It’s hard to believe it, but somehow November is already here. Every year, it feels like the clock speeds up a little more, and before you know it, summer fades into fall, and fall barrels straight into the end of the year. Maybe there’s truth to what they say about time moving faster as we get older, or maybe it’s just the fullness of life that makes each season feel so fleeting. more

To the editor: more

Ranked-choice voting is on the rise in the U.S., with two U.S. states and 45 U.S. cities now using some version of it. more

Dear Readers, more

Just about a year ago, I wrote a column about persimmons. I decided that I would share that column this fall with a couple of Facebook groups that I follow. I sent my writing to the Ozark County Historium which is a wonderful museum, containing a repository of books and manuscripts, a collection of antiques and quilts, and a unique gathering place located in Gainesville, Missouri. more

Displays of Halloween books and DVD’s in our library are being checked out by all ages as Oct. 31 draws near, while the “faint of heart” crowd just enjoys talking about Halloweens of our childhood. more

I take pride in calling myself an Ozarker, and indeed I am. more

Lately, there's been this unsettling thought that's been circling my brain, and it's grown into something I just can’t shake. I’ve reached a point, and I suspect I’m not alone here, where I don’t feel like I can trust the news anymore—not in the way I used to. To be clear, I’m talking about the national, mainstream media, not local news. I still have absolute faith in local reporting, but when it comes to the big networks, I’ve started questioning whether I’m really getting the whole truth. more

To the editor, more

Dear Readers, more

From time to time, friends and acquaintances ask me if they can come watch the proceedings of the Supreme Court of Missouri in Jefferson City. I reply, “Of course, we love having people visit the Court and see us in action.”  more

To the editor: more

“Tyler discovered his gift for communicating with the departed when he was just ten years old. After experiencing a sudden, accurate premonition of his grandmother’s death – what Tyler would later describe as his first experience of ‘knowingness’ – his life would never be the same.” (Excerpt from book) more

When I was a boy learning of life in the woods, my dad taught me to recognize animals by what they left behind — the contents of their scat. more

I recently returned from a short vacation in Iowa and Minnesota and saw the most shocking thing. Their dirt is colored brown and even black. And it’s called soil up there. And it’s everywhere- even in ditches and on the shoulders of the roads. And some of the country roads are that same dark color. more

More than a century ago, a small group of farmers came together in Slater, Missouri, determined to develop an organization to be a voice for agriculture and rural communities. Since Missouri Farm Bureau’s start in 1915, generations of county leaders brought MOFB to where it is today, serving more than 157,000 members across the state. more

To the editor: more

Dear Readers, more

As I sit to write this, Buffalo is preparing to host another Celtic festival to celebrate the Scots-Irish heritage of many Ozarks families. more

I seem to only have one lone hummingbird coming to my feeder now, so I’ve cleaned and stored the other three feeders for the winter. After having close to 20 of the tiny birds battling all summer, my back porch is eerily silent now. more