• It seems nearly impossible to fathom that someone as brilliant and funny as Robin Williams could be so tortured emotionally that he takes himself out of the human race. Yet, last week, one by one, each of us across the whole globe, fixed our attention on the sad news of this beloved actor’s suicide. Sometimes, a blip of news in the vast sea of information we are bombarded with daily, seems to slap us so hard in the face that we can almost hear the collective groan rippling through space and time. Then we all try our best to reckon with reality. And what a devastating reality Robin Williams’ death reveals - that someone who, by his very nature, brought

    Aug 26,
  • In last week’s State of the Union speech, President Obama unveiled a plan to offer “free” community college. As we know, however, nothing in life is free; everything is paid for or earned somewhere along the line and the president’s plan was no different. The ones targeted to cover the cost of this “free” idea were hard-working Americans who would be forced to foot the bill with a new tax on their 529 college savings plans. The president and some of my colleagues in Washington seem to be completely out of touch with what it takes to pay for college today. The proposal by the president to tax parents and grandparents trying to pay for their children’s education, consequently increasing

    Jan 30,
  • Fourth grader Ethan Hudlow of Oak Grove Elementary School received media attention last week when news broke that the 9-year-old was registering to vie in a World Cube Association sanctioned Rubik’s Cube competition April 25 in Texas. So far Ethan’s record for solving the Rubik’s Cube is 24 seconds, he says, and even more impressively, his SINGS (Serving the Individual Needs of Gifted Students) teacher Patty Reed just peaked his curiosity in the puzzle a few months ago. “This experience hasn’t just taught Ethan about solving the Rubik’s Cube, he has learned that he is capable of doing something very amazing,” Reed stated. “I’m anxious to see what problem he chooses to tackle next.” Reed recalled how in September

    Jan 29,
  • Well folks the Grizzly Jig Spring Tackle Show has come and gone, and I was honored to meet so many people who read this column both online and in the area newspapers. One gentleman came up and introduced himself and said, “Hey I really enjoy your column, and thank God you finally put that boy of yours on a deer!” I thanked him and began to give some of the details of the hunt, and he quickly cut me off and said, “Now do you think you could get back to giving a decent fishing report!?” Yes sir, yes sir I can! Duck season went out with a bang and I saw a lot of wader-laden water-fowlers posting pictures of

    Jan 29,
  • The Junior High Cheerleaders won the National Cheerleaders Association High School Open National Championship in the large intermediate division on Sunday, Jan. 18, in St. Charles. This was another first for Poplar Bluff Schools, according to cheer coach Christy Young. The victory comes on the heels of the Poplar Bluff High School Competition Cheer Squad’s back-to-back state championship. The high schoolers will go on to compete at the National High School Cheerleading Championship on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7-8, at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The Junior High Cheerleaders are: Braelin Aldridge, Destanee Barton, Eva Bedell, Cara Bubanovich, Libby Burdin, Bailey Edmundson, MacKenzie Garrett, Katlynn Hall, Taylor Hicks, Alexis Lady, Courtney McGee, Danni Raymer, Emma Steffan, Rachel Shock, Maddie

    Jan 29,
  • Now that the quail season has come to an end in Missouri, one of the former most-popular sports has been put to bed for 10 months. Quail hunting was really a popular activity for quite a while when I was growing up.  I killed most of my quail while rabbit hunting.  Dad had quit keeping a bird dog by the time I was born and the only time I hunted behind a dog for more than one trip was with my bowling partner “Jake” Jacobs.  Jake was the advertising manager at the DAR and had a pointer named Pud.  With my hunting activities we knew where to find a few coveys of quail, but we had very little success. My

    Jan 27,
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