Have you noticed? There is good news to be told

By Chris Baldus, cbaldus@charlescitypress.com

Have you noticed? There is good news to be told.

Let’s begin with Malik Knighten. He’s the Charles City teen who made headlines during the football season when, as his team was getting pounded in Waverly, he orchestrated a touchdown run for an opposing player. He brought the idea to the Waverly sideline and back to his team.

That takes courage and heart. In that moment, he was a role model for anyone paying attention. He was for me.

That tale, and more, certainly will be told if his latest adventure works out for him. Erik Hoefer announced Friday before the boys varsity basketball game that Knighten, who was singing the national anthem, was signed as a singer by Sony and was headed out to Hollywood. It was the last time — as a student at least — that Knighten would sing the anthem before a Comets game, Hoefer said.

I recorded his last anthem as a CCHS student and posted it online. You can find it on the Charles City Press Facebook page.

With all my heart, I hope his dreams come true and are better than he imagined.

So, how about that Shultz snowman on our Facebook page?

That wet snowfall last week was perfect for construction. So, we put out a call on the Facebook page for pictures of snow creations. Sara Riley sent a photo of a towering snowman built by the Chad and Janice Shultz family in Greene.

“The boy in back is over 6 feet tall. Very good teamwork!” Riley said.

The world needs more snow people. 

So, have you ever seen baby trout?

Well, they’re back in Charles City Middle School through a program called “Trout in the Classroom.”

In this program from Trout Unlimited, students raise trout from eggs to fingerlings and in the Spring release them into nature. Teacher Ryan Rahmiller brought the program to Charles City and has been posting pictures on his Twitter feed. The babies are mostly black eyeballs with pink and violet tails. Rahmiller says they are in the alevin stage.

Kudos and thanks to Rahmiller. I don’t think I can adequately express how much I appreciate the work done by he and his wife, Amanda Rahmiller, also a middle school teacher.

If you look behind the 8th grade’s Riverside Cemetery project, you’ll find the Rahmillers, again. And their students are putting on a trivia night fundraiser to help with the repair and preservation of the Riverside Cemetery Chapel. It’s scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Saturday, March 4 in the Charles City Competition Gym in the new middle school. Hoefer will be the master of ceremonies.

We’ve been reporting on a lot of good things happening in Charles City and the area. There is so much out there to drag you down, so many people ready to tell you how terrible the world is today. Be afraid! Be angry! Barricade to keep them out. It can keep you up at night.

Granted, there are problems to fix, but there are also things working out pretty well. We’re glad to let you know about them.

Dumb joke of the week

What does a grape say after it’s stepped on?

Not much. It just lets out a little wine.

Contact Editor Chris Baldus at cbaldus@charlescitypress.com or 228-3211, ext. 19.