It’s hard to believe that the new big-screen adaptation of the classic Judy Blume novel “Are You There God? It's Me Margaret." made only $6.8 million at the domestic box office this past weekend. The theater where I saw the movie was more crowded than usual, and the audience clearly...
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By Bob Garver, Movie Reviewer
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5/3/23
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While on my regular trip to drop off items at the Polk County Recycling Center one day last week, I had the chance to visit with Ben Lee. In case you didn’t realize it, Ben keeps the recycling center organized and operational. He is a good-natured fellow with a great sense of humor, but the other day, he was a little out of sorts. Not the cranky, grumpy kind of out of sorts, and it actually wasn’t him who was out of sorts at all — it’s those of us who use the center!
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By Janet Gordon
Recycling Enthusiast
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5/2/23
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It’s weird when a super-low-budget cult movie like 1981’s “The Evil Dead” gets a well-funded...
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By Bob Garver, Movie Reviewer
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4/28/23
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In Missouri, any snake found near the water or swimming in it is presumed to be a venomous cottonmouth.
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By Francis Skalicky
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4/27/23
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My dad wouldn’t let me take a typing class in high school.
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By Jim Hamilton
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4/26/23
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When I first heard that there was a movie called “The Pope’s Exorcist,” I thought maybe it was about a guy that performs an exorcism on The Pope. That could be...
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By Bob Garver, Movie Reviewer
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4/20/23
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When a person is harmless, people say things like “Oh, she wouldn’t hurt a fly!” Around here, no one says that about me. They’ve seen me in action, and they know – I’m a stone-cold fly killer.
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By Gwen Rockwood
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4/19/23
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I last talked to Angela 32 years ago. It was the evening of April 20, 1991. She called to let us know she would be coming home the next day from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg.
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By Jim Hamilton
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4/19/23
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God makes promises. They are all throughout His word. He speaks His promises through His written word. To some, He speaks through other believers. He may weave them in our dreams or plant a seed in our gut. He finds a way to reveal promises to each of us. When I believe God has promised something or I am praying and seeking something specific, I often struggle with do I pursue it (or Him) fervently or do I wait for it (or Him) patiently?
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4/18/23
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For many waterfowl hunters and nature viewers, the wood duck is Missouri’s – and, to a larger extent, North America’s – forgotten conservation success story.
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By Francis Skalicky
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4/14/23
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Last week, I wrote in my review of “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” that I wasn’t really familiar with the “Dungeons & Dragons” game, and that may have affected my enjoyment of the movie. There will be no such disclaimer for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
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By Bob Garver, Movie Reviewer
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4/13/23
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A politician friend justifiably took me to task last week about my comments on politicians on April 5. I went back to that previously written column and concluded...
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Jim Hamilton
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4/12/23
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Dear Editor,
HB1169 is a bill that is being considered in Jefferson City designed to protect Missourians against...
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4/12/23
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If you’re not planning to plant a tree in the days ahead (or be involved in the planting of one), at least take a moment to think about how important trees are.
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By Francis Skalicky
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4/7/23
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Before this latest freeze, I thought I felt a touch of spring in the air.
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By Jim Hamilton
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4/6/23
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Let me begin by saying that I did not go into “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” familiar with the source material. I certainly knew “of” the famous tabletop game and that it takes place in...
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By Bob Garver, Movie Reviewer
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4/5/23
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I was flipping through the pages of my Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda “Over 100 Helpful Household Hints” book by Christine Halvorson. It is obviously full of ideas on how to use baking soda. I want to say right now that I don't have any recommendations on which baking soda is the best of the best, but you might guess by the title which one is preferred in this book. There is a recipe for a general purpose cleaner that I thought I would share with you. One teaspoon borax, one teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice, l/4 teaspoon liquid dish soap and two cups of hot water are the ingredients. It suggests wearing rubber gloves when using this mixture and storing in a spray bottle. There are several other “recipes” for other cleaning projects in the house.
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By Janet Gordon
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4/5/23
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Aggressive dogs along the Frisco Highline Trail
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4/5/23
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Though I've yet to settle on what I want to be when I grow up, I've never wanted to be anyone other than me.
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By Jim Hamilton
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3/31/23
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There’s something about a fourth movie in a series that tends to be dangerous for a franchise’s legacy.
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By Bob Garver, Movie Reviewer
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3/30/23
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More and more people are discovering that, when it comes to their lawns and flower gardens, beauty doesn’t have to be imported.
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By Francis Skalicky
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3/30/23
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At our house, we’re sensitive to things that go bump in the night (or the day). Because our 16-year-old daughter has epilepsy and has fallen in the past during seizures, Tom and I have ears that are always listening for a possible thump, bump, crash or anything out of the ordinary. Experience has put us on a hair trigger.
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By Gwen Rockwood
Contributing Columnist
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3/29/23
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Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah: 40:28
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By Kelly Mauck
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3/28/23
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As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, it might be a good time to discuss the extraordinary man whose name became part of a cherished holiday — and not only by people of Irish ancestry. As the saying goes, we’re all a little Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.
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By Denise Noe
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3/17/23
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What a triple whammy.
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By Jim Hamilton
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3/16/23
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