Hector Lugo stands completely still in the semi-darkness of the Kansas City Scottish Rite Temple and watches the electromagnetic device his son, Matt, is holding.

It didn’t matter that he was the youngest in his squadron or that he had never flown a plane before. What did matter was that he believed in himself and his comrades and above all else – he believed in his country.

No longer do I complain that I don’t have a thing to wear. No longer do I care if I wear the same thing twice in the same week, and now Casual Fridays are a godsend to me. My previously strict fashion rules are gone.

I have one in my dining room and I bet you can’t guess what it is.

It’s Halloween. A time for ghosts and goblins to creep their way out of the woodwork and for children to dress as less scary characters such as princesses, Elmo and Thomas the Train.
But regardless of the trick-or-treat aspect of All Hallows Eve, the holiday is traditionally associated with scary images and, of course, the horror film.

Just outside the western city limits of Independence are the neighborhoods of northeast Kansas City. A short drive down Independence Avenue leads to areas of our city next door that bear striking similarities to northwestern Independence.

Being scared is when you imagine that a shadow passes by the other side of the shower curtain, after watching a re-run of Psycho – but then again, I can scare myself pretty good just by stepping out of the shower and catching a glimpse in the mirror.

“People like things sweet.”

That’s the secret behind the recipe for apple cider at Sibley Orchards and Cider Mill, as described by Rita Farrell.

Around Town readers will perhaps remember Pat Cotterell, a retired Independence nurse who shared some miracles and angelic encounters she experienced during a 40-year career – 32 of which were in critical and intensive care units at local and area hospitals.