Author Archive
Gratitude to Readers
Image: Mattie Wong, black cat by Chelsi at Noun Project The Alley NameThe space between dwellings of people is an alley. It is called an alley between two dwellings or rows of dwellings. The space between two rows of trees is an allee’ or an alley. The sounds and sights in those spaces are common and include everyday activities like taking out the trash, fixing one’s car, greeting neighbors, etc. The alley seemed a proper name for a newspaper that helped people engage with one another. The Black Cat LogoA logo for the alley naturally became a black cat because of its ability to be independent yet friendly, curious yet polite, pensive yet joyful, loves fish and mice yet won’t chase red herring, and watchful yet playful. Some cultures see a black cat as good fortune and other cultures the opposite which also fits for the alley’s community that includes many cultures and diverse ethnic origins. The CommunityThe alley newspaper began in 1975 as the Newspaper of the [...]
Beacons clubs offer a great way to get involved with community
By MILES WALSH the alley newspaper continues our relationship with South High School’s newspaper, The Southerner, this new school year. New Southerner writers are stepping in to fill the shoes of those that graduated in 2025. We reprint this interesting article by Miles Walsh with permission. It was posted on The Southerner website November 11th. Visit the website for more South High news: https://www.shsoutherner.net/. Thank you, Southerner staff, for sharing your talents and your news! Picture of Annie Chen’s office, head of Beacons, where you can find Beacons news and new clubs to join. Photo: Miles Walsh If you’re looking for a new club to join this year, look no further than Beacons which has lots of great options. They give you the opportunity to make new friends who share a common interest with you. Beacons is a way to get involved and have a great time! Minneapolis was chosen in 1998, after Beacons was created in 1991 in New York. The goal of the program is [...]
Harry Hurlburt: A Tale of Kindness and Compassion
241st edition of Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery By SUE HUNTER WEIR Every now and then it’s good to be reminded that there are kind and compassionate people in the world. This seems like one of those times. An earlier version of this story has appeared in the alley before. We have received more comments about this story than any of the many cemetery tales that the alley has published over the past 25 or so years. It is a story about kindness and generosity, qualities that sometimes seem to be in short supply. Thanks to Tim McCall for providing additional information about Mr. Howard’s military service and for his many contributions to preserving the cemetery’s stories. Photo Collage: Tim McCall The story of Captain Samuel J. Howard’s death was front page news on December 20, 1908. The story of his death was a human-interest story—a holiday story about kindness and generosity, and a story about friendship between two strangers. Because of that [...]
