Men! Have you been personally harmed by this year’s Taylor Swift NFL storyline? Do you hate KISSING? And GIRLS? There is a solution! It’s very simple. Cross your index fingers in an “X” and repeat after me: more

Happy Love Month. February is here, the month dedicated to love, friendship and all things romantic. I do celebrate the sentiment of the month, however, I do not do Valentine’s Day because I don’t have a Valentine. I’ll be home on the 14th watching the ID channel, "Dateline" or "48 Hours." It’s all good when you think about it; most true crime episodes are about love – love gone very, very wrong. more

As we were listening to this past weekend’s readings at Holy Mass, we heard of Jesus casting out a demon from a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath. (Matthew 1: 21-28.) The demon said to Jesus, while still in the man, “Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” So, even the demon(s) can tell us that they know of Jesus; they know about Him or they know something of Him. more

Before I had teenagers of my own, I interviewed a child psychologist for an article I was writing at the time. During the interview, I asked the doctor for tips on how parents could better relate to teenagers. His answer stuck with me: “Parents need to remember that almost all teenagers have the same number one fear, and it influences nearly everything they do and say.” more

On Tuesday, Dec. 6, 1931, two years after the stock market crash that signaled the start of the Great Depression but two years before Sedalia had recognized the Depression, Sedalia Chamber of Commerce President Charles Botz entertained a group of local businessmen. After dinner was over, Botz presented a business proposition he believed would benefit Sedalia. more

As I picked up a dime from my floor the other day, I started thinking about how little I use change any more. When I was a kid, finding a coin of any kind would have been a huge deal. more

“Believe Science! Trust the science!” more

I bought “Romney: A Reckoning,” by McKay Coppins, a while back, not knowing what to expect. The book reads like a novel: Coppins tells the story of a man who began his life admiring his father and how his father stuck to his principles, changed his tune during the middle of his life, but has returned to the idea that standing immutably for something is the right thing to do. more

Extreme cold weather has an enormous impact on animal energy demands. Wet weather also results in increased energy demands for livestock. To illustrate these points, I’ve formulated some beef cow diets for varying temperatures, hair coat conditions, and hay quality. more

At least once a day, I run across a room yelling, “No, no, no!” Then I lunge for the remote control, the way a soldier dives for a grenade before it explodes. more

In February 1931, in Birmingham, Alabama, officers arrested a 30-year-old man called Joe Haton, alias Joe Rogers, but really Joe Larkin, for robbing a cafeteria. After he confessed to his involvement in the robbery of Union Savings Bank in Sedalia, they notified Pettis County Sheriff Herrick. more

As we remember and reflect on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., there are valuable lessons that should give us hope that we can overcome what we face today in a divided and teetering America. more

National Catholic Schools Week begins Jan. 28, which prompted me to have a chat with Nikki Howell, the new president of Sacred Heart School (SHS). more

It’s like bas relief on my brain. I was in my room in Kabul – whether it was Friday and my day off, or whether I was getting ready for work – and I called my mother. We usually talked on FaceTime, but that day, I did a voice call. Mother was sobbing. I was alarmed. What had happened? more

We are deep into winter with snow on the ground and a deadly chill in the air. Many of the days have been dark and because this is winter, the nights are long. It is in the middle of this dark and cold time that we celebrate the season of Epiphany, the revealing of Christ as the Light of the World. more

When Clarence Hamel and Grace Hamel appeared before Judge Dimmit Hoffman in February 1930, he allowed them to talk with court-appointed attorneys before they confessed to having been involved in the robbery of Union Savings Bank in Sedalia. more

One of the side effects of having an English degree is that I remember famous works of literature – but only the weird ones. The one I’m remembering lately is extra creepy. It’s a short story told by a narrator who insists he’s just nervous, not crazy. He’s anxious because he killed an old man for a bizarre reason: He couldn’t stand the sight of the old man’s “vulture eye,” – which is a pale blue eye with a cloudy film. more

I started to believe that America was the greatest country in the world at an early age, thanks to my first hero: Superman. For those who were not a fan, let me explain. more

Richard “I am not a crook” Nixon once famously said to David Frost in a 1977 interview, “Well, when the president does it … that means that it is not illegal” (tinyurl.com/3cv4x8bk). That statement in itself is startling, but what is more startling is to read his twisting, tortuous attempt at logic in the statements preceding that one, trying to justify the President’s doing something illegal in order to benefit himself. more

My grandfather works with his hands. Right out of high school, he married his sweetheart and bought an old dairy farm in west central Illinois. Though he didn’t work in milk cows, he and my grandmother raised beef cattle, sheep, horses and hogs, and grew corn, beans, wheat and hay. Though they have downsized the farm in recent years, they are still working hard today. more