Column

Jordan Troutman: It’s time to take care of each other
I know my family and I are not the only ones in the community being hit with the Cov-Flu-curse. From what I have heard, it hasn’t hit the same for any two people.

Michelle Hilburn: Best books guide for children, teens
Building strong reading skills and cultivating a love for books is key in nurturing a lifelong passion for reading. I believe that there is a perfect book for every reader, and if someone doesn’t enjoy reading, they simply haven’t discovered the right book yet.

Kyle Troutman: Opportunities within the new
Last week, I sat down with Sheriff Danny Boyd to talk about his next four years. It was unlike any law enforcement interview I’ve done before for one major reason — location.

Jon Horner: Surviving the February blues — How to make it to the opening of trout season
The calendar has flipped over to February, it’s easy to feel the winter blues. The initial spark of New Year’s resolutions can fizzle out, the days are still short and gray, and the holiday season feels like a distant memory.

Dakoda Pettigrew: American Insights — The greatness of Jimmy Carter
The crowd roared, stymieing the opening words of an awkward statesman from Georgia who stood before the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday, July 15, 1976, to accept the party’s nomination for president of the United States.

Kyle Troutman: Assessing needs
An interesting exercise occurred last Tuesday following the Cassville City Council meeting and Southwest Missouri Council of Government’s leading of three public hearings for proposed grant-funded projects.

Merlyn Johnson: An eye on politics in education
The 2025 Missouri legislative session convened on Jan. 8, and Gov.

Dakoda Pettigrew: American Insights — the purpose of government
On Tuesday, March 4, 1913, Woodrow Wilson delivered his first inaugural address. The day “dawned cloudy,” Irwin Hoover recalled, “but the weather cleared and by mid-morning it was warm and comfortable.”

Kyle Troutman: Precipitating memories
“This is the most snow I’ve ever seen in my life!” That’s what my 9-year-old exclaimed Friday morning as we woke up to 5-and-ahalf inches of pristine, wet, heavy, perfect-forsnowmen- and-sledding snowfall. School had already been canceled the night before, and we took advantage of the call to sleep in a bit before bundling up and heading to the hill.

Dakoda Pettigrew: American Insights — Double V
There is a small but noisy minority “who want to see no evil and hear no evil, even though they know in their hearts that evil exists,” FDR said on Sunday, Dec. 29, 1940.