Kyle Troutman

Kyle Troutman

Work hard to play hard

Over the last 15 years, no team has won as many games at Monett as its soccer squad. There are two main contributing factors to that success: first, the stability and leadership of head coach Cristobal Villa (211-123-1); and second, quality athletes giving their all for the program.

Sheila Harris: Where mercy collides with law

I first went to work for George’s Processing before the turn of the century. I quickly learned what others may only suspect: it’s not a job for the faint of heart, nor one to be chosen unless necessity dictates. If my supervisor hadn’t told me that “people like me” didn’t make good chicken plant employees, I wouldn’t have lasted. Instead, I picked up the gauntlet.

Pettigrew book on sale Aug. 13

History reminds us that Americans are just people: capable of love and hate, compassion and cruelty, failure and greatness. There is no special virtue in our blood. As Calvin Coolidge observed, it is not ancestry but ideals that animate the American soul.