His shop was less than five blocks from where I grew up in Columbus, Nebraska. I must've spent hundreds of dollars over the years buying firecrackers and sparklers from Big Joe. And listened (under force) to many an hour of his Polka show at my Grandpa Corky's.
Aaaaah, memories. Thanks for that wonderful walk down memory lane.

Polka in G, Erik. Get ready to hear that alot.

As long as we are making true polka confessions, Erik, I played drums for a large part of the 90's as a substitute drummer for Fort Bend County's Sheriff Milton Wright's polka band. A retired Texas Ranger, Milton is a heckuva accordian player with a large book of polkas. He is very popular amongst those Texas crowds that love polkas.

The name of the band varied, but my favorite was Milton Wright and the Wrongs.

An age-old staple of elementary school - the weekly spelling test - is disappearing from some classrooms.

Details.

I think prosecutors posting on Christmas day is another sign.

This is not new...when I was a 5th grade teacher 10 years ago, it was the going theory at the time that spelling tests do not help kids spell in normal use. Basically, good spellers make good spelling test grades, and bad ones don't, but the research we learned in college said it doesn't carry over into actual writing. Brains don't work that way when writing or reading. We gave spelling tests anyway, because parents would freak out without spelling tests and the usual spelling assignments ( "I took spelling tests for years, and I turned out great, so you will give spelling tests to my, kid, too"). It was kind of funny, actually, how much time we spent doing them, not really thinking they were helping. Phonics is way better for spelling and reading, but a lot of that was new to parents (they learned it but didn't remember learning it, so it didn't make sense later, after you just naturally apply it), too, so out of the comfort zone. Good test taking practice in memorizing, though, I always thought, and handwriting practice, but not really learning how to spell in writing. DEFINITELY not the end of the free world, or civilization as we know it.

I had a standing arrangement with my English teachers regarding spelling tests: I refused to take them, and they gave me the D- I would have gotten on them anyway. I didn't waste my time taking them, they didn't waste their time grading them. This was mostly a function of the fact that they gave "vocabulary" tests where you had to both spell the word correctly and give the exact memorized definition for the word that was provided at the beginning of the week.

I've never seen much use for testing rote memorization just to prove that you've successfully memorized something (although what the state bar requires, the law student does).

"C-O-R-R-O-B-O-R..."
"C-O-W-O-B-O-R-R-A-T..."
"C-O-R-O-..."

"I give up; I'll take the D."

"That was yesterday. Today it's an F. Surprise."

Memorization might not be good, but I think phonics is just as bad. Too many sounds that sound alike but spelled differently. Just try believe -- could be beleeve or beleave, or even beeleeve! How did lie as in lie to the judge get to sound like lee in believe? It is hard to find the right set of tools, but I am not a fan of only phonics.

Apoc a lypse (Usually only one "o" in the word.)

If da spel cheker dont pop up, it aint wrong.