Kids are back in school and yellow buses run up and down country roads night and morning. more

Amendment I more

It’s often said money makes the world go ‘round, but that’s not entirely true. What keeps it spinning is the selfless leadership and service of legions of folks who never get paid a dime — volunteers. more

My family of five (plus one large dog) made it home last week after a 14-hour road trip to the coast of beautiful South Carolina. Fourteen hours (each way) is a long time, and sane people might question why we’d do such a thing when planes exist. more

For those of you, who took the time to read my report about Buffalo’s phone problems, I want to let you know that after reporting to the FCC, I received a call from AT&T people here in the states who finally took the problem seriously. I spent about 12 hours over three weeks doing calls they could use to trace and find the broken link in the system. more

To the Editor, more

The very best thing about my job is the people it introduces me to. In my life, I have had some of the greatest mentors and even acquaintances that have a special place in my heart. Every now and then I discover another jewel to add to my treasure of personalities. In this particular column, I would like to draw attention to some of my recent finds. I hope I don’t embarrass them too much, but I like to credit where I believe credit is due. more

I read a story this week about a group of seniors in Minnesota who call themselves the Pillars of the Community. They set up a booth at local events and answer questions about the town. What one senior doesn't know, another probably does know. At the very least, they know who will know the correct answers and can refer the question to the right source. more

As another crop of freshmen begin their high school journey, I can only hope and pray they will start more wisely than I did at Fair Grove in the fall of 1961. more

Re: Religion by other means — Aug. 9th letter to the editor more

Dear Reflex audience, more

Politics, you might say, is religion by other means. It is proudly denominational. It has it’s own prophets, apocalypticists, wild-eyed adherents and “true believers” and has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the sins of rival churches. more

Do any of you have a mobile phone? Stupid question, huh? We ‘all’ have one! We all depend on them heavily since the hard line phones went away like the ‘Dodo bird.’ more

Once upon a time many of our public meetings opened with prayer. more

There are times when historical moments pass before your eyes. Some are monumental, while others are only important to your immediate life. more

This past weekend, I was doing some online searching of old songs that I loved from the 1980s and 1990s. I would YouTube the music video and be taken down musical memory lane. Some of the songs that would come up in the “Maybe you would like” list were great songs I hadn’t heard for a long time and almost forgotten about. I have to say that, in my opinion, the music of the 80s and 90s were some of the best ever written and performed. more

Catching an Indian runner duck is harder than you might think. As their name implies, the ducks run — en masse. Like flying geese that veer whichever way the leader heads or sheep that follow one another off a cliff, a group of Indian runner ducks acts as a single organism at times, moving in a swarm. more

I am sitting at this writing on a sofa set catawampus in a living room cluttered with stacks of cardboard boxes, pieces of furniture, luggage and computer parts, recuperating from the exertion of two hours spent unloading a truck about half the size of a railroad boxcar. more

Dear Editor, more

I told someone last week I was going to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Fireworks Museum. They acted shocked that a museum focusing on fireworks was strange for Dallas County. more

Long before Missouri conservation agents would confirm their presence, some of us who hunted the remote woods of Dallas County were certain the hills and hollers along the Niangua River harbored black bears. more

Remember the ABBA song from 1977 “Take a Chance on Me”? more

It is commendable that we remember our own mothers with cards and other tokens of love this Mother’s Day, but it is even more fitting that we thank God and pray for mothers everywhere. more

The year was 1968. I was riding down the road with my parents. Dad was tokin’ on a Marlboro Red, and Mom was dragging on a Benson & Hedges cigarette. I was running and climbing all over the car, even hiding out where the spare tire rides. It was a 1960 Ford station wagon — a big old gunship. I know you’re saying, “Running around without a seat belt on, and the parents were smoking with the kids in the car.” It wasn’t politically correct, but it was 1968 when people were free. I don’t think the car had seat belts, and we did not have those odd bicycle helmets. How did we ever survive without all the safety features of today?   more

We are less than two weeks away from legislators throwing stacks of paper in the air to celebrate the end of the 2023 session of the Missouri General Assembly, and like every year, there are still a lot of bills in the air. Missouri Farm Bureau is focused on a few key issues as we approach the finish line.  more