When Ira Zimmerman, accused of setting fire to the laundry run by John Bowman, was tried, Bowman produced letters he claimed to have received threatening to burn his laundry. more

Some dates need no prompting to remember; others, like birthdays or a doctor's appointment, we must put on a calendar so we will not forget them. more

There really is a first time for everything. Last week, I finally got my first facial. I know, I’m a late bloomer. more

Until now, I thought hiring professionals to string Christmas lights was all about convenience and saving yourself the time and risk of being up on the roof. But a recent DIY attempt has shown me the (literal) light. more

The Schumer shutdown, which locked the federal government down for a record 43 days, gave the filibuster a bad rap. more

In 2004, the Supreme Court decided a case involving gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. While the justices voted 9-0 that the gerrymandering in that case was illegal, they all said different things about it. One of the opinions declared that dividing a state for election purposes could be done; however, Mr. Justice Kennedy said, “’Race is an impermissible classification . . . Politics is quite a different matter . . . If, however, a state passed an enactment that declared, “All future apportionment shall be drawn so as most to burden Party X’s rights to fair and effective representation,” he wrote, “we would surely conclude the Constitution had been violated”’” (https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-1580.ZC.html). more

As a parent in 2025, it often feels like I’m keeping the darkest tentacles of the internet away from my kid with a whip and a chair. Most parents I know feel the same way. more

There’s an irony at Christmas time. For most of us, the most wonderful time of the year is a frantic race against the clock. We’re always running out of time to make plans, buy gifts, decorate homes, and prepare food. more

At the turn of the nineteenth into the twentieth century, many Sedalians chose to send their laundry to a commercial laundry. Competition between the laundries for customers was, according to the Sedalia Democrat, “bitter.” more

Sometimes I dream I am running somewhere like I did when I was a kid. more

Well, we did it. We thought about it for a long time, but something always held us back – vanity, frugality, perhaps a desperate grip on the last remaining scraps of our youth. But now that we’ve done it, we love it so much we don’t even care what it says about us. We’re the proud new owners of an adjustable bed. more

It’s that time of year again, when we put up decorations for Christmas, buy gifts, make merry, and remember the “reason for the season.” It can also be a time to cherish family love and togetherness, even as traditions change. more

For the last three years, my husband and I have called St. Louis home. He teaches at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, our families are here and we’ve made a lot of friends who have welcomed us in and treated us like family. more

Hue the Cat is still mad at us for being gone for my radiation treatments and then for Thanksgiving. I figured she wouldn’t be happy when we left for Houston with a planned absence of 11 days. She didn’t exact retribution while we were gone, so our cat sitter said, but I could tell when we returned from Houston that she was upset. more

It’s official, I’ve joined Weight Watchers, again. I joined early this year before everyone makes their resolution to eat healthier and rushes to join WW. While being healthy is a plus, the truth is – I just want to fit into my jeans. I’m just thankful that Weight Watchers doesn’t have a limit on how many times you can join. more

After years of threats, the government has finally discontinued minting pennies because they cost more to make than their face value. more

Arson, the deliberate burning of buildings or other property, happened with some frequency in Sedalia and Pettis County between 1890 and1910. It was however, very difficult to prove in court, perhaps because there was no way of knowing if the fire had been deliberately set or if the witnesses were lying. more

If you’re a regular reader, you know that our dog Charlie has been in a years-long feud with a possum that often sits on top of our back fence. Charlie is our elderly Beagle mix who grows a new lump, bump or raised mole every month or two, as if he’s decorating his 14-year-old body with interesting new doodads. Even though Charlie is old and somewhat cosmetically challenged, he has the nose of a much younger, sleeker Beagle. That’s how he always knows when the possum is back on the fence. more

I remember the first time I met Ervin Spry, he knocked on my back door on East 24th Street and passed me a well-worn note that said, “Can I pick up your walnuts?” I later found out that Ervin couldn’t speak — a note was his way of communicating. more

Living in the lake area these last eight years has made me more aware of the changes in nature that come with each season. This time of year, I can never get enough of the colorful splashes that collect on the vast canvasses of the outdoors. With the fall come sights and sounds that it alone among the seasons brings to life. more