Their high school careers may be over, but a trio of Smith-Cotton Class of 2013 members will continue to work this summer on a project guaranteed to take them places.

Despite the clanging of the critics, it is way past time for Sedalia to have an across-the-board indoor smoking ban. And when you look at those critics’ arguments, when you peel away all the puffery about individual rights and government intrusion and communism/socialism/fillintheblankism, what you are left with is selfishness.

In the mid- to late 1950s, a hoax was perpetrated on the American public. It was wrapped in wholesomeness, served to the masses through television and masqueraded by tales that ended with homespun happy endings and advice.

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.

Former Sedalia Democrat Editor Bob Satnan was named a winner in the annual Missouri State Teachers Association’s annual Media Awards contest.

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

It has been an eventful first week as your editor.

The 11th annual Favorite Poem Night will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday in the fellowship hall at First Christian Church, 200 S. Limit Ave. Admission is free.

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.

“This week will be your last online-only column,” wrote departing Sedalia Democrat editor Bob Satnan.

A change in leadership is coming to the Sedalia Democrat newsroom as Dennis Rich was named editor of the paper on Monday.

“I just wanted to urge everyone to go to the polls and vote ‘yes’ on the bond issue for the repairs on the Sedalia Public Library.”

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.

“I just read the article in today’s paper about the council approving the budget for the city ... one of the things I don’t read about in there is any kind of funding for tourism. ... I think it is an important part and the city should be funding tourism also.”

Sedalia Democrat Editor Bob Satnan may start reevaluating his wardrobe soon. He’s going to need a few more black and gold-colored items.

Kat Ryan knows the sound — and it is horrifying.

The deluge of snow that was dumped on the area a dozen days ago left thousands of residents across mid-Missouri without power, some for as many as five days. Utilities KCP&L, Ameren and Central Missouri Electric Cooperative all had outages locally, and most of their customers were back on line within a couple of days at the most.

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.

When Old Man Winter comes calling on Carlene Drive, Carroll Howard and his Ford 860 tractor are always ready to move him out of the way.

Sedalia Democrat journalists captured five first-place honors and nine awards in total in the Missouri Associated Press Media Editors newspaper awards for work published in 2012.

Public safety officials are urging caution as another round of winter weather moves through the area.