Don’t Spill the Beans
Fuel up with legumes for protein and fiber Tex-Mex Layered Bean Salad Ingredients 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/3 cup red onion, chopped 16 ounces iceberg lettuce, carrot and cabbage salad mix 1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded Two 15-ounce...
Hot Off The Press
The Wine Journal pours history by the glass STORY AND PHOTOS by Paul Newton The room at the back of the downtown building has always carried a distinctive smell. For decades developer, stop bath and fixer filled the darkroom as photographs of community festivals,...
En Plein Air
Artist Lee Copen takes her studio outdoors STORY AND PHOTOS by Jim McCarty On a beautiful summer day, Lee Copen sets up her easel and watercolor paints next to the iconic Alley Spring Mill. She ignores the obvious red mill — one of the most photographed and painted...
Built for the Long Haul
Jared Flinn connects the truckers and shippers that keep America’s commodities moving STORY by Sara Schafer Jared Flinn’s desk phone rarely stopped ringing. Fresh out of college and working in truck logistics for Bartlett Grain Co. in Kansas City, the farm boy from...
Teens Take Leadership for a Spin
110 students learn about government, teamwork and the cooperative difference STORY BY Paul Newton | PHOTS BY Paul Newton and Sara Schafer Inside the Missouri House of Representatives, there’s a spirited debate over a bill. Warrensburg High School student Remington...
Co-op and Community
Directors Prepare for the Future At the 2026 Directors’ Conference, hosted by Missouri Electric Cooperatives, 150 electric cooperative board members gathered in Branson to gain tools and information that support sound decision-making and help prepare their...
Bucket Trucks and Bright Futures
Ozark Electric hosts inaugural kids camp by Paul Newton The rubber gloves swallowed small hands. The protective sleeves were heavy and stifling on an impossibly hot summer day. For the children trying them on, the gear offered a glimpse into what it takes for an...
Tom Turns 150
Revisit Mark Twain’s timeless tale of boyhood mischief and adventure STORY AND PHOTOS by Sara Schafer Tom Sawyer Could profit from a punishment — convincing neighborhood boys to give him treasures for the honor of whitewashing a fence. He could charm local beauty...
An Outdoor Education
Author John Stanard shares childhood memories of his youth at Wappapello Lake STORY AND PHOTOS by Jim McCarty If you are a child today, chances are you were robbed of an outdoors education. The culprit is the TV set and any kind of device with a screen designed to...
Its Good Till Its Gone
by Caleb Jones A couple of months ago, my brother and I took our boys, our dad and a handful of cousins and family friends on the fishing trip of a lifetime. Our destination was Fletcher Lake, Ontario. Calling it “remote” doesn’t do it justice. There are no roads to...