Editor's note: Missouri recognizes Sunshine Week from March 16 through 26, highlighting the importance of government transparency and freedom of information. more

To the editor: more

I’ve said in the past, and I’ll most likely end up saying it again, the hardest part of managing expectations is managing my own. But I might have over-managed. more

I took advantage of the snow cover and light north wind recently to burn a brush pile. more

I’m going to exercise my previously claimed right to digress again with a story about the girls’ Uncle John, their daddy’s older brother. more

Though it’s too early for most garden work, warmer temps and sunshine have coaxed many of us outside to get our yards and gardens ready for planting. Fresh air and sunshine may be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to controlling these virusrs going around! more

To the editor: more

I firmly believe there's a fortune to be made in televising fifth grade basketball games. If you haven't witnessed one, you're missing out on pure entertainment. The varying heights, speeds and skill levels make for an unpredictable, and often hilarious, game. As a coach for my son's team, I see this firsthand.  more

Every single one of us has bias. It’s human nature. We are predisposed to seek out things that affirm and align with our views on the world. more

For much of American history, a strong sense of civic membership has been a defining feature of life in towns and cities. People did not just live in a place; they were active participants in their communities. They attended town meetings, joined local groups, and worked together to make their neighborhoods better. more

The Smotherman family participated in the man get-togethers which small-town country folks did at that time, late 1930s, 1940, ’41, ’42, ’43. There were gatherings at Deepwater School called pie suppers. Women would bake their best pies to bring; then, the pies would be auctioned off. The money raised was spent to help support the school. more

My apologies to my unknown relatives in Canada for the unpleasant political winds emanating from below our border. more

It was a Saturday night in Downtown West Plains. February 22. more

To the editor: more

I am 44 years old this month and I have what is likely an impacted wisdom tooth. Isn’t that supposed to be a problem for 20-somethings? How did I end up in this position? more

Growing up in a small town, I knew my neighbors. I rode bikes and played wiffle ball with my neighbors. I went to church and school with my neighbors. I even went to a neighbor's house to eat chocolate chip cookies when I got in trouble at home. That was because my grandparents were one of my neighbors! more

It didn’t take long for me to get enough winter after the ice and cold weather that enveloped the Ozarks in early January. more

Where did the Smotherman sisters go to school, and how did they get there? more

As I write this on Feb. 22, I realize it’s George Washington’s birthday and regret it’s not honored as it was when I was growing up. Back “in my day,” Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays were federal holidays on Feb. 12 and Feb. 22, respectively. more

Agriculture has always been an important part of my life, just like it has been for so many in southeast and south-central Missouri. Growing up, I spent a lot of time on my grandparents’ farm in Salem — the very same one I purchased shortly after college and where I live today. It’s where I put in hours of hard work, discovered my love for agriculture, and made memories I’ll never forget. While the time I spent on my grandparents’ farm gave me valuable experience, nothing prepared me more to be a cattle rancher — and a congressman — than FFA. more