Clark County FFA Plans Full Slate of Activities for National FFA Week
Next week is once again nearing National FFA Week. The Clark County FFA chapter will have a packed week of activities. To start FFA Week, members will have the opportunity to attend St. Paul Church in Official Dress on Sunday, February 22, for FFA Sunday. On Monday, February 23, members will participate in Blue and Gold Day. Members will dress in FFA attire, wearing the official colors of blue and gold. February 24 is Career Day. Students will dress to represent their future career plans. February 25 is Official Dress Day, when members will wear their official dress clothes and…
Read MoreNew Tax Break On Overtime Pay Comes With Limits
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new federal tax provision allows some workers to deduct part of their overtime pay from their taxable income, but the change is narrower and more complicated than it may sound. The provision, in effect for tax years 2025 through 2028, does not eliminate taxes on all overtime pay, according to Andrew Zumwalt, director of the University of Missouri’s Personal Financial Planning program. Instead, it allows a deduction for the overtime “premium” — the extra pay workers receive beyond their regular hourly wage — subject to income limits and documentation requirements. Under the law, eligible workers may…
Read MoreKahoka City Council Approves Leaf Vac Bid, $65,000 Fire Truck Purchase
By Mike Scott KAHOKA, Mo. — The Kahoka City Council approved several purchases and contracts during its meeting Monday, Feb. 16, including a low bid for a leaf vacuum system and a new fire truck for the city’s fire department. The council approved minutes from its February meeting and authorized building permits. Leaf vacuum bid approved The council accepted a low bid of $6,473 from Land Pro of Memphis for a leaf vacuum system. Ethan Horton told the council the equipment would help address drainage issues. “Every time it rains, I’m knee-deep digging out culverts,” Horton said. “There are a…
Read MoreClark County Varsity Scholar Bowl Team Off to Strong Start in 2026 Season
By Emily Bontrager The Clark County Varsity Scholar Bowl team is off to an impressive start this season, building a 27–4 record and showcasing a roster filled with young talent and strong teamwork. Team members include Zac Irvin, Lexi Oilar, Liam McIntire, Vivian Reardon, Brody Davis, and Breckin Webster. Under the leadership of Mr. Reardon, the group has continued to grow together through preparation and steady improvement in each competition. Students prepare for matches by participating in practice rounds, studying a wide range of material, and using NAQT resources to sharpen their knowledge. “The losses that we have taken were…
Read MoreMaxine Mae Beard
, 88, of Kahoka, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 16, 2026, at Clark County Nursing Home surrounded by the love of her family. Born on May 6th, 1937, to Leon and Dolly (Brisby) Beard. She lived life to the fullest and on her own terms—marked by an extraordinary sense of humor, quiet strength, and…
Read MoreClark County R-1 Board Urged to Invest in Gifted Education Program
KAHOKA, Mo. — The Clark County R-1 Board of Education heard a passionate plea from a district educator and parent to invest in a full-time gifted education program during its regular meeting on Jan. 15. Erin Hopp, a teacher at Clark County R-1 and parent of gifted children, addressed board members during public comment to advocate for a more structured and dedicated gifted education program. Drawing comparisons to established programs in Palmyra, Hopp emphasized the long-term academic and emotional benefits of gifted services, as well as the need to comply with changing state standards. “I am here tonight to advocate…
Read MoreHistoric Images Frozen in Glass: NEMOnews Media Group Unveils New Digital History Project
For more than a century, thousands of moments from northeast Missouri have been quietly preserved—not in photo albums or scrapbooks, but on fragile sheets of glass. Now, NEMOnews Media Group is bringing those moments back to life. This week, NEMOnews Media Group launched “Historic Images Frozen in Glass,” a new digital history project that shares restored photographs created from historic glass plate negatives, many dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The project is being presented on the NEMOnews Facebook and Instagram pages, where followers can see the original negatives alongside their digitally restored positive images. Glass plate negatives…
Read MoreApplications for Missouri Century Farms open Feb. 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If your farm has been in your family since Dec. 31, 1926, you can apply to have it recognized as a Missouri Century Farm. The University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, MU Extension Ag and Environment team and Missouri Farm Bureau sponsor the program. Applications to be recognized as a 2026 Missouri Century Farm open Feb. 1. Deadline is May 1. To qualify, the same family must have owned the farm for 100 consecutive years. The line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be through children, grandchildren, siblings and nephews…
Read MoreOutdoors With Kevin Fox: The Necessity of Shooting Sticks
The buck suddenly appeared on the path that ran below me along a dry creek bed. Sometimes that’s what deer do — one minute there’s nothing to see, and the next there’s a deer standing there. If the buck continued on the way he was walking, he would come to within more than 50 yards of me. If I had been using a different gun, I would have already taken the shot. However, I wasn’t using just any rifle. Lying across my lap was my Thompson/ Center Hawken black‑powder rifle, loaded with 60 grains of fffg powder topped by a…
Read More“That’s powerful. That’s America.”
The Inside Story About One Northeast Missouri Man’s Journey to Become a U.S. Citizen By Echo Menges For those of us born into it, citizenship is often something we don’t think much about. We grow up with a passport, the right to vote, the ability to work and live freely — and rarely question whether that will ever change. But for Javi Gil, 51, of rural Rutledge, none of those things were guaranteed. Not even after spending decades in the United States, raising a family, leading a fire department, and dedicating his life to public service. When delays in renewing…
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