Early twentieth-century author Marcel Proust had his famous madeleines, airy little tea cakes that transported him back to his childhood with a single bite. more

For nearly three decades I have been a volunteer constitutional conservative, small government, free market watchdog at the Missouri Capitol, and in all that time I have never seen the level of abuse of power I witnessed during the two special sessions the governor called this summer. more

This weekend, we’ll be spending some time in Kansas City, and I heard that the new restaurant from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, 1587 Prime, opened on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Of course, the thought crossed my mind to visit the NFL legends' place. more

Author’s note: I was able to research and write about this wreck because a reader named Phyllis sent the Democrat a note about the wreck. I thank her for her suggestion. more

Since I have (reluctantly) retired, I find myself thinking back on the jobs I have had throughout the years. I am not talking about the ones I had as a kid, but the real jobs, such as the Navy and others, that have had a lasting impact on my life. more

It happened again. Charlie the Beagle, whose mission in life is to make me a crazy person, escaped the fence at dusk yesterday. more

It was a tough week last week, not only was it the 24th anniversary of 9/11 on Thursday, Sept. 11, but Sept. 10 was also a challenging and depressing news day. more

I am horrified by the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk this week. more

“And so one sees shadow ever retreat to hidden places, only to return in the wake of the war between dark and light." - Steven Erikson. more

Many people are worried that artificial intelligence will put them out of work, especially those holding jobs that are routine and repetitive. more

Over the past few months, I have been working through the process of core values, mission, and vision statements with my church. It has been a long process of deciding as a church what our focus and drive should be as a body of believers. However, I believe it is extremely valuable for a church to know what they believe and where they are heading. more

I would like to thank the person who put the picture of the Warsaw street circa 1960 on Facebook. The picture, which showed cars of the era, reminded me of the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but I will go one step further and say that pictures are also worth a thousand memories. more

At 4:20 a.m. on July 2, 1908, Missouri Pacific trains No. 12 and No. 3 collided head on east of Knob Noster. more

Sedalia’s Liberty Center Association for the Arts is always on top of highlighting area artists, theatre productions, and music concerts, so I’m honored they have selected me as one of their exhibiting artists for September and October. more

Hue the Cat is warming to us. It’s taken a while – five years, in fact. That’s how long it’s been since Emily sent her to us, and finally, I think she’s beginning to accept that we are her home – and we will always come back. more

I’m going to let you in on a humbling little secret. more

Has your phone, iPad, or computer ever frozen up? A few months ago, my phone froze. It wasn’t dead, just… stuck. I swiped. Nothing. I tapped. No response. I did what most of us do: I googled the problem on my wife's phone. The advice? “Hard reset.” Hold down the power and volume buttons until it reboots. And sure enough, it worked. It didn’t need to be thrown away. It just needed a reset. Some of us are like that spiritually. We’re not dead inside, just stuck. Life isn’t working the way it should. We’re going through the motions. Our joy has glitched. Our worship feels stale. And deep inside, we know we need something more than a spiritual tweak; we need a reset. more

My granddaughter, Addie Grace, is a sophomore at Mizzou. Once a month or so the family travels to Columbia for a visit. Addie gets to pick where she wants to shop and where she wants to eat. She always picks the same restaurant, Cracker Barrel. Addie loves their biscuits and gravy. I like that you can have breakfast anytime. We all enjoy the country store and the nostalgic vibe of the grandma décor. After our meal, we do a bit of shopping and then play a game of checkers on the porch, while rocking away in the rocking chairs. We like Cracker Barrel because we make memories there. more

Every once in a while, someone will ask me how I can find things to write about each week, and I have to tell them that sometimes it can be hard, and I sweat a lot as my deadline approaches, while at other times, a memory comes to me easily. more

Smith-Cotton High School was designed by local architect Thomas Bast and the William Ittner Company. When it was built in 1925, it cost $450,000. more