wellington?  Never heard of the place.

There’s plenty to read in any newspaper.  Believing it to be true is the challenge.

This column included.