Editorials

Another Nodaway County Fair is in the books. We offer our deepest thanks to everyone involved in putting on the massive event in ways great and small. Every part of the fair means something to someone, and that someone is an important part of our community. Although our world has never been bigger, it’s events…

Around the newsroom, we’re big on rules, especially ones that are meant to bolster transparency and fairness in our democracy. And it probably will come as no surprise that we also believe public notices in local newspapers are a vital service that could not be achieved as effectively any other way. Those two beliefs are…

It’s that time of year again. Old Defiance Days and the Allendale Rodeo. The Fourth of July in Elmo. The Graham Street Fair. Picnicking in Hopkins. And of course the Nodaway County Fair. It’s a northwest Missouri season that might as well be called “Summer Homecoming.” In many ways, our old-time traditions mean even more…

Decisions are made by those who show up. But in 2025, that doesn’t mean what it used to. For better or worse — frequently both — more and more people exist more and more online. While we can certainly wish for — and even occasionally work toward — a future where that’s not the case,…

Last week’s passage by the General Assembly of massive taxpayer subsidies for the billionaire owners of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals is just the latest example of the vacuous void in our state where our leaders with vision should be, starting at the top with Gov. Mike Kehoe. Calling the General Assembly back into…

The city of Maryville this week announced that Ryan Heiland will lose the interim tag and become Maryville’s next city manager. It’s another example of one of the city’s strengths over the past decade: preparing future leaders to run with the ball. Heiland is the best choice for the job regardless of his experience in…

Law enforcement officers have never been asked to do more, and frequently, with less. Too often, wearing a badge in 2025 means having to be everything at once: a mediator, a counselor, a mental health expert, a savvy communicator, an investigator, and a protector, just to name a few. And the job has never been…

Since the first words of America’s story were written, they have been written on pages made up of the lives of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice so that our story can keep being told. We are a nation founded through a shared struggle, shared sacrifice and a belief in a shared set of…

The annual Law Enforcement Torch Run is one of those yearly events most of us are aware of and acknowledge, but don’t really pay much attention to — at least not the attention it deserves. The torch that local law enforcement officers carry on the run is a symbol of the ideals we profess to…

We applaud the city of Maryville for implementing a sensible solution for regulating factory-built homes. The ordinance passed by the council on Monday will ensure that neighborhoods have a much greater say in the future over whether manufactured homes are allowed near them. We also acknowledge that the ordinance, unfortunately, won’t do much to alleviate…