John Harden
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John Harden is a journalist living in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area. He is a University of Texas at Arlington graduate with
a degree in news broadcast and urban studies.

He's worked for several publication in the Dallas-Forth Worth area — mostly freelance, writing for the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Business Press and The Fort Worth Weekly. He's now the county reporter for the Cleburne Times-Review in Cleburne, Texas.

Blog Entries by John Harden

Update on Sarah Churman, Second Ear Activation

(0) Comments | Posted May 18, 2012 | 4:27 PM

Sarah and Sloan talk about life after Sarah's cochlear implants. Sarah was born deaf, but now she can hear clearly. Read their story here.


Here's the viral video that made her famous.

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Plight of Farmers Trickles to Consumers

(1) Comments | Posted April 2, 2012 | 6:51 PM

It was an early Friday morning when Harry Shaffer noticed that something was wrong on his ranch in north Cleburne, Texas.

The retired IBM employee entered his gate to feed and check on his herd, but quickly noticed the absence of his cows' mooing.

They were missing.

Shaffer reported...

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12 Strangers Begin Six-Week Class Toward Healthier Eating

(0) Comments | Posted February 6, 2012 | 9:49 AM

For years fast food, takeout and TV dinners have owned the dining room table. Drive-through restaurants provide quick dinner solutions after a long workday, or easy alternatives for those who aren't necessarily the best cooks.

However, 12 Cleburne, TX residents decided to start a six-week journey on Thursday night,...

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National Blood Donor Month: Every Two Seconds, Someone Needs Blood

(4) Comments | Posted January 21, 2012 | 10:14 AM

In a makeshift medical station in Burleson's Senior Center on Thursday, Char Smith clenches and continuously squeezes a rubber ball in her palm.

She smiles and sits still in a American Red Cross patient chair that's reclined slightly.
"I've given blood for about 20 years," she says...

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Selfless Acts

(0) Comments | Posted January 18, 2012 | 5:54 PM

Jennifer VanderLaan isn't one to judge a person based on appearance.

The 34-year-old wife and mother understands that no matter your background or social status everyone needs a helping hand at some point.

It's a lesson she learned a few years ago and a lesson she says God reminds her...

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Small City to Get Direct Roadway to Fort Worth

(0) Comments | Posted January 12, 2012 | 8:33 AM

Johnson County, Texas leaders and residents filtered into the Cleburne Conference Center on Dec. 20 in Texas to witness and celebrate the groundbreaking of Chisholm Trail Parkway.

Some audience members smiled and appeared to let out a sigh of relief that the trail's construction was finally about to begin....

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Rains, Cooler Temps Ease Wildfire Concerns In Texas

(0) Comments | Posted December 9, 2011 | 11:38 AM

Johnson County, Texas hasn't had a burn ban in effect for three weeks, the ban's longest rescindment since one was enacted in early spring.

Wetter weather has cooled and hydrated Texas slightly, allowing for other counties to also lift their bans. At the end of summer, 98 percent of Texas,...

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No Time to Spare

(0) Comments | Posted December 2, 2011 | 3:03 PM

It was around 2 a.m. on Sept. 21 in Rio Vista, Texas when Johnson County deputies responded to a burglary and assault call near 7600 County Road 1202.

Unaware of what had occurred only moments before, the deputies soon discovered Robert Eugene Warren's lifeless, beaten body on the floor on...

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Advocacy Center Certifies Four New Therapy Dogs

(0) Comments | Posted November 28, 2011 | 11:31 AM

A new group of dogs has been certified to join the Therapy Dog Team at Children's Advocacy Center in Cleburne, Texas.

The four new certified dogs are continuing to show that man's best friend can also be a child's best friend, too.

The Children's Advocacy Center in Cleburne provides services...

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Behind the Scenes of a Theater Production

(0) Comments | Posted November 17, 2011 | 10:10 AM

I shadowed a group of actors for a play in Arlington, Texas. I wanted to see what went on behind the scenes, before showtime.

I documented the everything and made a brief video that I plan on adding to in the near future. This video is a part of...

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India an Eye-Opening Journey

(1) Comments | Posted November 11, 2011 | 1:19 PM

At 10, Roberta, or Robi Ley knew she wanted to be a writer. She would dream endlessly toward the day she would see her byline printed on a book cover.

Many years later -- she did.

She has written four books, but the journey to write one book, Caste Aside:...

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Military Veteran Tribute 2011

(1) Comments | Posted November 8, 2011 | 10:02 AM

Read about the 2011 Tribute at The Cleburne Times-Review.

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Grief: An Undying Love

(3) Comments | Posted October 31, 2011 | 5:35 PM

It was a scene ripped straight from a nightmare, and Larry Barber was living it.

In May 1993, Barber, his wife Cindy, 37, and their children Katie, 2, Sarah, 9, and Christian, 12, were in a tragic car accident in Arlington, Texas.

The accident left Barber's Ford Escort torn...

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Should Stereotypes Scare Us?

(3) Comments | Posted October 20, 2011 | 4:51 PM

Two weeks ago, I picked up a hitchhiker. Two weeks ago, I had a knife pulled on me. Yes, the two events are related.

Now, before judgment is cast upon me, that was the first time I've ever picked up a hitchhiker. And it wasn't like I...

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Teachers Remain in Dark Over Texas Assessment Test's Difficulty

(4) Comments | Posted October 12, 2011 | 1:14 PM

Texas' new assessment test has many teachers and principals in Burleson ISD asking themselves if they are prepared for the new level of difficulty -- but no one knows.

The state has released five sample questions for each grade level that has to take the test, leaving many in...

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Texas Drought Makes Search for Hay Difficult, Expensive

(0) Comments | Posted October 6, 2011 | 5:06 PM

Rodney Wortham, a 45-year-old engineer, has raised and tended to cattle for 18 years on his farm in Cleburne.

Wortham, a husband and father of four daughters, has always dreamt of living and raising a family on a farm and owning his own herd.

However, as the worst drought...

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