There’s a buzz right now as to whether President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the selection process for this year’s winner began in September 2008 when invitation letters were sent to those qualified to nominate. Obama was elected to the presidency in November 2008 and took office Jan. 5.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am not an Obama lover or hater but even Obama supporters have to admit that this seems premature.

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What’s happening to our Chiefs? I don’t know that much about football, but it seems to me that coaching is mostly to blame.

What offensive coach would call a play where the quarterback throws the ball 4 or 5 yards when it’s third and 20? And they did that all during the game.

And what about those uniforms? I didn’t catch the start of the game so I went online during the game to figure out why my Chiefs were selling out with an outline of Texas on their helmets. For those who didn’t watch the game, the Chiefs players and coaches wore Dallas Texan uniforms and jackets to recognize the 50th anniversary of the franchise in the AFL. The Chiefs were in Dallas before moving to Kansas City, a fact that I had forgotten.

On second thought, it’s probably a good thing that I’m sitting here in Marion, editing a newspaper, instead of being a football coach.

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This weather sure has taken a cold turn. It has caused people to scramble to light those furnaces and crank up pellet stoves.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which my dad believed to be true, this winter will be colder than normal, primarily with persistent cold temperatures mid-February through mid-March. Precipitation will be near or slightly above normal. The biggest snowstorms will occur in mid-December and early to mid-January with the first snowstorm predicted in October.

Many farmers hang their hats and plant their fields based on this insight.

Regardless, this is Kansas — the part of the country that probably has the most unpredictable weather.

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Tomorrow night, Marion Chamber of Commerce will host a Shop and Eat promotion, encouraging shoppers to support Marion businesses.

Members of the chamber’s retail sales committee know everyone is busy and it’s probably going to be cool but come on out anyway.

Have you ever thought about what would happen if any of the grocery, variety, or convenience stores, pharmacy, or restaurants were to close? Where would you buy your groceries, get your prescriptions, or eat out once a while?

As the saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, which we don’t know want to find out.

So, come on down and check out the bargains. If nothing else, get out and mingle.

— susan berg