As everyone who is anyone in Holabird can tell you, February 12 is not just Abe Lincoln's birthday, but 150 years after Mrs. Lincoln brought "Honest Abe" into the world, Katherine Zilverberg did the same with her son Robert (known around here as "Shorty"). It is on Shorty's birthday that oldest son Colin will come home from Iraq. At 4:30 pm that very afternoon there will be a "Welcome Back" ceremony in Redfield for Colin and the others that went out there with him. Colin gave a few months of his life. Some gave their whole future. He's lucky, and all of us here at the Holabird Advocate know it. A lot of folks have been praying for Colin, and the men and women who are serving their country in the Persian Gulf. Colin and the rest of his unit got a good answer to those prayers. Not everyone gets their prayers answered like that. Welcome Home Colin! Happy Birthday and many more to Shorty as well.

Harold and Mary Hinkle seemed like a cinch to be off to Watertown. Mary remembered that she had a check-up on Friday morning and so it was put off. They will be going to Pierre instead. They also forgot that they were to watch grandson, Cade Hinkle, that weekend as well.

Harold was just a tad disgusted at how it all turned out. This is interesting, since he didn't want to go to Watertown in the first place. They may get rewarded for waiting. Perhaps Roger and Linda Wurts will be able to go along when they are ready to go next time.

At the regular board meeting of the Highmore City Council, the Aldermen voted on an ordinance to ban exotic dancing. For good measure, they threw in public nudity to boot. The vote was 3-0-2-1. So, for the time being anyway, the good people of Highmore South Dakota will be keeping their pants, and everything else, on. As Martha Stewart would say, "That's a good thing".