By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia Truthfully, it never crossed my mind even for a split second that Mr. William Shakespeare of Sparks, Nev., who was selling the exact customized trailer for remote radio broadcasting that I had been scouring the Internet in search of for nearly two years, could be anything other than legit. I know many people would be highly suspicious of this situation but not me. I had complete faith that Mr. William Shakespeare was a real, honest-to-goodness person who had the item for sale that I had been looking for.

A few Saturdays ago, I helped judge a speech meet in Langdon. Jordan Braunberger, the speech coach for the Langdon school, had asked me to help the year before, but with a senior in hockey and most Saturdays already booked, I was unable to participate. I was happy he asked again and excited to dust off my old skills and knowledge in the speech arena.

Another week has gone by and has blessed us with some melting on the streets and highways, which is very much appreciated. We have a ways to go but will take what we can get, right? This picture is of four Langdon Bantam grandmothers holding up the trophy case at Dakota Spirit Arena, waiting (and waiting) for our grandsons to appear from the locker room after a hard fought game so they can shake their wet heads at us and give a quick hug.

Last week, we published an article that highlighted The Future of Local News Initiative. The initiative was developed with the focus of sustaining and growing local newspapers across North Dakota.

Raise your middle-aged hand if you remember lice, scoliosis, vision and hearing checks in elementary school. Why were these things done in school? Who did it? I’m going to assume it was public health nurses, but I really have no idea. If you have PTSD from the dagger of fear striking your heart as your hair was scrutinized piece by piece with a small wooden stick, you are not entitled to compensation of any kind.

By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia I last left you as I enjoyed catching up with my radio broadcaster acquaintance, Paul, in Elko, Nev. Elko was the second overnight stop on my journey to Sparks, Nev., where I would meet William Shakespeare who I would be purchasing a remote broadcast trailer from for our radio group that I found on the internet. To refresh your memory, my wife and business partner, Diane, was concerned I was being scammed and would fall victim to thugs who would take my money and leave me for dead in the vast Nevada desert. For what it’s worth, William Shakespeare didn’t trust me either. He insisted on payment in the form of a cashier’s check from the bank. Upon obtaining the check from the bank, they were also suspicious of the transaction and suggested I contact the sheriff’s office for further due diligence. I admit it, the whole thing looks a little fishy, but I was up for an adventure, and I do have a concealed carry permit. I also used to box and have a pretty good right cross, not to mention that I’ve run damn near 30 marathons. Even as an older gent of 66 years, I can still outrun the most sad and out-of-shape young folks that spend all of their time playing on the phone. Why is everyone so worried about me? I’m not afraid. Doesn’t anyone trust anyone anymore?

It’s all about the youngsters this winter. I thought that I would be soaking in the hot tub and drinking Bloody Marys all day, mentally preparing for the upcoming shotput and window season, but instead Bri and I are usually split up all week for wrestling or basketball. Wrestling is a new thing for us this year, as Asher wanted to try something new instead of travel basketball, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Winning is not often, but the new thing is picking him up from practice completely exhausted, so that’s a win in itself.

I am honored and excited to introduce myself as the new editor of The Borderland Press and am happy to provide a bit of a background for those of you who may not know me. I was born and raised in Langdon (I was actually born in an ambulance, but we can save that story for another time).

Greg grew up with a hot tub in his house. When you go down to the basement in the house on the farm, you walk through a little room with a hot tub as you go from the bottom of the stairs into the living room. The first time I visited, I remember walking through this little room and stopping short as I saw the hot tub. This was a novelty that I didn’t have growing up and found myself in awe that I was dating a guy with a hot tub in his house. In the summertime, the hot tub would be drained, set up on end and pushed through the walkthrough door to the patio outside. I helped with this process once, and as I sat in the churning waters under the deck, I couldn’t believe my luck.

By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia I left you last week as I continued to make my way to Sparks, Nev., to retrieve a customized trailer to be used for remote broadcasting. The second night of my trip I stopped for the evening in wonderful Elko, Nev. - home to my radio buddy, Paul, who owns radio stations there. Elko is also home to a number of working gold mines. I love gold!