Columnists

Friends, community members and Bearcat supporters everywhere, as my term as Northwest Missouri State University’s 10th president concludes today, my family – Denise, Matt, Joe, Leah, Lucas – and I provide our most heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the Northwest collective, the community, region and countless individuals, families and groups we cherish as friends, teammates…

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays because of the history it represents. The 4th of July is more than just a day off work; it is a celebration of our nation’s fight against tyranny and our continued commitment to providing justice and liberty for all. Though today we still have plenty of issues…

On my first day at this job four or so years ago, I sat in the front row of a Maryville City Council meeting next to my new boss, Managing Editor Skye Pournazari. I wasn’t there to write anything yet, just to get a feel for how things worked and to introduce myself (“Hello, I’m…

Thus far America has been more durable than a Goodyear tire, but security abides within only as long as diligence persists. One key to longevity is caring. Another is determination. A third is awareness. If these slide, corruption worms in. America is not merely an experiment which suggests the inevitability of failure. America is a…

June is Pride Month. It’s a time to acknowledge the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, and also celebrate diversity, love, and respect. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, holding that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in all states. We recognize same-sex couples’ marriages…

Today, Nancy Pelosi and her liberal pals voted against banning the EPA from regulating livestock “emissions.” Yes, you read that right. They voted against stopping the EPA from making rules to limit burps and farts from cattle and hogs. Back in 2019, when the Green New Deal first came out, everyone called me crazy for…

I’m young. Youngish. I do, however, frequently learn more about what the old folks used to mean when they said things. I guess that when I was growing up, I just thought all old people were grumpy; along with aging, I assumed that folks just naturally grew a bit more cantankerous. As it turns out,…

Social Security benefits are a crucial part of millions of Americans’ retirement income. If you don’t have enough Social Security credits to qualify for benefits on your own record, you may be able to receive benefits on your spouse’s record. To qualify for spouse’s benefits, you must be one of the following: • 62 years…

Some of the smallest towns in our state can have some of the largest issues. This is something we see quite often in northwest Missouri. Over the course of the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken our lives to the core. Despite the pandemic, there is help on the horizon that has the…

Northwest Missouri State University’s high performance since I became the institution’s president in 2009 has come via your contributions – and those of our partners. My 2009 inaugural remarks addressed the importance of public-private partnerships, and I did not imagine how critical this would become by the 2020s. With regard to community, education and business…