Editorials

Like most exercises, voting can be an inconvenience, despite being a healthy thing to do for our community. And like most exercises, we must find ways to vote anyway to stay healthy. There is no more basic right in a democracy than to vote. Along with that right comes the most basic responsibility — to…

The power of a vote is greater than the sum of its parts. Traditionally, local elections are the weakest in terms of voter turnout. This year, engagement seems to be especially low, particularly in Maryville since there are no contested races on the ballot for school board or City Council. But even in uncontested races,…

We applaud the Maryville Public Library for the record-setting Children’s Business Fair this weekend that saw more participation than ever before. The invaluable annual event gives every lucky prospective customer a window to look into the future and get a glimpse of the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit alive and well in the next generations of…

March 12-18 marks Sunshine Week across the country, a weeklong event meant to bring attention to open records laws and the key role they play in keeping our democracy functioning. In Missouri, 2023 also marks the 50th anniversary of our state’s Sunshine Law and the protections it affords each and every citizen through the access…

This weekend, we will all go through our annual ritual of groaning about losing an hour of sleep — or, for the young and young at heart, an hour of infinitely more important activities. We will gripe to each other, as we always do, about whose bright idea it was to have a 23-hour day…

Anyone who has ever owned a business — or really, just ever worked in one — has at some point thought to themselves, “Boy, if there weren’t any customers or other employees to deal with, sure could get some real work done around here!” It’s an old aphorism, but one that some members of the…

Legislation speeding through the state General Assembly would allow parents to choose where to send their child to school without having to pay any extra fees. We agree that on its face, open enrollment sounds good for parents and students. What parent wouldn’t want the option to provide their child with what they think will…

Details about a potential theft at NOCOMO remain scarce. This is understandable as the law enforcement investigation is just beginning. All that’s been confirmed so far is what has been reported in this newspaper: that the Maryville Police Department received a report involving missing funds. We know this not through NOCOMO, but from the police…

The plan by Mosaic Medical Center – Maryville, the St. Francis Foundation and the Northwest Missouri Cooperative Mental Health Board to put telehealth stations in every public school district across Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth counties is a slam-dunk first step in showing the benefits of the first-of-its-kind cooperative board in rural Missouri. Driven by…

We at The Forum are not afraid to say it out loud: we’re against an American monarchy. And that’s why we can no longer support Groundhog Day. While we here in northwest Missouri enjoy the freedoms of our republic each and every day, some of our friends and neighbors to the east remain under the…