As families and friends gather around a table to partake in a hearty Thanksgiving meal, many may have a moment of blessing, a prayer or perhaps each person at the table will express their thankfulness.

Turkey, gravy and all the fixings make for many happy campers around my house during the Thanksgiving season. Unfortunately, as we’ve been reporting and have seen firsthand statewide, the ongoing supply chain hold ups combined with inflation will hit our wallets on these purchases, too.

For many, the Friday after Thanksgiving signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season. During this time of year, we are constantly bombarded with advertisements about the deals we could receive if we shop online. While there is no denying that many consumers benefit from the competiti…

In a recent Bible commentary, a pastor was telling on herself. A young woman had asked her for a letter of recommendation. The pastor knew this woman was not deeply religious, but needed a letter from a pastor for a camp counselor position.

A major source of funding for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office is on the Nov. 2 ballot for renewal. The eighth-cent Law Enforcement Sales Tax funds 25% of our budget, which has a significant impact on our operations.

I am not sure what I expected our country to look like in 2021, but I certainly did not expect it to be so fractured and so bogged down in hate. My oldest son was a year old on Sept. 11, 2001. The wave of patriotism following that day gave me hope for the America that my kids would inherit.

If the pink popping up in store displays and across our screens hasn’t given it away already, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And while it focuses on a serious disease, I always appreciate the opportunity it gives my colleagues and me to highlight ways women can look after their br…

Each year, the Missouri General Assembly gets the opportunity to review those bills that were given the thumbs down from the governor. It is a part of our system of checks and balances. Deciding to override a veto is also a good way to take a second look at something that may have been a goo…

My so-called smartphone apparently does not know the difference between “good” and “God.” It has a feature for people like me who are either too rushed or too lazy to lift their finger off the screen when typing. I can swipe my finger over the letters, and the phone figures out the words I a…

For nearly a year and a half, we have heard the term “the new normal” more times than we can count. The ongoing pandemic has uprooted so many of the things we used to do, or take for granted, every day. Because of COVID-19, the Missouri State Fair had to be revamped last year. But, this year…

The passing of former Missouri House Speaker Bob Griffin on July 7 reminds me of a conflict I’ve seen so often with public officials between dedication to serving the public versus seeking financial or political gain.

On July 4, citizens throughout our great nation will join together in celebration of the United States of America’s 245th birthday. As we stand on the brink of another year in the life of our comparatively young nation, I ask everyone to join me in reflecting on how far we have come as an Am…

Scripture

As my parents marked their 55th wedding anniversary, I did research about marriage in general. The 55th wedding anniversary is called the emerald anniversary because emeralds are a rarer gemstone, and I guess a marriage that lasts 55 years is an extremely rare find.

There is an old saying that states “April showers brings May flowers.” In our case, it feels more like “May showers, brings June flowers.”

The Missouri General Assembly spent a great deal of time over the past two years working on changes to some of our state’s crime laws. This effort has resulted in a sweeping criminal justice reform measure that now awaits the governor’s signature. Senate Bill 53 and 60 are a compromise packa…

Farming is a family business. It always has been. Most farmers have been working cattle, working the land and feeding the world from the time they could walk. They’ve lived their entire lives working endless hours to live their dream, carry on the family farm, and hopefully pass it along to …

The charge of apartheid is the new blood libel. As Hamas rains rockets down on Israel, members of the Squad in Congress and other left-wing enemies are using the occasion to amplify their accusation that Israel is an “apartheid state.”