It was early March 2024 when I found him. His white hair had been cut short and he had a ridiculous underbite with one tooth that stuck out a bit. He looks like he has a perpetual smile, something that I am growing to realize, is a genuine trait. more

If you like to fish on the lakes or do any other type of recreational boating on Missouri’s waters, you need to keep these words in mind. Now that spring is transitioning into summer, it means trips to area lakes are going to become part of many people’s schedules. more

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites the public to get hooked on fishing through its Free Fishing Days on June 8 and 9. During Free Fishing Days, anyone may fish in the Show-Me State without having to buy a fishing permit, trout permit, or trout park daily tag. Free Fishing Days is an annual MDC event that takes place statewide during the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June. more

As we honor this Memorial Day those military men and women who sacrificed their lives in service to our country, let us likewise honor those mortally wounded yet among us. more

Wife issues a warning more

I was invited to give a presentation at the city’s historical society in a couple of days. As Memorial Day is drawing near, I decided to focus on WWI. I took a different approach, however, and researched children soldiers. more

All branches closed Memorial Day more

Sleeping Beauty makes a confession more

The farmer down the road was the first person to pay me for working. more

The Missouri 4-H Foundation marks its 75th anniversary this year with plans to highlight impacts from decades of dedication to nurturing young leaders and fostering community development across the state. more

The Humansville Schools would like to invite everyone to a retirement reception in honor of Rita Hill and Becky Peters. The reception will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17, at the Humansville cafeteria. more

There is just something about a turtle. Maybe it’s the way they move with such dogged determination or the low-stress lives they seem to lead. Perhaps it’s how they lock themselves away when things are unpleasant and simply shut the world out until they can cope again. I don’t know, but they are just so cute, and I find nothing sadder than seeing one squished on the side of the road. more

My mother never made cinnamon rolls for breakfast or an apple pie for supper, leastways none that I can recall. more

The Marion C Early Class of 1964 will hold a 60th anniversary class reunion from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, June 7, in the FEMA Building of the MCE Campus from 4 to 7 pm. more

Writer puts a name to a fuzzy face more

I find myself at the crossroads as I recently realized I may have traversed the bridge to old fuddy-duddyness. I noticed the first traces of it about five years ago, probably around the time the first grey hair appeared at my temples. more

All a telephone was good for when I was a boy was talking to people beyond earshot. more

Kathy’s Pasta and Savour, at 329 S. Main Ave, have been in Bolivar for years but came under new ownership in December, when husband and wife, Iris Pogue and Edward Cahoj, took over the business. more

All Branches Closed May 8 more

My brother often tells me that a favorite expression among gardeners is “maybe next year” when things didn’t necessarily go according to plan. Maybe the weather conditions weren’t exactly right that year or maybe there just weren't enough hours in the day to implement whatever it was, but there was always that hope that perhaps next year would be different. more

The value of making mistakes more

It was one of those random conversations spurred by a bit on the news about population growth: Benton County, Arkansas, has experienced phenomenal growth. more

The unmistakable, all too familiar sound came from outside the living room window, on the west side of the fence where the yard and pasture meet. At first, I sat in my designated recliner at my boyfriend’s house, listening to the complaint of his residential killdeer giving an earful to whoever was wandering too close to her nest. After her chirps became more incessant and, in my mind, panicked, I jumped up and quickly made my way outside to the area where she created her nest. “Be careful, don’t slip, it’s wet outside,” I heard Tom, my boyfriend, yell as I bolted out the door. I didn’t care if I was being dramatic. I had a soft spot for this bossy little bird and the treasures she was guarding. Unfortunately, she hasn’t had the guidance of a top-notch real estate agent espousing, “location, location, location,” for she picked the least optimal spot to lay down her nest - on the rocky driveway inside the cow pasture. more

The Matilda Polk Campbell chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, will hold its monthly meeting at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Open Hearts United Methodist Church, Bolivar. more

Writer says goodbye to true blue companion more