• 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 the May 14th edition of the Daily American Republic, the poll question was asked: Do you think Mayor Angela Pearson should have had a policeman escort former city manager Doug Bagby from city hall after he was fired? The poll question also stated that the results would be released in the following Wednesday's edition of the paper. SEMO.net did check and the poll question was removed from their web site the day before the results were to be announced. However, that next Wednesday, May 21, there were no results reported. The following Wednesday, May 28, still no results. It's now been 16 days since the question was asked and 10 days since the poll question was removed from their

    May 30,
  • Press Release - Mark your calendars for June 17th from 9am til evening to be just east of Williamsville at the Markham Springs Recreational Area for the 14th Annual Old Type Country Festival. Complete with Arts and Crafts, music and even hay rides. Markham Springs is set on the Black River in a scenic and historic recreation area in the southwestern corner of Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest. The area provides access to multiple trails and recreational opportunities. And on June 7th, it's even better with hundreds of kids and adults enjoying an old tyme country festival. The flyer says "there will be crafters, food, antique tractors, antique cars, water slide, bounce house, rail splitting, children's games, and old-time photos!

    May 27,
  • JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — During the last week of session, the General Assembly agreed on compromise legislation dealing with education standards in response to the adoption of the sometimes controversial “common core.” The bill had a long journey to Gov. Nixon’s desk, starting with rising concerns from parents demanding a legislative response. The biggest concerns Rep. Kurt Bahr, R-St. Charles, had with common core lied in state sovereignty, privacy, and education quality, which he sought to specifically address in his legislation. Bahr sponsored HB1490, which originally was less than a page. The largely discussed compromise for standards sits on the Governor’s desk at only 14 pages and seeks to establish various working committees across the state to mold new standards

    May 25,
  • Poplar Bluff, MO — For weeks both Topix and Facebook have had a frenzy of posts regarding how citizens "should go down to City Hall and support Doug Bagby at the next meeting!" But at last night's City Council meeting only Dan Coffman spoke during the citizen input. For the most part Mr. Coffman parroted the DAR's talking points and challenged the council regarding their recent actions. The council respectfully answered all of the inquiries and the meeting moved on without incident. It has been rumored for over a month that those claiming to have been marginalized or disenfranchised by the actions of the current council are attempting a recall of Mayor Pearson and Johnny Brannum. I assume that the group attempting the recall has

    May 22,

Upload Date