With November begins the busiest shopping season of the year. We’re familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but let’s not overlook Small Business Saturday — a day dedicated to supporting the businesses that keep our communities vibrant and unique. On this day, shop small and make an impact close to home by supporting the shops, services, and makers in our own backyards. more

This week, I had the distinct privilege of sitting down with a local legend — Joe Spears, who just turned 100 years old. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to have a century of life packed into one conversation, I can tell you: It’s a little bit like getting the most fascinating history lesson of your life, with a side of charm and wit. more

With Saint Nick’s annual visit approaching and winter’s cold starting to settle in, I can imagine some folks hoping to find warm fur caps, gloves or coats under the Christmas tree. more

It was a typical Thanksgiving with warm sunshine but a bite in the air. Aproned women chatted together as they busily worked to prepare the huge meal, while menfolk were engaged in guy-talk as they waited to be called to dinner. Laughter was heard from the children as they played. more

To the editor: more

To the editor: more

Ever since I was a young kid, Thanksgiving is something I’ve always looked forward to. It’s a cherished time where we catch up with family, sit down for a delicious meal, and reflect on what we’re grateful for. It’s a tradition that has been celebrated by generation after generation of Americans. more

It’s almost time for Sweets & Reads! The Friends of the Summersville Library’s annual Bake & Book Sale is scheduled to be held during library hours from Dec. 2 through 7, with the Bake Sale kicking it off at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 2. more

Some just-nippy mornings it wafts on the air as lightly as the fragrance of apple blossoms in spring. more

The act of writing, particularly a weekly column, is a curious dance between inspiration and obligation. It's a balancing act that requires a delicate touch, a constant negotiation between the creative spirit and the demands of the deadline. more

This time of year is often called football season. Others may call it sweater weather and pumpkin spice latte time. I can almost get on board with those descriptions, but for farmers it’s harvest and calving season. On my farm near Harrisonville, it’s also peak agritourism season, when folks venture to the farm to pick their pumpkins, take photos, build memories and learn about agriculture. more

As we celebrate Veterans Day this month, I reflect on the many veterans who have touched my life.  more

It’s the dawn of a new era in America. After four long years of going from crisis to crisis, a major shakeup in Washington is coming in January. I am eager and ready to work side-by-side with President Donald Trump to get America back on the right track and undo all the damage the Biden-Harris administration inflicted on our great nation. more

Monday marked another Veterans Day here in West Plains, and once again, I had the honor of covering the annual parade through downtown. There’s a comforting ritual to it, one that brings us together as a community to recognize those who have served. From children to senior citizens, every age gathers along the parade route, showing appreciation without fanfare or agenda. The only purpose is gratitude. It’s a heartwarming day, filled with that quiet, powerful sense of unity we don’t often see in our daily lives. more

After reading a new book this week, I understand why “THE BARN: THE SECRET HISTORY OF A MURDER IN MISSISSIPPI” by Wright Thompson earned a place on the NY Times’ Non-fiction Bestseller List.  Diligently researched and written with a storyteller’s gift for language and image, this true account of such a tragic event reads more like a historical fiction. more

Few people know that in frontier times, Dallas County was the site of a small Indian uprising. more

I’m going to get a little more personal in today’s column than I usually do, which is really saying something, because I always view these editorials as a little coffee chat. You over there on that side of the table, by the window, and me over here on this side, holding my steaming mug of dirty chai — a blend of coffee and spiced tea, for the uninitiated. It’s my favorite thing. more

Dear Readers, more

In scarcely more than a week, it seems, the verdant and overgrown woods of summer have given way to the colorful tapestry of fall. more

The longer I live, the more I realize that the Bible’s Ecclesiastes 1:9 is a very wise commentary about our lives here on Earth. “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” rings true. Everything that happens has happened before in some form. Storytelling has shown me clearly that history, experiences, and human actions often repeat again and again. It's a way of saying that people do the same things and act in the same ways and probably always will. more