This Thursday the little imp with the bow and the red heart will strike.No matter how sophisticated we are as a society, there is still something about Valentine's Day that brings out the romantic in everyone.But what is special about the day can vary from couple to couple. So what we want to know is:What is your idea of a perfect Valentine's Day and how do you plan to spend the holiday? .

Barnsdall turns back Copan in last-second hoops thriller

Copan (14-6) plays Shidler on Tuesday, which likely will be its regular-season finale, unless it makes up a game with Hominy.Barnsdall hosts Woodland on Tuesday.Both Copan and Barnsdall will host their respective Class A district tournaments next weekend.Barnsdall 58, Copan 57Barnsdal 17 17 9 15 — 58Copan 15 8 11 23 — 57BarnsdallJacob Hansen 12, Tim Wilson 10, Chris White 9, Drew Anthony 8, Corey Anthony 7, Michael Morris 6, Zach Johnson 3, Smith 2, Posey 1.CopanAlex Bryan 21, Hunter Walker 13, Matt Sims 11, Nick Lannan 10, Josh Stanley 2.

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Area kids of all ages ring in Halloween season

BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Jon and Sharry Goeschi sit in front of their home at 670 Occidental Drive on Friday evening. Jon is a senior tech at Hodges Transportation and Sharry is a CNA and RN for a hospice company in Reno. Jon Goeschi starts decorating his home for Halloween on Oct. 1.

Browse and Buy Nevada Appeal Photos .

Popping the question

Though we had told her she could start dating when she reached the prime age of 35, she jumped the gun on us and started dating Tom Poch at college in Minneapolis sometime in the fall of 2002. Tom was interested enough in Elizabeth that he arranged to spend Christmas vacation with our family that year, and we (four daughters strong) subjected him to a testy cross-examination about his intentions, who he was and where he was going. At the end of the questioning, he surprised us with a question of his own, and point blank asked us if he and Elizabeth had our blessing to pursue their relationship. Despite the fact that 35 was still a significant number of years away, we relented and gave our blessing. Fast forward to the following Christmas, 2003. Tom called me early in December and advised me that he would like to surprise Elizabeth by flying out to the Black Hills and would like to propose to her during his time here. He asked me if there was a particular location that was special or meaningful to her, and I suggested that his timing was perfect for a Harney Peak event. Our friend Jeff had arranged for us to have a boys and a girls cabin outside Hill City for two nights, and Jeff agreed to ferry Tom from the airport so he was already at the cabins when our family arrived. Suffice it to say, everyone was surprised and delighted (especially Elizabeth) to see Tom there, but no one had a clue that there might be an ulterior motive. So we played card games and word games and used the sauna and the hot tub and ate and relaxed, started the tradition of a New Year’s Eve toast with root beer, and five of us (the young couple, Jeff and myself and my youngest daughter, Moriah) prepared for the Harney Peak hike on New Year’s Day. For all practical purposes, it seemed like our usual trek, except that we were introducing a Minnesota snowboarder to the natural beauty of the Needles and more.

Winning the war on …

Tax credits will flow like manna from heaven: $800 for individuals and $1,600 for married couples are the most commonly cited figures (more on that below). "Letting Americans keep more of their money should increase consumer spending," the president said.Oh, but wait. The Tax Policy Center, a joint effort of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, did an analysis of Bush's plan and found that a number of people (and by "a number of people" I mean millions of people) would be shortchanged. And the poor were the most likely to get the short end of the stick.

Editorial - McCain, Obama bank on Wisconsin

Winning Wisconsin gives candidates the bright glow of electability. That's because the Wisconsin primary is the closest thing to a general election as the primary season can deliver.It's easier to vote in Wisconsin. We allow same-day registration at the polls, and voters don't have to declare allegiance to a specific political party. That means independent voters like me, who couldn't stomach the idea of publicly identifying ourselves as a Republican or Democrat, have as much control as the party faithful in picking party winners.In fact, the largest segment of voters in Wisconsin 40 percent are those who consider themselves politically independent, a recent statewide poll of 600 residents suggests.

What’s your idea of a perfect Valentine’s Day?

This Thursday the little imp with the bow and the red heart will strike.No matter how sophisticated we are as a society, there is still something about Valentine's Day that brings out the romantic in everyone.But what is special about the day can vary from couple to couple. So what we want to know is:What is your idea of a perfect Valentine's Day and how do you plan to spend the holiday? .

Barnsdall turns back Copan in last-second hoops thriller

Copan (14-6) plays Shidler on Tuesday, which likely will be its regular-season finale, unless it makes up a game with Hominy.Barnsdall hosts Woodland on Tuesday.Both Copan and Barnsdall will host their respective Class A district tournaments next weekend.Barnsdall 58, Copan 57Barnsdal 17 17 9 15 — 58Copan 15 8 11 23 — 57BarnsdallJacob Hansen 12, Tim Wilson 10, Chris White 9, Drew Anthony 8, Corey Anthony 7, Michael Morris 6, Zach Johnson 3, Smith 2, Posey 1.CopanAlex Bryan 21, Hunter Walker 13, Matt Sims 11, Nick Lannan 10, Josh Stanley 2.

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Area kids of all ages ring in Halloween season

BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Jon and Sharry Goeschi sit in front of their home at 670 Occidental Drive on Friday evening. Jon is a senior tech at Hodges Transportation and Sharry is a CNA and RN for a hospice company in Reno. Jon Goeschi starts decorating his home for Halloween on Oct. 1.

Browse and Buy Nevada Appeal Photos .

Popping the question

Though we had told her she could start dating when she reached the prime age of 35, she jumped the gun on us and started dating Tom Poch at college in Minneapolis sometime in the fall of 2002. Tom was interested enough in Elizabeth that he arranged to spend Christmas vacation with our family that year, and we (four daughters strong) subjected him to a testy cross-examination about his intentions, who he was and where he was going. At the end of the questioning, he surprised us with a question of his own, and point blank asked us if he and Elizabeth had our blessing to pursue their relationship. Despite the fact that 35 was still a significant number of years away, we relented and gave our blessing. Fast forward to the following Christmas, 2003. Tom called me early in December and advised me that he would like to surprise Elizabeth by flying out to the Black Hills and would like to propose to her during his time here. He asked me if there was a particular location that was special or meaningful to her, and I suggested that his timing was perfect for a Harney Peak event. Our friend Jeff had arranged for us to have a boys and a girls cabin outside Hill City for two nights, and Jeff agreed to ferry Tom from the airport so he was already at the cabins when our family arrived. Suffice it to say, everyone was surprised and delighted (especially Elizabeth) to see Tom there, but no one had a clue that there might be an ulterior motive. So we played card games and word games and used the sauna and the hot tub and ate and relaxed, started the tradition of a New Year’s Eve toast with root beer, and five of us (the young couple, Jeff and myself and my youngest daughter, Moriah) prepared for the Harney Peak hike on New Year’s Day. For all practical purposes, it seemed like our usual trek, except that we were introducing a Minnesota snowboarder to the natural beauty of the Needles and more.

Winning the war on …

Tax credits will flow like manna from heaven: $800 for individuals and $1,600 for married couples are the most commonly cited figures (more on that below). "Letting Americans keep more of their money should increase consumer spending," the president said.Oh, but wait. The Tax Policy Center, a joint effort of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, did an analysis of Bush's plan and found that a number of people (and by "a number of people" I mean millions of people) would be shortchanged. And the poor were the most likely to get the short end of the stick.

Editorial - McCain, Obama bank on Wisconsin

Winning Wisconsin gives candidates the bright glow of electability. That's because the Wisconsin primary is the closest thing to a general election as the primary season can deliver.It's easier to vote in Wisconsin. We allow same-day registration at the polls, and voters don't have to declare allegiance to a specific political party. That means independent voters like me, who couldn't stomach the idea of publicly identifying ourselves as a Republican or Democrat, have as much control as the party faithful in picking party winners.In fact, the largest segment of voters in Wisconsin 40 percent are those who consider themselves politically independent, a recent statewide poll of 600 residents suggests.