My competitive nature was nurtured through years of playing team sports, mainly soccer, in my youth. Newspaper staffs are also a team in many ways, and while the team awards are the best, individual recognitions are icing on the cake.

Independence, as Americans know it today, didn’t come in an inexpensive nature. In fact, our freedoms might well be the costliest element of our lives. Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence right through current time as we get ready to observe July 4th this year, people have made sacrifices that are above and beyond what many might realize.

I am competitive. I always have been, and I always will be. As I was submitting our entries into the Missouri Press Association Contest for this year, I was excited about the quality of our content and the prospect of another successful year.

These days, Saturday night is nothing special in Cassville, not like it once was 70 or so years ago when the town, at least parts of the square, was hopping with activities. Of particular interest was the south side of the square.

Ever since writing editorials or columns for the Cassville Democrat, a leaning post has been the steel spike that held bits and pieces of information that might be of interest farther down the line. After two moves, the spike disappeared and a substitute had to be found to hold the information that that had accumulated.

Dear Editor: Spring is almost over, and with it, the normal rainy season is almost over. Cassville is very fortunate, because Cassville — known as the City of Seven Valleys — for the last three years has had above average rainfall amounts for the first six months of the year.

In these days of space exploration looking farther and deeper into the possible trips into the outer-deep space, maybe in the generations of middle age, we’ve proven ourselves wrong in early predictions. That is, with the exception of the comic books and the Sunday funny papers.

Three weeks ago, an unspeakable school tragedy took place in southern Texas. Like everywhere else across the nation, the emotions, thoughts and prayers of the Cassville school community are certainly with the families, educators and community of Uvalde.

“I’m going to make your daughter’s heart stop.” No parent is ever prepared to hear those words, but on Monday, that’s what Dr. Jacob Miller told my wife and me…

As I write this on June 2, it still hasn’t completely hit me. On Monday, my wife and I will be off to St.