The right of the people to seek a redress of grievances is fundamental to our form of representative government.

We are not surprised that the planned presentation of “The Vagina Monologues” in support of Citizens Against Spouse Abuse has spurred criticism and controversy among some members of our community.

The conversation about the adverse health effects of smoking started almost a half century ago, and the first restrictions on smoking in public places, government buildings and airplanes were launched in the 1970s. On Monday, Sedalia finally caught up with the issue when the City Council entered serious discussion about our community becoming a smoke-free city.

The saga of the Sedalia Public Library has played out over the past eight months, and it is a cautionary tale for a community that claims to value its history.

One of the core principles of government is to ensure the safety of residents. In fact, Winston Churchill contended: “The responsibility of government for the public safety is absolute, and requires no mandate. It is in fact the prime object for which governments come into existence.”

Employers want to ensure that the people they are interviewing and hiring for jobs have the necessary skills and aptitude to do the work. Job applicants want to know where they stand in the job market and that the positions they are seeking meet up with their career aspirations and abilities.

This weekend is a celebration of Sedalia’s generous nature, with the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri’s annual “An Evening of Heart & Hope” auction on Saturday and Friday’s Sedalia-Pettis County United Way awards luncheon.

On Friday night, Sedalia School District 200 enshrined its first class in the Smith-Cotton Athletics Hall of Fame. It certainly appears that in a few years, Libby (Howard) Ecker, Norris Kelley, Charles Van Dyne and Kim and Kathy Anderson will be joined by Emily Webster.

While the Second Amendment has been hogging the spotlight of late, the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States deserves consideration in the wake of a local homicide case.

Despite tea party contentions and Grover Norquist’s foot-stamping tantrums, government does have a role in our society and it often serves beneficial purposes. That said, there are times when those who make the gears grind leave us wondering if they understand government’s role and scope.

Our holiday travels now are less likely to take us over the river and through the woods — we’re more apt to go over the highway and through the Transportation Safety Administration checkpoint. But increased traffic on roadways and folks hurrying to arrive on time for family get-togethers create increased hazards for motorists.

There are a lot of things to like about Community Santa, the program that each year provides Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in Pettis County.

We are dubious about using a regressive tax to fund something as important as education — especially when the impact of the tax likely would, over time, create less revenue year to year due to people choosing not to purchase the targeted product because of the increased cost caused by the higher tax.

The proof is in the numbers, and the photos, and the smiles and the stories.

A message left on our Sedline voicemail expressed opposition to the move to teach sexual health education to seventh- and eighth-grade students at Smith-Cotton Junior High beginning in December. We believe it’s a stand others in our community share.

The base of the term “fan,” as it applies to followers of athletes and sports teams, is “fanatic” — defined as someone with excessive and single-minded zeal. But even the most obsessive of Kansas City Chiefs fans cannot explain away the detestable behavior exhibited Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

There is no doubt that the Sedalia Public Library building is one of the most striking architectural structures in the city. Dedicated in 1901, it was the first Carnegie library in the state of Missouri and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Sedalia School District 200 Board of Education made the right call in sticking with in-house candidates for the successor to Superintendent Harriet Wolfe, who is retiring at the end of the current school year.

Each of the past few years, Pettis County residents have cut against the tide of a slumping economy to give in record numbers to the United Way. And while the economy is showing some signs of life, we are hopeful that local people and businesses will continue the trend of opening their hearts, and wallets, to assist the agencies that support our neighbors.

The Citizens for a Clean Sedalia Committee has spent the past several months examining code enforcement matters that have become thorny issues for city officials and residents alike.

This list is a sampling of crime in Sedalia and the surrounding area. The information is taken from official police reports, which do not necessarily contain statements from all parties involved in each case.

The Trail’s End Committee has a high-caliber list of supporters, strong financial support and a vision to pay tribute to Sedalia’s past. All that’s missing is a location.

It was not weeks but just days ago that it seemed highly improbable that the Sedalia Bombers would be able to get into the hunt for the MINK League South Division title. Just a week ago, the Bombers trailed the league-leading Nevada Griffons by three games.

The Citizens for a Clean Sedalia Committee has discussed some solid ideas for addressing code enforcement issues in the city. However, one idea discussed during Thursday night’s meeting should be dropped. Immediately.

Seeing that there was but a single contested race in the most recent municipal election, losing a member of the Sedalia City Council most certainly leaves a void that will be tough to fill.

Whether driven by July 4 patriotism or just a yearning to blow stuff up, even in tough economic times Missourians seem able to squeeze a sizable collection of fireworks into the family budget each year.

Sedalia School District 200 has sustained deficits in its food services each of the past two years. To be clear, the shortfalls are not due to mismanagement or faulty practices, but rather unexpectedly steep increases in the price of food.

Youths participating in the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri summer program got some wet and wonderful news on Wednesday: The pool is now open.

Sometimes the difference between getting a job and getting passed over is a piece of paper. Missouri lawmakers this week made a positive step to help residents attain that document — a college diploma — which could help them get a leg up in their quest for employment.

As we looked over the roster of candidates for the various Pettis County Ambulance District director races, we couldn’t help but think: And we only had one contested race in April’s election?

Over the past week, local residents have shared their stories about rebuilding their businesses and their lives after the EF-2 tornado that tore through south Sedalia one year ago today.

Missy Arnold was overjoyed Wednesday when she learned her Sedalia School District Foundation mini grant request was being funded.

We entrust elected officials to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. And we know they get that — most of them chant that mantra back to constituents at every possible turn.

The wailing and gnashing of teeth over a couple of questions in the citywide housing survey conducted in December comes across as a lot of misplaced outrage.

What could have been a loss has instead been turned into a gain.

State Fair Community College and the University of Central Missouri could wage a turf war with one another in efforts to land students. “Roadrunners vs. Mules” could be the enrollment version of the Border War.

Not too many high school students can boast that they helped establish public policy in their community. But that is true of a trio of students involved in Smith-Cotton High School’s DECA program.

Politicians can say a lot with what they leave unsaid. At the very least, they can give the impression that something has validity when they choose not to dismiss it.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament final game Monday night presents a case of the blues for fans of the University of Missouri Tigers.

We’ve heard the arguments: We’re taxed more than enough already. We can get by with lesser service. I don’t want to pay for something I probably will never need.

The Smith-Cotton High School DECA students who handled the marketing campaign for the tourism tax intiative on Tuesday’s ballot came up with a catch phrase that not only is memorable, but also strikes at the heart of the issue:

It is time once again for us, and our clocks, to spring forward.

Smith-Cotton Junior High students were taken back in time Thursday morning for insights into the history of the building where they are educated and the town where they live.

We offered these thoughts about Valentine’s Day a couple of years ago, and believe they still hold up today:

When a security system alarm goes off, police respond due to the expectation that there is a need for their presence. When that alarm goes off erroneously, it is more than a minor annoyance; it is a waste of resources and it can put other residents or businesses at greater risk due to the unneeded deployment of officers.