Opinion
Jordan Troutman: A look through the years and into the future
With 2023 coming to a close, I am excited to officially announce a new project that has been in the works for the past year. “Through the Years: The Magazine,” is a new publication created by yours truly.
Claudia S. Colleran: A happy experience in pet adoption
Dear Editor: With Christmas approaching, I wanted to encourage those who are planning on buying a puppy or a kitten to think of adopting a rescue animal. Our recent experience — and our first with rescue dogs — has made me a big believer in adopting pets that are in shelters.
Trout Tales, Dec. 6
My poor fins got worn to nubs on Saturday trying to get all the angles of the Cassville Christmas Parade on Saturday.
Kyle Troutman: Is the tune changing?
Amidst the lawsuits, citizen groups and heightened community interest, there has been a change in the state’s tune in the last week on how it is handling Denali Water Solution’s land applications of processed waste in Missouri.
Michelle Hilburn: DESE takes over Purdy’s Imagination Library affiliate
It began with a newspaper article about a woman who had started an Imagination Library affiliate in our county. I had learned that, due to the Purdy community’s lack of access to books, we qualified as a book desert, which greatly bothered me.
Liz Renkoski: Houseplants are God’s answer
The end of our growing season came with hard freezes on the last nights of October. Being forewarned, I started bringing in houseplants that had lived outside since warm weather arrived in May.
Kyle Troutman: Unboxing a holiday tradition
Holiday traditions are a dime a dozen, but creating new one that stands the test of time is easier said than done — yet, we have a new Black Friday tradition at the Troutman house. We always host Thanksgiving for my mom’s side of the family, as we are the most centrally located between Little Rock, east Oklahoma and southeast Kansas where they all live.
How can we make the most of this holiday season?
Given the feelings of unease that often punctuate our daily lives in many areas, the holiday season provides an opportunity for us not only to celebrate, but to discover lasting meaning that could carry us to new heights of understanding and rejuvenation.
Bill Hodgson: The season of Advent
In many places, groups of Christians observe seasons of the year as they correspond to events in salvation history or in the life of Christ. In many places, the beginning of a Christian year would be marked by a season commemorating the coming of Christ, called Advent.
Kyle Troutman: Enthusiastic thanks
This week is one in the year where everyone young and old is posed the same question, “What are you thankful for?” When I answered this question in years past, it tended to be pretty monotonous. I’m thankful to have a job, have the love of my family and to be generally surviving the world as it is.
