Columns
The last time I visited a big city, I came home to Willow Springs feeling very self-conscious about the way I had been wearing my socks. You see, last summer in Toronto, the biggest difference I could not ignore was that there were 20-somethings everywhere we went. On public transport. In the...
The building that houses the news office is better known as the Smuck Building. In 105 years, this building has had three owners. The Smucks built it in 1920 as a live-work space for Wayne’s photography work. His wife, Alma, resided there until her death in 1999. Wendell Bailey bought it then and...
There is a dog-loving gene in my family that must have skipped me. That is how, despite growing up around many dogs who were considered family members, I never really loved any dog -- until I knew Panda. Long-time readers of this column will perhaps remember Panda’s first appearance in these...
Next Tuesday, if recent history is any indication, a pitifully small number of voters will head to the polls. Last April’s voter turnout was only 6.5 percent in Howell County. Municipal elections never get the attention or voter turnout that presidential elections do. I guess I understand why,...
In honor of Missouri's Sunshine Week, I want to talk about a George Orwell quote, "Journalism is printing something that someone does not want printed. Everything else is public relations."
In the Ozarks, we might call this, "stirring the pot." At least, I've often been accused of as much....
The most unexpected part of operating the Howell County News has been the loss of our anonymity. Before the newspaper, I used to long to be included in the chitchat at grocery store cash registers. Now, it is a pleasing reality that I know almost everyone in every Willow Springs business by name...
The nature of my job means I spend a lot of time in rooms with decision-makers. One thing they all seem to have in common is a seething disdain for Facebook complaints. No matter the agency; no matter the city; no matter their position – they have read the comments. They know what people are...
If I seemed a bit scarce last week, that's because I was in Jefferson City for the Missouri Press Association (MPA) Day at the Capitol.
The MPA is the statewide trade association for newspapers, and one of its big goals is to lobby the legislature to keep public notices in newspapers. In...
In our coverage of the recent public-safety community forum, we reported the names of the members of the hiring committee for the next fire chief of the Willow Springs Fire Department, myself included.
Though I initially accepted, I ultimately removed myself from the committee before...
When was the last time you saw a water report for the city water in Mountain View? If you are a faithful reader of this publication, the last time you saw it in print here was June of 2021. In November, I noticed I had not printed it in a few years, so I called Mayor Charry McCann. She was...