KILGOROUND
MITCH LUCAS

WELL, IF YOU HAVEN'T seen any members of my family or myself out much lately, we've all had a pretty bad bug that we keep passing from family member to family member.

It's kind of strange to have folks battling coughing, sneezing and all the yucky cold symptoms in June, especially little ones. My wife took our 3-yearold to the doctor on Monday, and I really thought they'd be in there practically by themselves. The appointment took almost three hours, so apparently, we're not the only ones fighting off sickness.

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FOR THOSE OF YOU reading this over the age of 30, did you ever think we'd see $4-a-gallon gasoline?

It's kind of staggering when you think about paying $55-plus to fill up a tank you could have filled for about half of that amount just a few years ago. I can remember pumping gas right about

the time Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, and thinking, "Man, this $1.35-a-gallon gas is RIDICULOUS."

I hate to say it, but I guess it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Anyway, since this is vacation time, and I'm going to be headed down I-20 myself pretty soon, I thought we'd have a contest. Let's see who can find both the most expensive price for regular, and the cheapest. No, I'm not offering a prize (I have to keep the money to pay for gasoline). But I'm just curious what we'll see.

You can even do this if you're flying to your vacation destination. Just jot down the highest and cheapest prices you see, or file 'em away mentally, and drop me an email when you can. My email address (with no hyphens, no matter how it breaks up in this newspaper column) is sports@kilgorenewsherald. com. I'm looking forward (and in a way, kind of scared) to see your responses.

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VACATION WILL BE OVER AND football season will be here before we know it. Here at the News Herald, we're already getting ready.

Kilgore High School kicks off the football schedule on Friday night, Aug. 29 at home against Carthage, and most of the programs in our local area, I'm sure, begin play that weekend. Kilgore College's first game is at home, too, on Aug. 30 against Fort Scott (Kansas).

Our annual football preview will hit the racks (and the driveways) as a part of the Thursday, Aug. 28 paper. We'll have all the schedules, previews, practice photos, group photos, analysis and everything else I can pack in the space I'm allotted, and I'm already looking forward to it.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY to Chris Blanks, Mrs. A.G. Morton Jr., Nikki Hargrave Davis, Lee Hamilton, Annette Neal, Judy Cole, Gilbert Andris.

A few folks you might have heard of are celebrating birthdays with you today: actor Tony Curtis (83), former "Gong Show" host Chuck Barris (79 - you know, they're actually bringing that irritating show back to TV this fall?), CNN newsman Anderson Cooper (41), country singer Jamie O'Neal (40), and keyboardist Billy Powell of Lynyrd Skynyrd (56).

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TODAY to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Harold Hendrix, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hendrix, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Lohr, James M. and Marian Richardson.