Opinion | Sedalia Democrat

LETTER: The relief of putting phones down

Dear Editor, As a grandmother and retired elementary educator, I appreciated Gavin Moore’s article, “PHONES DOWN: Missouri schools adjust to phone ban.” I believe constant … more

6/4/26

LETTER: It’s time to show gratitude to Missouri’s senior population

Here in Pettis County, we take pride in looking out for our neighbors, especially our seniors. These Missourians spent their lives building our communities, raising families, working our farms and … more

6/4/26

City projects can now be viewed with interactive maps by hovering over the ‘Grow’ tab on the City of Sedalia website.

Sedalia launches maps website to improve public access

Residents, businesses and visitors now have a new way to explore city projects and community information thanks to the Monday, June 1 launch of the City of Sedalia’s new interactive maps website. … more

By Chris Howell chris.howell@sedaliademocrat.com | 6/2/26

Interrogating the kitchen robot

Here’s a transcript of a conversation I had last week with the software robot, Alexa, who lives in our kitchen. Me (eating breakfast and looking out the window): “Alexa, what’s the weather … more

By Gwen Rockwood Syndicated Columnist | 6/1/26

Those nostalgia feelings

Not long ago, someone asked me why most of the writings in both my books and my columns are in the nostalgic genre; I told them it is because I am following one of the sage writing tips I received a … more

By Jack Miller Contributing Columnist | 6/1/26

More about what Sedalians ate in 1904

Last week’s column described the Sedalia Milling Company that produced flour and meal, Dolph’s Grocery Store and Hall and Maltby‘s Grocery Store, and Wood Dale farm whose owner Nick Gentry … more

By Rhonda Chalfant, Contributing Columnist | 6/1/26

Senior Center prepares for fourth gala

It’s always a pleasure to speak to the Sedalia Senior Center about its annual fundraising gala. This year, Director Machele Thierfelder and Liz Rooks, president of the Center’s advisory board, … more

By Faith Bemiss-McKinney, faith.bemiss@sedaliademocrat.com | 6/1/26

Hair shedding scoring beef cattle

I recently attended a workshop entitled “Heifer Retention with Intention” which focused on selection and development of beef replacement heifers. One interesting aspect of the program was … more

6/1/26

Alford bill aimed at foreign acquisitions

In February I wrote a column about the Chinese national who was arrested for spying at Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the only B-2 wing in the Air Force. The war in Iran has shown, more than … more

By Doug Kneibert Contributing Columnist | 5/28/26

Deja Vu

Texas Republicans elected Ken Paxton as their candidate for the Senate, a man who has been indicted for securities fraud, was accused by some of his employees of “abusing his office to help an … more

By Deborah Mitchell Contributing Columnist | 5/28/26

Summer school

My kids and I have a tradition we’ve maintained since they were just out of kindergarten: we do summer school. But not the kind where you get on a yellow bus and spend a couple extra weeks at the … more

By Liz Schleicher Contributing Columnist | 5/28/26

A case against the cork

In this column, I intend to destroy one of the wine commandments that experts, real or self-styled, live by. There are many “things” about wines that have come up from the dark ages that … more

By Bennet Bodenstein Contributing Columnist | 5/28/26

Do I need to join a church?

“I have Jesus, I don’t need a church.” In our expressive individualistic society, it’s become in vogue to claim Jesus but to reject His church. People tend to want to follow Christ but … more

Dr. Jeremiah Greever Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Sedalia | 5/28/26

What Sedalians ate in 1904

The Sedalia Sentinel pamphlet praising Sedalia had a great deal to say about food. It described a flour mill, grocery stores, a livestock producer, a meat packing plant, a meat market, and a bottler … more

By Rhonda Chalfant Contributing Columnist | 5/25/26

Smart government?

When I was young, I thought people in government had to be smarter than me and that they could handle any situation that came along; I don’t think that anymore. Would a smart government … more

By Jack Miller Contributing Columnist | 5/25/26

Get a little thrill

“I forgot how nice it is to be able to walk all the way around my bed,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter when I need to go to the bathroom because there’s always one empty.” That’s … more

By Gwen Rockwood Syndicated Columnist | 5/25/26

Turbo’s story: How can we help?

May has been the longest month, with many things going on, two holidays, and many graduations for our family, but the saddest news was a story told to me by people in the community who say a dog that … more

By Faith Bemiss-McKinney, faith.bemiss@sedaliademocrat.com | 5/25/26

When it comes to ticks, be prepared, not scared

Alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne reaction that makes victims allergic to meat and dairy products, has exploded in recent years. The CDC has referred to it as an “epidemic.” In 2009, there were … more

By Liz Schleicher Contributing Columnist | 5/21/26

That’s one way to spell corruption

Merriam-Webster defines corruption as “dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers).” Dictionary.com is more colorful: … more

By Deborah Mitchell Contributing Columnist | 5/21/26

Fire up the grill

With the month of May comes the annual proclamation recognizing it as Beef Month. Most of us don’t need nice weather for an excuse to fire up the grill, but this designation is a great reminder … more

By Garrett Hawkins, Guest Columnist | 5/21/26