My time as the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce president is coming quickly coming to an end. This is my second time around as Chamber president.

Long before the days of the power mower, and still longer before the zero turns came on the market, the reel-type, human powered mower got the nod for cutting grass. The mowers of those days were not sufficiently wide enough to show where you had been behind you, but they were the best around.

Federal policies have allowed for affirmative action programs in higher education since a Supreme Court ruling in 1978. The Court established guidelines that allow for race to be considered as a part of a holistic applicant review but cannot be the determining factor.

There won’t be any parades in Cassville to mark the occasion, but Friday, Nov. 11 is Veteran’s Day. While not important to some, to approximately 3,000 Barry Countians, living or deceased, who have served in the Armed Forces of this country, this will possibly bring back memories, some that they might enjoy, others they had just as soon forget.

It has been some time since we have been to the Senior Center for lunch. However, on one occasion when we went to the one-time Pet Milk Plant to enjoy some of their cooking, we found ourselves seated at the same table as one of my favorite readers. She always identifies herself as a long time reader.

As my daughter’s 2022-2023 school year heads into its fourth month, I head into my fourth week of my 10 week fall quarter. It has been an interesting journey to go to school along with my elementary age daughter.

Farmers and ranchers have experienced 200300 percent increases in fertilizer costs in 2021 and the first half of 2022, according to Ben Brown, senior research associate for the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute.

Dear Editor: I wanted to take a minute and thank you for your tribute article to Eric Hahn and the KISS Rebreather team in the Oct. 19 paper. I thought it was very well done and presented the empathetic approach that was much needed after such a tragic accident. I have gotten to know the team quite a bit over the past year as they stay with us each month. I was gut-wrenched that Friday afternoon after I heard about an “incident” that had occurred with the team and then completely heartbroken as we learned the news of Eric’s death.

It’s been a big year for local journalism. In July, I attended the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors conference, where I accepted a Golden Dozen award for column-writing, and just a few weeks ago, I attended the Missouri Press Association conference and accepted more than 50 awards on mine and my staff’s behalf.