I am only going to say one thing about the impeachment hearings being conducted by the kangaroo court that is masquerading as the House of Representatives: I hope that their standard of evidence is never used to convict you in a trial.

Now time for some uplifting news. Brendan Matthews is a professional golfer. He is not a person you will see on a broadcast of the Masters or the British Open or even the Reno Tahoe Open. He is one of the many golfers trying to make it to the PGA Tour by playing in any tournament he can anywhere in the world. Often these are tournaments in remote out of the way places that might have a 1st place prize of $1000. It is a tough life but when you have a dream you do what it takes.

Recently Brendan found himself in a situation that could changed his life forever. He was playing in the Argentine Open. He had played some of the best golf of his life and was in a playoff for the championship. On the 3rd hole of the playoff his opponent had a 30 foot putt for birdie while Brendan faced an 8 foot putt for birdie. It looked like he was going to win the tournament which not only brought a nice payday but also gave him an automatic qualification into the British Open as well as moving him into the Top 5 on the Korn Ferry tour money list. That meant he would automatically qualify for his Korn Ferry tour playing card it would not have to play in the Monday qualifying round for each tournament.

His opponent made the long putt, but Brendan felt confident that he was going to make his putt and they would move to the 4th hole of sudden death. But just as Brendan began his stroke someone in the crowd yelled which caused him to flinch and miss the putt. He lost the tournament and was now facing a decision that he hadn't wanted to face, was his professional career over? Understandably he was upset that someone in the crowd would ignore etiquette and ruin his future.

As he sat in the locker room after the tournament, the tournament director came in to tell him that the person who yelled during his stroke had been identified. He was a 30 year old man with Down Syndrome. The tournament director said the young man was very upset at what had happened. Brendan knew what he had to do. He asked to meet the young man.

Matthews immediately told the young man that it was not his fault and that he should not feel badly about the missed putt. The young man loves to watch golf tournaments and when he gets the rare opportunity to see one in person it is a big treat. Matthews wanted to make sure that the young man did not lose his love for the game so he did not feel bad about what had happened because he had just gotten caught up in the moment.

While Matthews faced an uncertain future, he was more concerned about the feelings of a young man who had done something wrong but not on purpose. He could have wallowed in self pity or even gone to the young man and berated him for his behavior. But he knew the right thing to do. And he did it without hesitation.

I think we could use a little bit more of that in our world and especially from our political leaders.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.