Starting the new year off right with a visit to the recycling center is a good thing. In fact, any visit to the recycling center is good because you are doing your part to help save the earth…even in a small way. Lots of little ways can add up to big results when they are done right. more

How well do you know Polk County? more

Whether or not a groundhog can predict weather is questionable, but this animal has other characteristics that make it an interesting member of Missouri’s wildlife world. more

The first day of spring is three months away as I pen these lines with the season’s first seed catalog in hand. more

Don’t be such a hagfish more

Last week I wrote about “Mean Girls” and the problem of having seen a version of the movie more

A friend called a few days ago asking if I had a lantern she could borrow, not an unusual request from someone needing a light, but she had another purpose. more

How the jingle jangle can mangle the mind more

Key points from the Aldermen Meeting on Jan. 23: more

Of all the pop culture institutions to be canceled, ended, or otherwise shut down by the pandemic in 2020, the permanent closure of the “Mean Girls” Broadway musical was perhaps the one that disappointed me the most. I’m not sure why it wasn’t brought back post-pandemic – ticket sales had clearly been healthy enough to keep me from scoring cheap seats during its two-year run – all I knew was that the show was gone and I had missed all 833 chances to see it live. more

Writer turns to a life of crime more

I’ve come across the word “anachronism” often in reading, but I was never exactly sure what it meant. Context usually hinted it was something out of place, but I wanted to be sure; so, as a last resort I looked it up in the dictionary. more

When life takes a sharp turn more

I passed by my grandpa’s farm on the old Springfield/Buffalo road one morning last week. more

I have always been a bit of a tomboy with a girly flair, at least that is how I best describe it. When I was little I could play with my set of Matchbox cars in the morning, have a Barbie party with some friends in the afternoon, then play dress up and pretend we are the girlfriends of the en vogue boy band by night. I loved to go to Grandma’s farm and frolic through the land, having imaginary scenarios of dancing with a prince just to have that same prince be bested by my tree-climbing prowess. more

With the holiday season coming to an end, I can only talk about what “made” a movie like “Migration” a relative hit, as opposed to talking about its future. And that reason is that it was a “compromise” movie for families looking for a way to kill time together during the holiday break. more

3 quotes to guide the New Year more

Bolivar: more

Bolivar Herald-Free Press more

Happy New Year to you and yours! As we plunge into a brand new year, I hope you are able to claim victory over any obstacles placed in front of you and put lessons learned in your past to work towards achieving your new goals. more

2023 has not been good for the DC Extended Universe. The year will end without “The Flash” as one of the top 20 highest money-earners at the domestic box office. “Blue Beetle” will finish out of the top 30, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” out of the top 40. Newest offering “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” will probably fare a little better since it’s been positioned as the big Christmas weekend release, but it can finish out of the top 50 for all I care because this movie is terrible. more

Make the most of the coast more

Crows have been equally revered and reviled by humans throughout history. more

Lord willing, I’ll be 76 years old as of Saturday, Dec. 30 — exactly 60 years from the day I became old enough to legally drive on Missouri highways. more

New York has it all: bright city lights, famous people, glamour, and iconic events. Every year, millions of tourists descend on the Big Apple, with an estimated 63 million expected this year alone. The holidays are a popular time to visit with the New Year's Eve party in Times Square being world-famous. Yet, every year from mid-November to early January, approximately 2 million people flock to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes. Their renowned Christmas performances can cost up to $500/person, and many would say it is worth every penny. What many do not realize is that those iconic dancing ladies got their start here in humble Missouri. more