Columns

Every now and then I have to remind a friend of mine that I was brought up in a family that was dominated by women. It’s not that I have anything against men as heads of households, it’s just that I grew up under a different system of government.

Sedalia was the site of a Federal military outpost, Fort Malcolm, during the Civil War. Hundreds of Union troops were stationed in the village, moving in and out of Sedalia to engage Confederate forces. Local residents, some too old, too young, or physically unfit for service, formed a Home Guard unit to assist in defending the town and another unit, Parker’s Rangers, to fight the guerrilla bands that roamed area.

On a night where people were brought together by the power and emotion of words, the power and emotion of a kind gesture left an enduring imprint.

Some people are nonsmokers and they prefer to dine in smoke-free restaurants. The matter is up for discussion in Sedalia and it may or may not come up for a vote.

Food. Glorious, local food! Though the weather this spring has us thoroughly flummoxed, the calendar definitely says that the opening day of the Sedalia Area Farmers’ Market is upon us. Beginning its fifth season this Friday, our community’s grower-only market will return to the Missouri State Fairgrounds with many of your familiar farmer friends along with some new faces. We think you’ll be delighted by the offerings.

“The machines rose from the ashes of the nuclear fire. Their war to exterminate mankind had raged for decades, but the final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present.” — “The Terminator,” 1984.

The governor is for it. Health care providers are for it. Seniors are for it. Business groups are for it.

Why is it you cannot find an eraser when you need one?

The Civil War in Missouri was marked by several large battles, but more by small skirmishes that often involved groups of soldiers not enrolled in officially sanctioned units.

After reading several letters to the editor as well as recent Sedline comments, I was inclined to scour the Bill of Rights to make myself more familiar with the right to smoke in public.

Do you consider yourself civilized? Is the United States a civilized country?

Earth Day is next Monday.

Spring is the time of renewal, the annual shaking off of the confines of cold and the doldrums of inactivity. Gray skies and brown lawns — or worse, dirt-dingy snow leftovers — give way to bursts of bright blue and vivid green. The warmth of the sun injects vitality into our lives, filling us with promise of the season ahead. Spring means baseball and firing up the grill and fresh air.

By Mary Merritt

In 1995, I saw my last gasp chance to fill out my retirement income — donkeys. I had been reading with intense interest in Midwestern Cattlemen about having a donkey among their herd of calving cows. What an opportunity. I visited one such cattleman who had donkeys.

“Does the female form make you

I have been graced with the responsibility of raising a male human. Ryan is neither boy nor man in his 16th year, therefore he must be categorized as “male human” so as not to offend his sensibilities.

It was a paper-throwing incident.

Well, I have been in France for about a month and a half now, and I cannot believe it has gone by this quickly. It feels like I just arrived a week ago. I’m still adjusting to so many things, but I am starting to get a routine down.

Most people are aware of the three syllable version of the word, “assume.” It is the version that I like to keep in the forefront of my mind to avoid making the mistake that we all make from time to time — and that is to prematurely sum up a situation based solely on the knowledge that we currently have.

Chris Gough is a Missouri guy. He graduated from Mizzou in 1999 and lives in Kansas City. In his words, “I would love to give back to my own state.” The problem is, he can’t afford to do that.

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The GuberBurger is practically the official food of the city of Sedalia. It’s not the best culinary legacy, but it’s the best one we’ve got.

The University of Central Missouri’s Board of Governors took a bold and necessary step forward when it adopted the conceptual “Learning to a Greater Degree Contract” as a way to help ensure students stay in school, graduate on time, and leave the university with a degree that has more value in a rapidly changing workforce.

Racial prejudice and discrimination intensified at the turn of the 20th century. The Supreme Court ruling in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson legalized discrimination under the concept that “separate but equal” facilities were constitutional. Lynchings increased throughout the south and Midwest, prompting Ida B. Wells Barnett to launch a crusade against lynching.