Who do you want on the West Plains R-VII School Board?
Fri, 03/06/2026 - 3:40pm
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(pick up to three)
Election Day is April 7.
Columns
Take it from this transplant, there are few things more inspiring than an old-fashioned Fourth of July parade in the Ozarks. Independence Day in Willow Springs blew me away the first time I saw it, and it has never stopped being anything short of thrilling.
Many of my readers will...
Next week, America will celebrate her 249th birthday. In Willow Springs, you won’t be able to miss it. City leaders and non-profit organizations have come together to create nearly 12 hours of festivities all over town. We’ll parade. We’ll picnic. We’ll sigh and gasp over a fireworks display. We’...
In our continuing efforts to engage our readers in meaningful and productive conversations, we are launching a new mini opinion-sharing feature. Have you ever had a quick, insignificant gripe? Or a minor attaboy? Just a little opinion that wouldn’t hold up to a full letter to the editor? Send...
The way Missouri media outlets are reporting on HJR73 is disingenuous and the farthest thing from impartial. I'm sick of seeing headlines accusing the legislature of "not respecting the will of the voters."
Local journalism is sometimes referred to as the fourth branch of democracy, the...
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...